Paint Me Bright

How To Make Spoonflower Repeats

I recently entered one of my designs in a Spoonflower contest for the first time. Though I read the FAQs, and re-read the FAQs, I was a bit confused. Funnily enough, I blame this on my training as a Textile and Surface Pattern Designer. I know how to do a repeat for printing on commercial machinery, like rotary screen printers and flat bed printers. So I was looking for information that I simply wasn't going to find in Spoonflower's FAQs, like what repeat sizes they might recommend/prefer/require.

What's so cool about Spoonflower is that they've  done an awesome job of making a rather technical thing very accessible to anyone who has a love of pattern, and wants to see their own designs on fabric.  And it's all possible because of digital printing! Which means no need to discuss bothersome things like 12 5/8" half-drop repeats, and rotary screen printers, and a lot of other specifics. Spoonflower has made all that irrelevant to, and thus friendlier for, hobbyist fabric designers!

So here's a little tutorial. If you're new to using Spoonflower, I hope this will help you visualize how their Spoonflowery-magic happens. If you've been Spoonflower-ing for a bit, but would like your repeats to look more sophisticated, this might help you too. 

Let's just assume that you've begun with a set of motifs, you know how large or small you want them to appear on your fabric, and you think they're in a pretty good arrangement. This is not yet a pattern, because pattern depends upon repition, or what textile designers call repeats. For the sake of discussion, let's just call this a thing we've made a "tile."A let's assume it's 4" x  4".

We're going to put in a background color and play with Spoonflower's repeat options. Spoonflower allows you to put your artwork into repeat in a several different ways.

So let's fiddle a bit.

This is a square repeat (Spoonflower calls this a basic repeat):

A half-drop repeat looks like this:

Since our tile is 4" x 4", the half-drop is 2".

Spoonflower also offers a half-brick repeat, but it's essentially a half-drop repeat turned at 90 degrees.

There are a couple of other repeat options on Spoonflower too. For the moment we're just going to ignore the center option, because we want a repeating pattern.

You could use the mirror option in Spoonflower, and get this:

The mirror layout can create some really fun kaliedoscopic effects with photo images of flowers (for example), or hand-painted images. But I don't really think it's doing anything for our simple single-color  motifs.

I like the half-drop repeat best, so let's keep playing with that one. Pop our tile into Spoonflower, selecting the half-drop option.

Eek! Where did those white lines come from? That's what happens when the background color is handled as part of the tile, and it shifts somehow. So here's another trick. Always put your background color in a seperate layer below your motifs, and make sure your color fills the entire artboard, or canvas. There are other ways that this pesky white line will shows up, and sometimes you'll see it in designs on Spoonflower. It's easily avoided with a little forethought. Moving along...

Hmmm. Not bad. But look at this:

Those are some less than aesthetically pleasing gaps! Let's fix them to improve our design, and to make you the designer look all the more designer-y!

Let's go back to our original tile, and move some things just a bit.... So you can see what's happening here, we're still in half drop repeat, and the red outlines show how we're moving three keys to make a better design....

Let's see what our new tile, without repeats, looks like.

See those places I've circled where the motif runs off the edge of the tile? We've got to fix that on our tile, before it goes into Spoonflower. So here's what our new tile looks like, with the repeated bits shown in orange, and circled in green. Those little run-off areas are where the Spoonflower magic happens!

And here's what our tile will actually look like when uploaded to Spoonflower.

And, here's our newer, better, shinier, more improved-ier layout!

OK, it might still want a bit of fiddling about. But if you scroll up you can see that we've disguised the edges of our repeat. It's harder to see where the original "tile" is, and that's good!

Any questions? Please ask away in the comments, and I'll do my best to anwer!

~pamela

 

 

Struggling out of the Cocoon

 I'm working on an applique quilt of my own designing. So far there has been a lot of back-and-forthing, and much ripping. Funnily, this started as a Snails Trail quilt, but things drifted. I'll tell you about the design "trail" I've been down  in another post.

A Little Christmas Knitting

Did a bit of Christmas knitting for a Certain Adored Young Relative. Finished it on Christmas Eve, and gave it a quickish blocking. It's BabyDrops, size 3 yrs. from Garn Studio, in Fabel. Lots of short rows, all in garter stitch, so pretty much like falling off a log.

