Anyone wondering what I was up to yesterday?
Yesterday’s post was similar to today’s post. Both preliminary designs for fabric.
You see, my daughter asked if I’d make her a quilt for her bedroom. The curtains in her room have begun to fade as well.
This gave me the idea to try out the company SPOONFLOWER (www.spoonflower.com).
I have seen their website time and time again, dreamed of finding some time to try it, but alas, I never have.
Here is the premise for those that do not know Spoonflower:
You can take ANYTHING and turn it into fabric. Photos, paintings, computer images, scans, drawings, kids art….the sky’s the limit.
Which brings me back to my project.
Meet Plat and Fluffy. These are my daughter’s two best friends in the world. They certainly aren’t the prettiest things, but they show serious signs of love. The one on the right, Plat was a gift from my husband’s high school girlfriend two decades ago. It is missing an eye due to a clothes dryer incident. My daughter found it at my in-laws as a toddler and since then, they have never been apart.
Another year, for Christmas, my daughter asked Santa for a platypus friend for her Plat. Through the magic of Ebay, another 1980’s platypus was found. That’s fluffy, the one on the left. Now all three are never apart. They are best buds.
Knowing my daughter’s great love of platypi, I will attempt to make a few fabric patterns, paint them and take a stab at getting them printed.
I tell you, this is a kid that knows what she wants:
She has already decided on her color palette as well!
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Now let me tell you a little bit about the process thus far.
As usual, it’s not as easy as it seems. You have to connect your image to itself on all four sides.
Yesterday’s platypus design has four crosses that connect to one another and two diamonds.
Today’s design has a multitude of flowers and foliage that must connect. So half of the flower is on the top and the other half below, but when seamed together, they will make one flower. The same with the leaves, they connect by halves up and down and left to right. Each has to be measured exactly to make sure they match up.
Here was a preliminary assemblage before I spent any more time on the drawing. It took hours to get it just right.
After I worked out the logistics I then added the central figures. Now, can you see where I forgot to add a certain detail? It’s the flower at bottom right. I didn’t add the band of small lines around its center. However, I did add it at the top of the design.
Now look at it pieced together, See how only half of the flower has the striped band? This is what I need to catch before I move on to painting. I can easily draw that in at this point. I missed the flower behind the platypus too.
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I have to say, this isn’t what I thought I’d be doing this week. I had grand plans for my children’s return to school, but that’s how it goes. Your sitting with your kid talking bedspreads and 4 days later you’re still working on a pattern! I am blessed to have this 365 challenge that allows me to float in any direction I choose. Things like my outdoor shower or fabric design would have been daydreams, but most likely never followed through.
With this creativity challenge, I think it, I say it, I do it.
That feels really good!
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Be Creative Mary 
Have to admit, I was wondering where you were going and I was thinking – I would love accent tiles like that somewhere!!
Funny, I just showed your artwork to one of my fabric rep distributors, and said I want this stuff on fabric.
sign me up for that job!!!