When I heard that Sarah Campbell was designing a new line of fabric for FreeSpirit, I was thrilled - I’ve loved her painterly textiles for years. And, although I could see how the line would make a fabulous quilt, I’m not much of a quilter. As in at all – my love is garment sewing. Luckily, I work at The Sewing Workshop, so I have a fabulous collection of garment patterns to work with. 

One of my favorite aspects of designing ensembles is mixing prints, and the Fresh Picked collection has a lot of bold and bright options. Before I start cutting, I like to envision how the fabric prints will work together. In this case, I had wonderful sketches from Sarah herself that I could “dress” in fabric.

I’m of the opinion that everything you wear can be a print - as long as the scales complement each other. This ensemble has four different prints. But the way they are used engages your eye and guides it from garment to garment, making the overall look less overwhelming. Let’s break it down.

The main fabric on the Ikina Two Jacket is Flower Dance, which features large-scale flowers on a black background. The black is important because it grounds the look. The Shadows Red stripe on trim and pockets pops the red in the print and creates a frame that separates the floral in the jacket with the floral shirt.

For the Hugo Top, I chose the Sketch Book Daisies print. The daisies are a smaller scale than the jacket print, so instead of competing with the jacket, they work as a background layer. The fabric reads as white, which allows your eye to rest, but the pops of black and red are sympathetic to the floral in the jacket.

I also chose a stripe for the West End Pants, but this time I turned it vertical so that it contrasts with the stripe in the jacket. The neutral tones of black, grey, and white work in our favor – they don’t take away from the bright pops of color in the jacket. And the vertical stripes guide the eye from top to bottom.

I know that some folks are uncomfortable with large prints by their faces. In that case, I say, go bold – on the bottom! For example, this pair of Picasso Pants shows the Garden Tea Bowl fabric, which is a riot of bright flowers and black and white check.

Meanwhile, the Hugo Top in Shadows stripe has more of a color-blocked look about it. Yes, it is still a print but it also works like a (bright) neutral. Think of it as dipping your toe into the print-on-print pool.

Repeating colors also helps to keep your prints coordinated. Here, the Cottage Shirt in Sweeties has a bold, black background. Look closely at the Dahlia Garden fabric featured in the Six Sense Skirt and you’ll see a hint of black behind the blooms. And the Bower band on the skirt? It pulls the whole look together.

So, what did I make? Well, I started in on the Cottage Skirt with Six Sense Skirt look. But then the temperature dropped so I made a last-minute pivot, pairing the shirt with Picasso Pants in Dahlia Garden. The florals are just my style and they add a pop of color to my everyday wardrobe.

If you want to get started sewing garments, my advice is to keep it simple. Look for fun patterns that don’t have tricky design details like collars and stands or buttonholes. The Picasso Pants that I made are a great beginner project, but you could also look for skirts, simple jackets, or pullover shirts. Luckily, cotton from Fresh Picked is a great choice to start garment sewing because it is stable - it won’t shift or slide on you.

P.S. if you ever have questions about how to get into garment sewing, email me at Betsy@sewingworkshop.com – I’m happy to help.

Every Tuesday at 11:00 central time, our founder Linda Lee hosts a Facebook Live, and each week she talks about, you guessed it, garment sewing! Linda is a world-renowned teacher, so if you are interested in sewing your own clothing, tune in to see her tips and techniques. Oh, and you might see me as well!

Shop our garment patterns, fashion fabric, and sewing tutorials at the Sewing Workshop website: www.sewingworkshop.com

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Watch previous Facebook Live videos: https://sewingworkshop.com/videos2

Betsy Blodgett got her start in the sewing industry when she opened bon bon atelier, a fabric and craft store. She made the transition to the marketing and production side of the industry, working with Linda Lee at The Sewing Workshop. When not helping produce their line of avant-garde garment patterns, she is happily organizing their fashion fabric collection and loves nothing more than photoshoot day! In fact, she loves fabric so much that she started Hello Voyager, a textile tour company, that searches out the best in historical and contemporary textiles all over the world.