As I laid it out, and ran the steam iron over it, I kept worrying that it would be too small, that the C. A. Y. R. wouldn't get any wear out of it....

"It's lovely, but perhaps a bit big, Maga?"

 

 

Eye of the Beholder, Pt. 1: Color in Context

I have a friend who asks me repeatedly how I choose the colors in my quilts. One day she asked me persistently How?? The conversation preceded something like this:

Me: I just pick what I like, and don't worry if it's "right" of if anybody else will like it.

Her: I can't do that.

Me: Sure you can. Your house is gorgeous; you're always well dressed. You have an eye. Just choose what pleases you.

Her: But how? I don't know how...

OK, here's a thing about me; I don't think well on my feet. Maybe because one or other of them is so often in my mouth. So at this point I said something like this:

Me: I don't know. I guess either you're born with color sense or you're not.

Ouch. Yeah, I'm still trying to live that one down.

But the thing is, color is personal. We all have our own sense of color, and whilst my friend admires my colors, I'm admiring someone else's palettes because he's much more capable of subtlety than I am.

One of the artists whose color sense has most influenced my eye is Kaffe Fasset. Go pick up one of his books, there are plenty. Open it to a random photo.

Just the way Mr. Fasset talks about color inspires me. Here's what he says about the above photo in his book Glorious Color:

     "Deep blues and greens always give me a lift, and the Islamic pots in turquoise, royal blue and clear  grass green.... thrill me to the core. Everytime I see them I find them more satisifying."

Wow.

I'm just gonna lay here for a minute...

Because between the gorgeous photos, and the way he thinks and talks about color... Well, it kinda blisses me out. And then he has this trick of setting the colors off with just a hint of navy blue, and a shot of sugary lavender, without which it would be just another photo of pretty blue and green pots.

When it comes to color, context is important, even vital. I love turquoise. Maybe the word "love" isn't quite up to the task of explaining how much I adore turquoise. (Which is not to say that turquoise is my favorite color to the exclusion of all others. I think my little moment up there demonstrates that I just love COLOR.)

I borrowed this photo from Austrialian Rozie at flickr.com to illustrate a point.

As much as I love turquoise, but that's just way, way way too much of a good thing, even for a turquoise loving girl like myself. It lacks the undertones, and juxtapositions that might have made it luscious. (Though I suspect that if Kaffe Fasset and his photographer Steve Lovi got ahold of that car, they could show it in a light that would make me want one just like it.)

There's my turquoise quilt and necklace. That's how I take my turquoise; with a yummy lump of teal, and a subtle hint of khaki all at once. It's the variations that I revel in here.

Of course you might not like turquise at all. I'm cool with that. But what about your favorite color? How might subtelty and tonalities make it richer, more glorious, more luscious to your own eye?

happy luck,

pamela

With a Different Eye

I dragged out one of my older quilts to show you this time because it seemed an opportunity to think about developing as a quilter.

It started with a  flag block, the July 2001 Block of the Month at the quilt guild I belonged to back then. I made one block, crossing my fingers that I'd win the whole stack of 'em. No such luck, but I loved the log-cabin flag idea and stashed it away in the  back of my mind.

Fast forward to October 2001. We'd all shared our long shuddering sob. Tears still came to my eyes at least once a day listening to NPR.  We still flinched if we heard more than one siren go off simultaneously. And whilst we'd all got a bit more political than we'd been on Septmeber 12, there was a wave of patriotism going.

And I was feeling the need to make a patriotic quilt. This is another of those quilts that I feel pleased with because I designed it. Starting with the flags blocks, I added houses and simple little stars.

A bit of self-editting would have gone a long way. I count no less than three differnt red and white striped fabrics! Back then I was all about more-is-more.

In my own defense that's where the border comes in; it settles everything a little; Though as you can see that self-restraint was still only just managed!

My taste has changed and I've since seen the value of a bit of breathing space. So when I got the quilt out of the closet recently, all that busyness was kind of jarring.

Meantime, I still love the flag block, and the house block too, so I'm feeling the itch to try it again. Only simpler this time. A little bit Gee's Bend, a little bit Kaffe Fasset, maybe even a little bit Jasper Johns!

happy luck,

pamela

 

 

Jane Austen and My Mother-in-Law Made Me Do It

It may be possible to do without blue-and-white china entirely. Instances have been known of women passing many, many years successively without acquiring blue-and white-china of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind; but when a beginning is made--when the felicities of acquisition have once been, though slightly, begun--it must be a very strong woman that does not ask for more.

