tiny dancer

dancers loved around the world

The fabric line we are introducing to you this time is by melimba. The textile brand is run by Melissa Wood and her sister Rebecca who both live in Texas. They are excited to release their latest line ‘tiny dancer’, which is the first project for KOKKA.

“My mom taught me how to cut out paper dolls when I was younger, and I loved to make them. One of my best friends was a dancer growing up, so I cut up special ballerina paper dolls to wish her luck for her performance. It was a lot of fun and I still love to cut them out. One day I wanted to save time and skip the cutting, so I decided to make them digitally on my computer and easily change their outfits for different occasions, and that’s when the idea came to do dancing ballerinas. My younger sister and daughter love to dance, so it was often on my mind, and they were a big inspiration for this line. Hence, tiny dancer was born!” Woods says.

Woods continues that Rebecca has been a really big help for her to design and clean up the patterns. “It was really important to us to make sure that we represented girls all over the WORLD, because dancing is a universal language. I just love the concept of people coming together because of a common denominator. Isn’t it a neat idea? Becca and I worked for HOURS to make sure we had several different ethnicities represented in both the skin color and hair colors. It was hard work, but it was really important to us. I hope, as people see this fabric, and have dancers that they know and love, they’ll be able to pick out one of the girls that resembles them.”

The line is themed on dancers, but actually they have also prepared versatile small-patterned prints such as a fun floral, a great dotted stripe, and a classic damask.
“We’re using the fabric for all sorts of projects! My mom created this amazing quilt, a dress, and a skirt for my 5 year old daughter. Becca created a darling tote bag and cute bow-ties for my two sons. And, I created a few little dolls with the fabrics for them and for me. I plan to make more clothing like tunics, skirts, and dresses too.”

“I kept picturing parents making bags for their daughter to take to her dance class, a grandmother creating a little quilt for her grand-daughter who loves to dance, and I pictured people like me, who aren’t dancers, but like the simple and sweet design. Cute is cute, and people who like cute things might be a fan.” The small floral, dotted stripe or damask print is great for any project. They will be the accent fabrics as well.

tiny dancer main print JG-42000-1 cotton broadcloth

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“I love when you squint your eyes almost closed tight, you can see all the different skin colors create an almost polka dotted pattern. This print could work for all sorts of projects, from small bags from using a huge piece to do a quilt.”

dancer border panel print JG-42000-2 cotton broadcloth

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This is the border fabric with all patterns of tiny dancer. “We wanted to do a sort of “cheater” print, where beginning and expert sewers could use this. I wanted the beginner to be able to get a piece of this fabric and be able to simply sew up the edges, and bam! a cute bag all ready to go. Or sew up the sides, and a darling skirt is born. No need to coordinate prints, because we did the work for you. Also, if you were an expert seamstress, you can use this print as a border on a skirt or dress, or the edges of a quilt. Maybe you want to just use the plaid stripe for a project, then cut it up and go for it! A little secret with this print is that the stripe with the big flowers, are actually little ballerina toe shoes repeated in a circle to create a sort of snowflake/flower image.”

floral print JG-42000-3  cotton broadcloth

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This small floral fabric will stand on its own or be used as a neutral. “Florals can work for men too! My boys look darling in their little floral bow-ties. I want to make little floral suspenders too for them!”

dancer damask JG-42000-4  cotton broadcloth

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This is a classic damask but playful, too. “It would be fun to hide a little dancer girl in there. We wanted it to be subtle, and it’s always fun for us to point out the secret and see people’s reactions.”

dotty stripe JG-42000-5  cotton broadcloth

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It is the combination of stripe and classic polka dot that is Wood’s favorite. Since the beaded pattern can become not only vertical but also horizontal border, you can enjoy various ways to use this fabric.