Fabric Love's Swatch Kit

I saw this magazine in the supermarket last month "Love Patchwork & Quilting" (a nice magazine), really it was the free gift I saw "a fabric lovers swatch kit" and thought it was an excellent idea. It contained 100 cards, 100 double sized stickers (to stick the fabric sample to the card) and a metal keyring.
It's meant for people to stick swatches from there fabric stash onto the little pre-printed cards with  information on one side to fill in with details so you can remember your fabric name, details etc. then add to the keyring to keep to keep organised.
For me I thought it would be an excellent way to have samples of my fabric designs at hand and organised. So I made a template to fit the card tags and ordered some of my design minis from both from Woven monkey and spoonflower in the correct sizes and started organising my fabrics. I think this is so useful for co-ordinating with other fabrics, buttons, threads, zips or just for showing my fabric design, plus its so small and neat and can fit in my bag when out 'n' about. This is one of the best free gifts from a magazine I have ever had :)

Floral Border Print

I received a sample of Spoonflower's new fabric last week its called sport lycra. Its a soft and stretchy lycra that take's colour really well. It has a 4-way stretch and is a mix of 88% polyester and 12% Lycra®.
I used my floral border design for the print. I wanted to see how the colour and detail would come out on the lycra. I was very happy with the results.

Now what do I need made from lycra?
Maybe some stretchy bags or pockets...

Bees

Spoonflower's latest design contest is called Bees. I had to enter this one. I love bees and could watch them buzzing around flowers all day the noise is so relaxing. They are so important pollinating over 80% of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops, without bees the cost of pollinating food would be so expensive many of our favourites may no longer be produced like broccoli, cucumbers, pumpkins, blueberries, watermelons, apples, cranberries, and cherries, almonds. Plus they make both honey and beeswax. Bees are decreasing so plant a few flowers for them in your garden.
The brief for this weeks contest was "Create a bee-inspired design to be previewed at the fat quarter size (21" x 18"). Deadline for entry is Tuesday, April 21st. Voting will open on Thursday, April 23rd" Here's my design called Bees Together, it matches my filet crochet chart on my website (its a free chart) called Here Come The Bees.
To see this weeks entries and vote for the designs you like the link is below. There is no need to sign in and you can vote for as many as you choose.
http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=300
I am looking forward to seeing all the other entries.

Which came first the sea dragon or the egg

Yesterday I managed to finish and enter (just in time!) my entry to the "Mythical creature plushie pattern" contest run over at Spoonflowers site. Here's the brief "Create a cut-&-sew pattern to make a plush mythical creature toy. The sewing pattern, with instructions, should fit on a fat quarter of linen-cotton canvas (27" x 18"). Contest will close for entries on February 17, 2015. Voting opens Thursday, February 19th."

So here's my entry "Sea Dragon and Egg" usually I do more complicated cut n sews but decided to keep the pattern simple and let the design shine through. I thought also my doing this the design could be used for an appliqué onto a t-shirt, cushion, bag. There's also a little touch of the metal cogs design to match my other steampunk inspired "Cogs and Gears Collection".
Here's the link to vote for your favourites, no need to sign in and you can vote for as many as you choose.
http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=291
I am looking forward to seeing all the other entries.

January Speeds By

It feels like the month has only just started not coming to an end. I have been busy transferring and updating patterns because as of the 1st of January the EU VAT laws on digital services, that includes digital downloads (this also includes music, apps, ebooks) yes knitting and crochet patterns. Here's the link for the UK government page for more information. Basically I can register in all the EU countries that might sell one of my patterns in and file quarterly paperwork (even if I don't sell anything) or as many have no longer have my pattern for sale (big companies who are VAT registered do not have to do this). But a third option was found in December when Loveknitting.com came forward (together with ravelry.com) and they will handle the payments and paperwork for designers who go through them. This means all my EU (except the UK as I live here) pattern sales will now go through loveknitting.com links will still be on ravelry as normal. Loveknitting also sell books, needles, hooks and yarn.

My other transfers have been to a new fabric shop on Woven Monkey similar to Spoonflower who I still love. Woven Monkey are UK based
this is a little info from their site "Woven Monkey was set up to give individuals the opportunity to have their own designs printed onto fabric. All our printing takes place right here in the UK, at our premises in Derbyshire. The textile industry has a rich heritage in the area, dating back almost 300 years. We’re passionate about reviving the industry through new ideas and technology"
They use the latest in digital fabric printing methods and very important for me was they use eco-friendly pigment inks on natural fibres. Been UK based it also means UK and EU customers who want to buy fabric will not have to worry about additional customs charges and lower shipping costs (they post free if in the UK)

More fabrics

 

These are the other digital printed fabric pieces that arrived recently.

The black and white (with a little highlight of yellow) fabric is called "Midnight Cat Does Damask" this is the small size print there is also a larger scale print. And here's a photo of my
model in the garden. Always ready to model for food.

The blue fabric with the cameos is called "Cameo Girl Cogs" again this is the small size and there is a larger scale version. I wanted something that was a mix of old and new just like steampunk and it matches my other cog and gear fabrics. This was print on satin.

