Spoonflower continued.

Following on from my bookmark entry about Spoonflower.com, I finally took the plunge and using the tutorial on their blog I've created the demo design and I've ordered my first fabric! Yes it is extremely heavily based on the tutorial but I'm counting this as my test run. Can't wait to see how it looks. I've chosen a couple of their different types of fabrics so I can compare them for later reference although you can order swatch samples before printing anything if you prefer. (Caroline, can you spot your nephews? The girls are all loosely based on your niece though.)

Sifting through bookmarks again - Spoonflower

Spoonflower is a place I have bookmarked many times. It is a place that seems to be eternally on my to-do list. It is a place where you can have your own designs printed on fabric and that is something I'd love to do one day. But what to print? They have tutorials to help you turn your ideas into files ready for printing with tips for how to get the best results and if you don't consider yourself much of a designer you can often buy other people's prints.

Spoonflower runs regular competitions based around a weekly theme. One of my favourites (which I obviously bookmarked) was a 'softies' theme. My favourite entry was probably this 'Fab Fox' by 'Happy Sew Lucky'. A super hero in y-fronts. (Click through to see some cute pictures on her own website if you are interested. I'm not quite sure what the protocol is around using other people's pictures if you are spruiking their websites... do you just go for it? Or do you email and ask permission? Is there a general consensus? Check our link to our Pinterest boards and I'll add a few 'pins' there.) Another cute entry was called 'Kawaii Kitchen' which I believe came in at number one. They could be some fun school holiday projects for kids who like to sew.

Doing the things I do.

Sewing is something I like to do in my spare time. As I get older I'm actually starting to make more pieces that I am happy to wear outside of the house. I think that must be because of a combination of things - I'm slightly better at sewing, I'm better at choosing the patterns and fabrics I work with... or maybe it is just that I'm more realistic about these three things... or I have lower expectations. Either way, I'm not going to retire my sewing machine any time soon.

I came across Jenny Gordy of Wiksten via flickr some years ago. I think I originally came across her work via her friend Elly who I also discovered on flickr. Both ladies have a simple and lovely style about them and their work. Jenny designs clothes and has produced a few sewing patterns over recent years. Two of these I have used and I have another waiting for the warm weather to come back to our southern hemisphere.

The first Wiksten pattern I used a few years back was for a tulip skirt. The pattern came in the first issue of Stitch magazine which I picked up on ebay at the time. The skirt, in a light denim (or is it a chambray?) from Tessuti Fabrics in Sydney, has had a number of wears and is still going strong. There are plenty of other versions that people have posted on the net to give anyone thinking of sewing this skirt some inspiration. Contrasting buttons and topstitching are something I am thinking about if I ever get around to sewing another one.

My Wiksten tulip skirt - pattern from Stitched Magazine.

More recently I purchased another Wiksten pattern from Jenny's website. (She sells paper patterns or you can download and print them yourself at a cheaper price.) The Wiksten Tova shirt (named after Elly's daughter I think) always looks comfortable when I've seen it sewn up. A quick flickr or internet search will bring up plenty of finished versions to browse. This one of mine was meant to be a 'test run' made out of cheap gingham from Spotlight. It has turned out to be better than a test and is on high rotation in my wardrobe. I've already cut out two more versions for sewing. Both will have winter-friendly long sleeves rather than three-quarter sleeves and I am going to make one of them dress length. I'll let you know how they go.

My first version of the Wiksten Tova shirt