Liberty Flower Show Spring for Riley Blake Fabrics

I’ve been a lover of Liberty fabrics since I started sewing regularly almost ten years ago.  I dragged my husband to the Liberty flagship store many years ago on a trip to London and I wandered the store for far too long for someone as cheap as I am!  I left with a few small trinkets (fabric buttons, a handkerchief, and some gorgeous bias tape) and vowed to one day splurge on actual yardage when I felt confident in my sewing abilities.   When I saw that Liberty has partnered with Riley Blake to offer affordable quilting cottons, my thrifty little heart rejoiced!  You get the same iconic prints and Riley Blake’s quality cottons.

I’m excited to introduce you to the Liberty Flower Show Spring line.  There’s an amazing variety of prints- from the vibrant and bright spring florals to the subtle tone on tone prints.  I requested a few different prints that I fell in love with.  I knew I needed something for myself and was torn between which children deserved this goodness.

Payton needed a dress in this happy floral print. I’ve been wanting to make a Simple Life Pattern Co. Newport Dress since it released and I knew this print would be great for it.  I love the simple lines of this pattern and those pockets are the coolest thing EVER!  The construction is unexpected but the look really adds so much to this dress.  I sewed up a straight size 10 (she’s right in between an 8 and a 10 size-wise but I want her to be able to wear this through the summer too) with added length that I ended up taking out by doing an extra wide hem.  I always think I want dresses to hit below the knee so she can wear them longer but in the end I decided that I like the look of slightly above the knee so much better.  With a wide hem, I can just let it down when she grows!  The joy of sewing your own clothes!I paired the Malvern Meadow print with the Wiltshire Shadow Collection Custard for the lining and pockets lining.  The colors in the Malvern Meadow print are so fun and cheery.  They bring a bit of sunshine to our gloomy winter days.  I made a warm weather dress for an upcoming vacation and know she’ll be happy to wear this come spring too!

This print, Yorkshire Meadow, had me so torn.  First, it was going to be a tie for one of my boys.  The subtle print and muted colors make it a floral that works great for anyone.  I finally settled on shorts for my oldest daughter because it was the most practical.  As we get ready for our trip I noticed she’s grown about a foot and her shorts are a little extra short now.  These will be perfect for throwing on with a swimsuit and wearing while we do a little sight seeing too.

I used the Free Purl Soho City Gym Shorts pattern.  I love this free pattern!  It’s quick and the racer styling never goes out of style.  She’s in the largest kid size for her waist and I added an extra inch to the inseam length.  I used store bought bias tape and 1.5″ elastic instead of the 1″ the pattern called for.  They offer this pattern in children’s sizes 2-11 and women’s waist sizes 33-46″.  It’s such a great lounging pattern and works well with lots of different fabric types.  It’s fantastic for beginners too!

For my top, I used the Arley Gardens print (not available on the website but it should hit your favorite quilt shop soon!).  These colors are divine!  The rosey-pinks and dusty blues- c’mon!  It feels a little more grown-up and not so flashy.  It’s just so darn pretty!

I used the Melody Top from Love Notions (affiliate link).  It’s the perfect beginner friendly button-up.  No finicky plackets to mess with and great, detailed instructions.  I sized down to an XS this time as I was afraid it would look too boxy in this heavier weight cotton.  I love that the Melody looks amazing in so many different fabric types.  I made one slight change to the pattern and cut the back piece straight across instead of the shirt tail hem.  I plan on tying the front whenever I wear it and I found with my last Melody that my back hem just naturally bunched up in the back.  Cutting the shirt tail curve off will reduce the bulk back there.

Are you itching to get your hands on some of this line now?!  If you’re looking for the Liberty lawn feel, this isn’t going to work for you.  It has the same feel and weight as a high-quality quilting cotton.  It will be great for lots of home and apparel projects as well as nice on your bank account too!  If you’re like me that means you can just buy ALL the prints then!