The final fabric also blue, but with sweets/ candys I remember from my childhood called "Sugar Mice and all things Nice" sugar mice, allsorts, smarties, candy canes and lollies swirling around in a sweet 'n' tasty dream. All the things I remember you could buy with your pocket money in the local sweet shop as a child, although I hated liquorice (and still do) it always looked pretty.

The fabric comes in three colours blue (as in the pic), pink and green.

Now I need some time to do lots of sewing :)

Fabric arrives

Recently spoonflower had a BOG OFF sale (buy one get one free) on fat quarters of fabric. My fabrics arrived last week, here's some of the pics.

 
The first two are cut and sew patterns, both printed on 100% cotton fabric.
"Mr Fox Awake/ Asleep Cover" is inner pillow/ cushion, that is filled with wheat or rice to create a  heatable pillow(in a microwave), it can then be put into the fox (one side awake the other side asleep) outer cover.

"Bees 'n' Flowers Barrel shaped pencil case" make one lined barrel shaped pencil case with a strap, or two unlined barrel shaped pencil cases :) 

 

 

And "Mom's Recipe - Soda Bread Tea Towel" this is printed on the linen/ cotton blend as its larger size, I think I may also make a smaller size so two prints can fit on a fat quarter. I was very happy with how this printed and it just needs the edges neatened and hemmed.

I'll post the other fabric quarters as soon as I photo them :)

Midnight Cat does Damask

This weeks Spoonflower.com contest is Cat Damask here's the information that was given for entries - "This week we're asking designers to come up with damask-inspired prints that incorporate illustrations of cats. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18") “

This is my entry "Midnight Cat does Damask", can you see the damask shaped cat-head?

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/3502190

There are 320 entries this week, you can vote for as many or as few entries as you like or just have a look, no need to sign in or join to vote. Note: you have to go all the way down to the end entry to confirm your vote/ s. To see them all and vote here's the link

http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=270

Tote bag granny hexagon fabric arrived

My tote bag (Lined Tote Bag featuring a Crochet Print) fabric arrived today. I am so happy with the results of the printing. I will cut out and make the bag later this week and post the results :)

Mom's Soda Bread Tea Towel

 

I had planned on doing all the competitions Spoonflower set for the month of April. For two reasons, because it was the Easter break and I had time off from my teaching work and two my mom would have been 70 this month she died this year at the start of January, so it is an upsetting month for us, she believed you should do positive things to be happy, so that's the main reason I set myself this task. I though there was 4 competitions set for April one each week but there was 5 and it is very apt that the last competition from Spoonflower this month is "Moms recipe tea towels" the brief was "No matter where you live in the world, nothing spells comfort like a home cooked meal from your mom or grandmother. Celebrate the important culinary women in your life this Mother's Day by designing a lovely recipe just like mom used to make. Recipes should fit a fat quarter-yard of our Linen-Cotton Canvas fabric. Entries will be previewed at the scale of a fat quarter (27" x 18")"
So the image up top is my entry "Mom's recipes - soda bread tea towel" with yes my moms soda bread recipe. is on it. She made this all the time often making extra to give to friends.  I have this recipe also on my foodie blog if you fancy making it :) My mom liked her fancy tea towels I am sure she would have been so happy to see the recipe on one.
To vote or just look at any of the entries in this week competition click on the link below, please remember to make sure you go all the way down to the bottom of the page and hit submit when you do vote so it is counted (you don't need to sign up to vote)
http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=245

Summer Sun and simple Kanzashi style flowers

Classes are finished until September. The weather has been very good this summer, the flowers are in bloom and everything seems brighter, even people in general seem happier.
I have been busy working on lots of projects  mainly with a floral theme - crochet, knitting, jewellery, fabric and even playing with resin again. I need more hours in the day!.
Some of my fabric samples from spoonflower arrived the circle fabrics for Kanzashi style flowers there are currently 3 different designs to choose from each a fat quarter - Circles No.1, Circles No.2 and yes Circles No.3. I have been making and teaching how to make different fabric flowers for years and used to paint/ print the colour on the fabric to make the flowers as I could not always get the colours I wanted. Plus it can be messy when you have a very small space to work in and getting the same results each time can take a lot of extra work (although I will still use this method to develop new print designs). Now thanks to digital printing I can get the results I wanted and it is easy and  repeatable, plus others can now also get the same results. I have made up the flower samples and I am very happy with the results. The circles can be used not only to make flowers but also quilting yoyo's (also known as Suffolk Puffs), hair decorations (I am working on a "how to" for that currently) and covered buttons/ beads. If anyone purchases this fabric I would love to know what you make with it :)
The flowers are very quick and simple to make so I have posted the photo "how to's for making the flowers and some ideas for the centres.

Spoonflower Fabric

Got my sample print back from spoonflower.com I am really happy with the results, the colours have come out just as I hoped and I like the feel of the fabric (it is soft you cannot feel the dyes) I also ordered a colour guide and fabric samples. I plan to make some project bags with the fabric and cushion covers. I have ordered some more samples and larger lengths of fabric and will be adding extra designs soon.
If you have never visited the site take a trip there, they have so many great fabric prints to choose from and ideas of items to make. If you like designing they have weekly competitions to enter (I just entered the "Leprechauns Fabric Contest") If you prefer looking you can vote in the competitions and don't even need to sign up to do so.