It was a fine day many a year ago that my mother-in-law said to me, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman in possession of her sense, must be in want of blue-and-white china. In truth, they are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for blue-and-white early in life." *

To which, having no wish for - or liking of blue-and-white china, I replied "Oh! do not burden me with your stereotypes. I cannot be dictated to by such! One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other, and I have no understanding of the liking for blue-and-white."

"I then had the hubris to add "One woman's style must not be the rule of another's!"

Though where an opinion is general it is usually correct.

What wild imaginations one forms where dear self is concerned! Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of self-knowledge. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast. How sure to be mistaken! It sometimes happens that a woman is wiser in middle age than her daughter-in-law is in youth. For what do we live, but to make sport for our mother-in-law? 

How quick come the reasons for approving what we did not previously like! Nobody minds having too much of what is too good for them, as my collection of blue and white china overflowing the corner must attest. 

The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see blue-and-white china which I cannot love. To sit in the dining room on a fine day and look upon blue-and-white china is the most perfect refreshment.

Desires are foolish things. Blue-and-white china working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief. The pleasure may be enhanced, though the effort of seeking out garage sales and T.J.Maxx is often considerable.

My methods of display are perhaps uncoventional, but it is another truth that an artist cannot do anything slovenly. A person who can hang a plate wall with ease, cannot create an ill display.

Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. Mine must perforce dwell on gratitude; first to my mother-in-law for opening my eyes to this joy. And too, for Brainy Quotes for the passages of Jane Austen that I have so freely tortured to my own will.

happy luck!

pamela

*True story.

 

A Quilt

Thought I'd show you one of the quilts I've made in the past year.

My kids' friends have been getting married for a while now, and I've been making a wedding quilt for each couple. This one is for Andrew and Stephanie.

Lots of things particularly please me about this quilt:

The loopy quilting. Don't like fussy quilting. This was done by my friend Jenny Michaels of Finally Finished.

Also the scrappiness of it. I love scrappy quilts, but all the more so when the scraps are from other quilts that were made for couples also important in the bride and groom's lives. The quarter square pieced border  are bits left from Anne and Thad's wedding quilt. The hearts are left over bits from Jon and Rosemary's quilt, and Jon just happens to be Andrew's brother!

And I like that I designed the quilt too. Simple though it may be. Love that I had all those pretty greys that I used for the bricks. And I was thrilled to find that Alexander Henry print on the border of the quilt, because it brings all the greys and pinks and turquoises and yellows together in a way that kind of looks like sunlight sparkles caught in the prisms of the quarter square triangles.

That's the back. Kinda crazy but fun.

The label, featuring a doodle I did in Tsukineko inks, which I love to play with.

A few of my very inexpert thoughts on photographing quilts. I like to hang mine; you're supposed to hang them flat, but that's not always possible. My gazebo has proven to be quite convenient for this purpose. I love our foggy Bay Area mornings for photographing quilts, because the fog difuses the light, so the colors aren't washed out, and the shadows aren't too deep.

And last but not least. Don't forget to download your photos to your computer BEFORE deleting the files from your camera. Ask me how I know.

happy luck!

pamela

 

 

Powerless

When the Husband is not with me, I'm pretty much powerless to resist an estate sale; perhaps because he's very good at distraction tactics when we are together. "We'll come back later," he placates. "We haven't got time," he claims. "I'm hungry and I have to eat now," he pleads. All of which means I was all the more ill-equipped to ignore the lure of an estate sale sign today.

I cannot resist little wooden boxes with dovetailed corners that look like they might have dwelt happily in Sam Spade's office.

This one is file card sized with one of those neato little snuggy-up-springy doohickeys inside.

The potential of a good DIY that will be more than the sum of the bits, and the smidge of elbow grease necessary. Twenty seven butterscotch bakelite beads, complete with their original two part clasp.

They're about three quarters of an inch long, so will make it around my neck easily. Maybe I'll string them today.

A Frankoma bowl, even if it is that brown color and I "only" collect that green color.

