Finally, I can draw!

OK, so about the sketching. You might be wondering why I posted a close-up shot of such an ugl....oh I just can't write it....such an un-pretty drawing in the previous post. No, I've never been good at drawing. The images in my head of beautiful things I want to be able to draw, however, are endless. Lots of ideas + no skill with a pencil and paper would usually end just there....art inside someone's head.

But recently through our Virtual Quilting Bee, the lovely Michele introduced me to Spoonflower, a completely exciting up-and-coming new company that allows any-old-person, like little-old-me to design and print fabric from her own sketches (pretty or not!). But the best part is how easy it is to turn a poorly drawn image into an artistic rendition of the beautiful image in your head! Using vector graphics, all my awkward, crooked lines, bumps and other errors on paper become smooth and straight and curly and swirly in Inkscape (or Illustrator, but I use Inkscape because it's free!). I admit there's quite a learning curve when it comes to vector software, and my first attempts are far from perfect, but it really is so much fun, as learning something new always is.

I love that Spoonflower is another company, like Etsy, that is currently revolutionizing the world of crafts and clothing and fabrics - inspiring people to make things from their own homes, with their own hands, and to buy from others who do the same.

So, here's a close up of the design from my previous post:

Much better than my sketch....wouldn't you say? I've got about six other completed designs, but I'm waiting to see how they come out on cotton. I will show you this little bee (yes, a pink bee!) in progress right now. I still have to give him eyes and antennae and a few other details, but I just love him. I can't wait to see him printed on pink fabric!


If you'd like to try out Spoonflower yourself, go to Rachel's tutorial at the bottom of this page for creating your own designs. Rachel's instructions are simple and clear, and best of all, she'll help you when you get stuck! :)