This is part 19 of our series 31 DAYS of Giving Handmade! You can find links to the entire series, in order, on our Giving Handmade Index Page. I'll add each new link as that day is published.
::
{custom printed fabric from spoonflower}
Did you ever envision a project, but couldn't follow through because the perfect materials or fabric just didn't exist? I usually have 2 or 3 ideas in my head at any given time, that I just haven't figured out all the way yet. And then something will come along, and it just falls into place. Spoonflower is one of those things.
Spoonflower is a company that will print your custom-designed fabric on almost any type of fabric, in almost any size. You can order one swatch at 8x8 inches, or you can order more than 20 yards. What used to be reserved for industry designers, is now open just for you and all of your crazy awesome ideas.
The first time I visited the Spoonflower website, I was inspired. But I was also stuck. I didn't know how to design the perfect repeating pattern, or translate what was in my head to the screen. So I let it sit awhile.
But last week, it clicked. Remember Emma's design of the rubber stamp for her school project on diversity? If you don't, it looked something like this:
And her project turned out like this:
As I was working on ideas for this month, I kept coming back to this design. We already used her stamps for one project, why not another?
I adjusted the drawing of the car on picmonkey to be stark black and white, by changing the "contrast" to 100%. Then, over at Spoonflower, I played around with it, changed the lines to white, made the backgrounds different, and came up with this:
Three colors of the new design "Vroom"! I couldn't wait to hold it in my hands, so I went ahead and ordered some swatches.
If you follow me on instagram, you've already seen this. (And if you don't, what are you waiting for??!! It's so much fun!)
I'm not sure yet what this fabric will become, but I'm hoping to use it before the month is up. If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments!
The swatches cost $5 each, which is almost nothing when you consider that they printed out my custom design. On the other hand, for fabric, that's astronomical. But it gets cheaper the more you buy. A fat quarter is around $11, and a yard is $17.50.
But wait--there's more! On Spoonflower, once you order a swatch and approve the colors and design, they let you offer it to the public for sale. Not only can you help me decide what to do with it, but you can order a piece of your own and make whatever you want!!
If you'd like to check out my designs, and maybe even buy a piece of your own, here's my Spoonflower shop address.
How cool is that? And how much fun would it be to design something at the most basic level, to give as a gift!