Happy luck!

 

Got Excited: Forgot to Blog It

Dear Hopeful Reader,

And by hopeful, I mean to say I hope there's still someone out there. Because I've not been blogging. But I'm starting up again because I'm told it's the thing to do. Actually, isn't blogging supposed to be dead? What's after blogging? Well, anyway.

As for what's been keeping me busy, please refer to the title of this post. I got excited and have been making things, some of which I will show in upcoming posts.

(Please forgive the sideways. I can't figure out how to turn a photo which is properly vertical on my computer. I'll fix it as soon as I do figure it out.)

A case of irrational exuberance right there. Have you seen the purses made of vintage grain sacks? So gorgeous, and so much more my thing than a grain sack pillow, or grain sack upholstered Louis chair. But with eye-popping price tags. I found one on Etsy for $20.00, but it was the size of a largish coin purse. There are others upwards of the $400.00 dollar range, made from nineteenth and early twentieth century European grain sacks. What I love about them is a combination of factors; the wabi sabi aspect of the mended, faded and well-used, and the stencilled-on text.

Having caught sight of the trend, I became obsessed. I cruised e-bay for vintage grain sacks which proved to be quite spendy on their own. That also left the problem of sewing a purse, and I couldn't find a purse pattern that seemed a classic enough shape.

One day, in wondering around the web as one does, I stumbled on a classic yet rugged thing called the masons tool bag. The first one I found was $75.00. Still pricey. But, the itch unbearable, I browsed e-bay and found the mason's bag you see pictured for $35, with free shipping! The surprising thing when the bag arrived was the weight of it! Three and half pounds! Doesn't seem all that much if you're talking a free-range chicken, but this is a bag that's gonna get a bunch of stuff dumped in! And when I say "a bunch"...

The thing I always forget to account for when ordering on e-bay is my sense of scale. This sucker is into the range of carry-on luggage. But pretty cool carry-on, because the more it gets bashed and the more travel-grime it accumulates the better it, right? And at 20" wide by 12" deep, I'll be able to stuff a ton of needfuls in there.

I do go on. Anyhow, I knew I had a couple of Husband's old leather jackets hanging around waiting to be repurposed. And an idea was hatched. In the next few weeks I'll be attempting to make my sturdy mason's bag in to a really rocking faux-vintage grainsack bag.

Happy luck!

P.S. Oh! The "get excited" poster. I found it as a  free downloadable printable PDF a couple of years ago, which is apparently no more. If you still think it's nifty you can buy a version Here I don't know Matt Jones, but his poster has a rippin' cool crown made of wrenchs and stuff which mine doesn't.

 

 

 

Teacup Pincushions

Nothing earth-shatteringly brilliant about this little project. I used vintage teacups that I still loved, but which were crazed inside. Past their prime for tea sipping, they were too pretty toss away.

Didn't quite know what to stuff the cushion part with. The web tutorials I found suggested that you stuff the cushion with fiber fill, (I figured there were a couple of problems with that; polyester dulls your pins, and it's hard to stuff an object tightly enough to be pleasingly firm with that stuff, which I find rather slippery.) Alternately, batting scraps were suggested. I envisioned a fairly lumpy mess, so thought some more about it.

Finally I settled on cutting leftover batting into skinny strips, and winding those into a firm ball. I just kept winding, smoothing as I went and carefully avoiding lumpy twists, until I had a ball large enough to fit the teacup in a pleasing way. I was pretty pleased with using up batting scraps that way; one less bit of stuff to go into the landfill. I briefly experimented with sewing a little cover of batting onto the ball of strips, thinking it would help the finished product look smoother. Ultimately though it dawned on me that if the cover were sewn on tightly enough (practically impossible NOT to do) any little irregularities would be smoothed out. Then of course, I employed the hot glue gun to affix the cup to the saucer, and the cushion into the tea cup. I added a little handmade strawberry with sand in it to sharpen needles and pins. Martha Stewart's website has a lovely pattern for the strawberries, with handy tips. I'd only suggest that you skip the step in which you glue the green leaf cap on the berry. The glue-stiffened felt only complicates things later if you want to put a ribbon or cord loop on the berry. Instead hold the leaf in place with a couple of straight pins whilst sewing it on. Et voila a pincushion in a teacup. Why not?