{BLOG TOUR} Desert Bloom for Riley Blake Designs

Eeek! I was so excited to check my email to see that fabric designer, Amanda Herring {The Quilted Fish} had personally messaged me to invite me on a blog tour for her latest line now available at Riley Blake Designs. Desert Bloom is a collection of both woven and knit fabrics inspired by her home state of Utah. The color palate is grays, aquas and reds in a variety of blooms, poppies, and birds and more.

Gorgeous, right?!

As I was choosing fabric, I had the hardest time deciding. The collection has 7 woven (each in 3 colorways) and 2 knit (each in 3 colorways) designs from which to choose. For those keeping track at home, that is 27 choices. I wanted them ALL... haha. But, that would be greedy. Because I honestly could not decide, I enlisted my 5 year old. She has recently gotten very ~~demanding~~ opinionated about what she wants to wear so I knew I needed to include her in the process. She was immediately drawn to the birds {Desert Bird Blue}. Her requests were -- shirt with sleeves. To complete her outfit, she wanted cropped, soft pants (aka knit leggings - HA!). For the leggings we chose Desert Gray Stripe in Knit.

I wanted to make a sweet Summer top that would be both playful and meet the "needs" of my daughter. I decided to mash the Merry bodice with Kailua Town's front curve (both by Little Lizard King). For the skirt, I wanted a slimmer skirt so I cut one WOF and then used half for each side. I used a deep hem to hold the structure a bit at the bottom of her tunic.

I love how cool the back will keep her this summer!

For the "soft" pants, I turned to my favorite leggings pattern, Petunia Petals by LilyGiggle (sadly, she's closed down shop). This knit is a nice weight with a 4-way stretch and oh so soft! It washes up nicely too! My 5 year old's opinion: "I like them soooooo much!"

She is admiring all her birdies and they couldn't help but "tweet" throughout photos. I think this is a win :) My only regret is not including her older sis in this tour. Last June, they looked so cute in coordinating La Vie Boheme dresses also by Amanda Herring {posted HERE}.

Amanda, thank you so much for inviting me on tour showcasing your gorgeous fabrics! You have an amazing talent and I'm so glad you're able to share that with us. The goody box you sent was the sweetest thing ever!! And yummy :D