My fabric and other animals

Stop, don’t adjust your screen- simply allow your eyes to adjust to the fabulousness of this fabric. Are you there yet? Now when it comes to fabric there are two factors that trigger me to impulse buy- fabric that is “clever”, and fabric with animals on (although no animal that would be better off in a Disney film and not just markings that you’d see on the animal themselves, eg. leopard spots- ugh). Actually, wait, make that three factors. Anything that’s silk also usually induces a state of swoon and this, this, is an Italian silk chiffon *sigh*.Its available from Emma OneSock, and as Linda, who runs Emma OneSock, points out, it’s very M. C. Escher. I’m sure Escher would have approved of this fabric, as he seems to have had a sneaking fondness for lizards.

Above is “Reptiles” by Escher which shows the tessellation technique he used to such effect. (Clicking the pic will take you to a bigger pic at World of Escher.) The fabric below, also from Emma OneSock (no, I don’t work there, I just love their fabric ), is another I keep eyeing up. It’s also silk, although this is a jersey. However, the trouble with animal print fabrics is that I never know exactly what to do with them, other than look at them and feel all… happy.

I have a swatch of this one sitting on my desk and its gorgeous, so silky and so…so…. zebra-ey, but every time I look at it I think- “might I not look a little eccentric with a horde of zebras swathed round my torso?” I have a particular soft spot for black and white animals. Zebras, badgers, more badgers, oh, and penguins…

Which is why I own two and a half yards of this cute cotton twill from Farmhouse Fabrics (can’t see it left in stock, but here’s their site) and have absolutely no idea what to make it into. It’s almost worth having kids so I can run them up some penguin-covered dungarees and then fifteen years down the line they can roll their eyes at the photos and whine “I can’t believe you made me wear those!”

Or not. I haven’t found any fabric with badgers on yet. If anyone does, do let me know. Also, all suggestions as to what to make the penguin fabric into gratefully received!