The Fabric Shopper: Inspiration: Poland

(photo: Folk Market in Krakow, Poland courtesy of Flickr user ilvic)

I live in the beautiful city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is located on the shores of the Great Lakes. We have a long, cold winter here so when the weather becomes mild we spend much of our time outdoors. Milwaukee is known as a city of outdoor festivals and during the summer there is a major festival every week celebrating the different cultures which have settled the area (with a break in between for SummerFest, one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the world). I thought it would be fun to play along with the festivals and look at each one as an inspiration for fabric and sewing projects. This series will not be a study in history or a culture's specific contributions to sewing crafts, but a simple, fun way to be inspired by the cultures among us! (I'll be using traditional culture, rather than modern, as inspiration)

We start the summer with PolishFest.

Fabric:

(photo: Shawly you'll buy one... courtesy of Flickr user eWah)

Brightly colored florals in true hues are our fabric inspiration from Poland, as evidenced by the above two photos. Found in online fabric shops:

Top left: So Hot Charmeuse! from Gorgeous Fabrics (would look great as a short summer dress, such as Vogue 1103 directly below). Top right: Amavel Poplin in Blue by Hilco from Bunte Fabrics (maybe as oh-so-in patterned skirt, such as Simplicity 2698 directly below)

Ribbon Trim:

(photo: skirt of many colors courtesy of Flickr user Jo Peattie)

I think the use of ribbon trim on this colorful folk costume is what makes it so delightful! Here's a sampling of some of the trim you can find in online shops:

Clockwise from top left: Pretty Green & Pink Floral ribbon from Etsy seller Hey Chica, Colorful Woven Wide ribbon from The Fabric Fairy, Vintage Floral Jacquard red on white ribbon from Etsy seller Trim Goddess, selection of ribbons by Jessica Jones and Patty Young from J Caroline Creative

Pottery:

(photo: Pottery Pitcher Boleslawiec Polish Pottery by Flickr user Le Petit Poulailler)

Poland is well-known for distinctive pottery and patterns. Mark Lipinski based his fabric collection for Northcott, Krakow, on his Polish pottery collection.