Well, here goes… another post only 2 months after the last one! This is the year I am turning things around… (have I said that before?? 😉 ) My sewing studio is a total shambles, and will probably stay that way. The Lyme and co’s are not gone, and will probably never be out of the picture, but I am continuing to learn how to cope with flare-ups better. I know if I try to force creating in the studio, it will just add to stress levels, so staying away until I feel drawn back in, seems to be the best right now. Playing with Photoshop on the computer has continued to give me a way to be creative, so that is what I will be concentrating on for now.
I did get my office space cleaned and organized (for the most part) and now have a new (for me) computer system. It’s handy having a son who is a gamer… I got his old system when he upgraded to a better one. I had to purchase a monitor, and got two so I have more room for all the pages I seem to have open at once. I already had the XP-Pen tablet to help me draw and manipulate images easier. It is much easier to use than a mouse (especially the huge one that came with the computer) and is lots of fun to play with. In the photo, one of my Spoonflower yards of proofs is folded in front of the monitors. I have been printing color palettes that include the colors I have been using the most. I used that one to help me calibrate the monitors to show the colors as close as possible to the printed ones. Much easier done with these monitors than the laptop. It is amazing how much faster things open and save with a better computer. No more watching the spinning circle only to have an “out of memory” message to pop up. I seem to end up with some really big files while playing. Now I just need to get the laptop and desktop “talking” to each other so I can swap files back and forth.
In my previous post, I showed my Ginkgos designs. Above, is another Spoonflower challenge design. This one was done for the Chinoiserie challenge, inspired by Chinese ginger jars- Peonies and Paisley in Blue. The design is available for purchase on several items in my Society 6 shop. Here is a link to a collection that includes some of those items. I also have played around with combining designs to make even more interesting items.
In this version, I cut out the middle of the design, added a tiny blue border and added one of my foliage patterns in black around it. It makes for interesting coasters and pillow. So fun to see what mixing things up a bit can do.
The next challenge was Large Scale Black and White. I used a sketch of a stem of Delphinium flowers and photos of butterflies to create Delphiniums and Butterflies in Black and White. It was a bit of a challenge to get the design to look like I wanted on the wallpaper mock-up that was used for the judging, shown in the photo, below.
Most designs lead quite easily to other versions and coordinates. I played with the Delphiniums on various backgrounds, and I wanted to see what would happen if I could add one of my painted fabrics. Below shows the soft blue to green in the background. I uploaded the image to Zazzle and put together the blanket. One thing I like about Zazzle is that you can combine several images for your items if you want. With the Holiday season, I took advantage of a great sale, and purchased the cuddly fleece blanket I designed.
I am very pleased with how the blanket looks. I got the largest size available, it’s great to have a big cuddly blanket that coordinates with my couch pillows. (I made covers for standard bed sized pillows with a black and white printed fabric I purchased from IKEA, that I over painted with my favorite blues and greens and added sea salt while the fabric was still wet for more interest.) Below, are a couple more versions of the Delphiniums design… with a repeatable blue green background, and then the black turned to white. I am not sure about the white version, but that will give me something to play with some more.
The next design I made was for the Be My Valentine Spoonflower challenge. I started with a sketch of an Iris I drew using hearts for the petals with more hearts around it. I used the hearts in non-traditional for Valentine’s Day colors and Pink and Aqua Hearts Hugs and Kisses was born.
There was a quick(ish) update to what I have been doing. One of my goals of the new year, is to get back to blogging more regularly. We’ll see if I can keep to that for a change!
I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
