I don’t know if I need another complication to add to my crazy crafting life, but I’ve got to spread the news about a fabulous newish resource because I know we’ve got readers who, if they haven’t dabbled yet, will certainly leap into this creative adventure . . . especially when they take a gander at the contest the website is co-sponsoring.
Do you know you can have your own designs printed on fabric? Now I’m not talking about dyeing techniques or any other DIY processes. I’m talking about commissioning your own printed yardage. Isn’t that fabulous?
A spectacular Buddha print designed by art quilter and illustrator Sandra Bruce on Spoonflower.
The company that’s getting a lot of attention in the crafting/quilting/sewing communities for print-your-own fabric is Spoonflower, the brainchild of a crafty mom and her high-tech husband who partnered with some other clever people to start a web-based custom-fabric printing service.
All you need to do is download your design to their website and place your order. They’ve got lots of fabric types to choose from and, this is very cool, you can even sell your print via the Spoonflower Marketplace. Yes, there are bunches of things you need to know before you jump in, but that’s all available on their website.
While I’m not an expert, I do know a couple of Spoonflower cognoscenti:
Spoonflower actually crossed my orbit a couple of years ago, but their business concept didn’t really click with me until one of our subscribers, Sandra Bruce, an art quilter who also happens to be a fantastic illustrator, shared two very pretty prints she’d just commissioned at Spoonflower. Sandra’s creative life has taken some interesting twists and turns, which she shares via her websites. You can clearly see her dazzling signature style in her prints.
Another gorgeous Sandra Bruce print from Spoonflower.
Then, in an interesting See How We Sew coincidence, that print we used for our group challenge—Fly Away from Amy Schimler—debuted on Spoonflower. Amy is a fabric designer for Robert Kaufman Fabrics, but Fly Away started as a bird print that she auditioned on Spoonflower before the line was expanded for production at Kaufman. Amy writes about her creative pursuits in a blog called Red Fish Circle.
Thought you might enjoy a peek at a quilt made with Amy's Fly Away fabric line for sale on Etsy.com by Dana at Now and Then Quilts. Click the photo to travel her Etsy page. Do you see our challenge fabric showcased in the leftmost column?
Right now Robert Kaufman Fabrics and Spoonflower are running a fabric-designing contest. The deadline is imminent, but the challenge is fantastic and the prize . . . an incredible opportunity to become a fabric designer! Robert Kaufman’s blog has a link to an inspiration page on Pinterest–take a look if you’d like to take on the contest. Now that one is pretty intense, so if your tastes run to smaller-scale competitions, visit the Spoonflower contest page for their weekly creative challenges. And yes, there’s more: how about a chance at a Spoonflower giveaway here at See How We Sew?
In closing, I thought I’d add another clicking opportunity to this link-bedazzled post—here’s a Spoonflower Marketplace fabric line that is sublime for those with stellar tastes–makes me want to jump on a spaceship! In the immortal words of Star Trek’s Spock–live long and prosper fabric fans (& enter the giveaway)!
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