Meet 'Floral Song' for Lewis and Irene

When I was younger I always looked forward to opening birthday and Christmas cards from my Granny as she would write the sweetest poems in them. Some were excerpts from well known poems such William Wordsworth's 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' (which has come to be one of my favourite poems to this day) but most were poems she'd written herself. I remember in particular on my fifth birthday she wrote me a beautiful poem about a magical place which only we could see and that poem has stayed with me since then. 'Floral Song' was a response to this poem. I not only wanted to respond with poetry but in the way which I feel I can communicate best, through narrative, drawing and design. Every flower mentioned in the poem can be found in the designs throughout the collection. Inspired by a moment, a pause in time, I wanted to whisk you away to a world where flowers are art and art is all things floral.

Take my hand, walk with me.

Pause for a second, what do you see?

Look beyond the daisies dancing,

as soft winds blow, lupines sway, entrancing.

Hidden, unseen, the little blossom peeps.

A piece of my heart, this bloom, it keeps.

In this time, the secret hour,

silence enfolds us, like petals of a flower.

Observe: further, deeper. As light shifts,

colourful sprigs, natures gifts.

Immerse your mind, open your heart;

hear the long lost language, truly see the floral art.

As buds dance in the sunlight,

capture this moment, hold it tight.

Linger a little, but not too long.

Treasure this moment; fall in love with the floral song.

Firstly I'd like to introduce you to 'Bloom' my hero print for the collection. Here bold florals dance in flowerbeds as a butterfly flits from flower to flower. This design is a lot of fun and I can imagine it being made up into summer dresses, boho skirts and even shirts. Available in 'White,' 'Light Pink' and 'Navy Blue', I can't wait to see what everyone makes with this.

Next I'd like you to meet 'Floral Art.' This is one of my two secondary fabrics and it can be found in 'Light Pink,' 'Pale Grey' and 'Lavender Blue'. I really wanted to capture a sense of movement in this design which I tried to do by scattering a variety of different sized flowers across the fabric in a tossed print. Soft pastels and greys evoke a sense of playful Spring time merriment.

My second secondary fabric 'Little Blossom' comes in 'White,' 'Duck Egg' and 'Lavender Blue.' This was one of my favourite designs of the collection to create. I coloured each flower in by hand, leaving some of the white showing through to create a sense of texture. While this is a one directional print, I love how it flows. The pretty pink and yellow springs interspersed throughout the design break up the swathe of flowers without being distracting.

One of my favourite prints from the collection, I love the simplicity of this co-ordinate. 'Daisies Dancing' is a beautiful directional tossed print, and I can see this being used in a variety of garments and craft projects. As with 'Floral Art', this has a lovely sense of movement, hence the name 'Daisies Dancing.' Available in 'Pale Grey,' 'Duck Egg Blue' and 'Navy Blue' these will be a great addition to any project.

Finally meet my blender 'Nature's Gifts'. This comes in 'Light Pink,' 'Light Green' and 'Lavender Blue.' I really wanted these tone on tones to have a feeling of the light shifting as the sunlight changes throughout the day. The perfect pop of colour to add to your project.

I really hope you love 'Floral Song' as much as I do. I’d love to see everyone’s creations. Please tag me in any photos on Facebook and Instagram using #CassandraConnolly or @cass_connolly.

You can find ‘Floral Song’ in all good fabric shops from January 2024. Happy sewing!