In my last post, I shared how I took a trip to Artistic Artifacts to get some Tilda fabric. I should probably amend that to say I actually first decided to go because I realized they had Australian Aboriginal fabric *and then* realized they had Tilda too! Knowing that I was about to sew up an Ivy and Marigold sample for Peony Patterns (an Australian designer), I loved the idea of incorporating truly Aussie fabric with it. (And in case you’re new to my blog, I’m Australian too, living in the USA).
M&S Textiles are the world’s largest manufacturer of Australian Aboriginal designer fabric. They pay their roster of talented artists fair market wages and guarantee authenticity, licensing original indigenous art designs and promoting them to the quilting and fiber arts community. If you’re in the US, Artistic Artifacts has a fairly large selection of their fabrics, though some are only available in Australia.
Peony Patterns gives back a portion of their annual profits to ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation), an organization that advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. So, it’s a perfect match!
I really loved using these fabrics to sew these dresses up. The fabric is actually more similar to shirting than quilting cotton, so it has great drape! The colors are vibrant and showcase the art so well!
Since I’ve already done a full write up on both these patterns, I’ll just provide some basics here – please see my earlier post for a complete review of the Ivy and Marigold patterns.
Ivy
Pattern: Size 5 chest, 8 height, dress length (my daughter is between sizes so technically I should have added some extra length) (Buy the Ivy pattern here)
Fabric:
Dreaming in One Purple by Bradley Stafford. In this artwork, Bradley dreamt various dreaming in one like Bush Food, Witchetty Grub, Kangaroo Path, Bush Dreaming, Long Neck Turtles and Honey Ant Dreaming. (Full story behind this fabric is here | Buy in USA here)
River Dreaming Purple by Barbara Egan. In this artwork, Barbara depicted the twisted roots of the river bed, the ripples and the natural line patterns formed in the sand. Her dreamtime of the river and the surroundings were very brilliantly postured with her tremendous art skills. She used her art as a medium of teaching and sharing culture and knowledge. (Full story behind this fabric is here | Buy in USA here)
I love the straps, the lace, and the turtles are cute! I don’t like that it’s short – why does my sister get the long dresses?
-feedback from Miss 8
Marigold
Pattern: Size 3 chest, 4 height, dress length (Buy the Marigold pattern here)
Fabric:
Bush Onions and Wild Flowers by Jane Doolan. Jane is an experienced Aboriginal designer from the well-known Doolan family in Alice Springs, N.T. Jane skillfully drew bush onions (cyperus bulbosus) and wild flowers in separate garden beds in a beautiful way. (Full story behind this fabric is here | Buy in the USA here)
Bush Seeds Purple by Cindy Wallace. Brown lines are drawn skillfully as the path for bush walkers and the dotted lines are depicted as borders. The lines are representing wild fruits. These seeds also contain medicinal values and are used to treat some diseases. (Full story behind this fabric is here | I can’t find the fabric on the Artistic Artifacts website any more sorry!)
My favorite thing is everything!!!
-feedback from Miss 4
Both these patterns (and a hand embroidery lavender pattern) are 30% off this week to celebrate the release! Sale ends Monday September 14, 2020 (12pm Australian Eastern time/10pm US Eastern on Sunday September 13, 2020). Be sure to join the Peony Patterns Facebook group to stay in the loop on new releases AND get all the inspiration too!
Disclaimer: I received these patterns in exchange for testing them. Opinions 100% my own!
auschick sews 
2 thoughts on “Ivy & Marigold + Aboriginal Art”