I still love Spoonflower

I still love Spoonflower, the fabric printing website, despite them not putting my Dizzy Dinosaur design through to the next round of the Project Selvage competition!.   This is because:

a) All of the 75 semi-finalist designs are super professional looking.  I was very impressed, and felt all of them were deserving of their place. There are some real gems in the selection and I really think Michael Miller should produce more than one new line of fabric from this competition. Go check it out if you get time.

and

b) Look at my labels!   

 I printed these using the Spoonflower website because most other fabric label websites I found only allow you to choose text, but not your own logo/fonts.   I ordered a yard and got at least 400 labels, now who's the professional eh?   :)

Til tomorrow x

Dizzy Dinosaurs

Back to the quilt soon, but on saturday night I tackled another of the "Crafty To-do's" from my ever growing list.  This one was designing a fabric to print using the Spoonflower website.  This would probably have been lower down my list, but I was already on the website, printing InspiredbyFelix labels for my cushions (1m of fabric yields c400 fabric washable labels yeay!).   Anyway, whilst there I spotted "Project Selvage" which is a competition Spoonflower are holding. 

The task is to design a baby boy fabric, the top prize, to design a collection for Michael Miller!   Now, as a relative novice to fabric design, I don't expect to win, or get into the top 75 (on which the public vote), but this competition gave me a focus so I gave it a go.  I've been promised a copy of Illustrator from a friend, but whilst that's on its way, I managed with Powerpoint (years of working in business makes you pretty powerpoint proficient!) and other free Photo programmes. 

After faffing about for a couple of hours, I came up with "Dizzy Dinosaurs"

I have ordered a swatch and entered it into the competition!

Seize the day, I say!

x

Patchwork dog and basket

Had a super day out on Friday in Lewes (East Sussex).  Good food, good company (mother-in-law and Felix!) and good fabric!   Seriously, it's a lovely town with lots of independent shops including the most marvellous patchwork and quilting shop. I'd already spotted "The Patchwork dog and basket" in a magazine before we went there so we hunted it down in a lovely crafty/antique centre called the Needlemakers.  They have everything, from the modern fabrics I love to use, to more traditional quilting cottons, plus polka spots in a rainbow of colours and a great sale section.   Sue obligingly entertained Felix so I could have a proper nose around and I left the building a very happy girl....

Three sales fabrics that I have no idea what I'm going to do with, but I couldn't resist:

Two Michael Miller prints that caught my eye, bikes and dogs - love it!

Toadstools

This gorgeous flower print that would actually make a lovely top

and, last but by no means least, a Moda fabric from the Basicgrey range - this is printed like the lines of an old exercise book and I'm just itching to print onto it  (scan is not doing this one justice I'm afraid!)

Oh, and to top it all, the fabric came in this stylish recycled newspaper bag - felt like I'd got a free gift!

It's not been all buying and no making - I've finally finished the table runner I mentioned in an earlier post (hand binding that was a labour of love!) but the picture will have to wait until there's better light!  Instead I leave you with an image of Jane's garden room with my cushions in situ - fortunately she likes them!

xx