Pencils? I'm On the Case!

Wow. It has been soooo long since I last posted. I have been on the down-low with social media lately because of two huge projects going on in the background. Of course I can't describe them in detail, but will post some sneak peeks on Facebook in the coming days.

Meanwhile, I put together a design for the latest Spoonflower contest. "What's this week's theme?" you ask. A Cut-and-Sew Pencil Case pattern, with all pieces and instructions to fit on a fat quarter. Yesterday when I clicked the Enter Contest button, I hadn't even considered making a pencil case for kids, but then saw a few other designers' entries, all of which are kidcentric. I guess I was a little selfish and designed something I thought I might use. Anyhoo--maybe it will still be a contender.

Because I haven't yet received the fabric, I actually sewed a sample using scraps of basic cotton from the swatch samplers Spoonflower has sent to me in the past. I'm glad I made the sample because I was able to check my instructions and made several changes before submitting the entry. I took some photographs of the plain white sample, then superimposed the pieces on top of the sample in Photoshop. This is a great way to hone one's Photoshop skills! So here is my design, as laid out on the fat quarter, and then in mockups. If you like it, I would LOVE your vote! You can vote for as many designs as you like by clicking here.

And by the way, the voting procedure has become much easier since the last time I entered a contest. All entries are now on one page, so after you select your faves, you only have to click one button at the bottom. Enjoy looking at all the entries...I know I will! And thanks in advance!

IKEA...Paper Shop?!

We all went crazy when IKEA started offering textiles in their stores, but now there's something new to go gaga about: the IKEA Paper Shop! Gift bags and gift wrap, ribbon, tags, stationery, notebooks, stickers, journals, paper lanterns, and coveted decorative tapes...get ready to have your mind (and budget) blown! The shops are currently only in Sweden and UK stores, but will hopefully come to the US and other areas soon! Pictured are some of my favorite items, but you can view the whole range here.

FREE DOWNLOAD! 1976 Animal Plush Patterns!

You may remember this post I wrote about a year ago about some adorable plush toys I found pictured in a 1976 issue of Woman's Day magazine, and how unfortunately the patterns weren't included in the magazine--only available by mail. Well, guess what?! Last week the amazing Debbie from Salt Lake City found the patterns in her basement and was kind enough to make a PDF, which she sent to me so I could share it with you! Thank you, Debbie! Click here to download the FREE PDF (22 pages!), and if you happen to make Mitzi the elephant or Benny the bunny, or any of the other characters, please send me a photo or post it to my Facebook page!

Vintage Matchbox Labels: Striking!

Matches? We don't need no stinking matches! Oh my! If you need some inspiration, or your daily dose of AWE, check out Patricia's exteeeeeensive collection of vintage matchbox labels from India. The images below are just thumbnails--you can see all of them up close and larger than life via her Flickr photostream. Would you say she has a plethora of matchbox labels?

Richard Scarry Is Golden

I found this Rabbit and His Friends Little Golden Book while thrifting recently, and bought it not only because it was written and illustrated by Richard Scarry (1953), but because my son is obsessed with platypuses (platypi?), thanks to Perry the Platypus from "Phineas and Ferb". Anyway, I thought I would share with you a couple of my favorite pages: the title page, with some chalk lettering (!), and the last page, which features a poster set in several kinds of wood type.

Pattern Inspiration: Security Envelopes

From Kindra: A fantastic assortment of opened security envelopes and their patterns, which themselves make a pattern. I think they look like quilts, don't you?

The Fabric8 Finals Are Here: Get Your Geek On!

After a couple stressful weeks of designing more patterns for my Fabric8 Finals entry, and then the even more agonizing process of choosing the final three coordinates (thanks to the couple wonderful fellow designers/sewists/confidants for your critiques), voting has finally begun for the competition!

What exactly is "Geek Chic" anyway? To me, "Geek Chic" could be defined as "dorky and cool at the same time." And it seems kind of dorky-yet-cool to go back to using analog cameras now when digital cameras and apps for processing and sharing are the mainstream, and so easy to use. For the final collection (pictured below), I chose to digitally create coordinates that would both contrast and complement the hand-illustrated "Make It Snappy!" design. You will find both camera-related imagery and geeky elements, brought together with an underlying retro/vintage theme, with references to the 1950s through the '80s.

So if you like my collection, please take a few moments to vote for it using this link. I know, I know--the semi-final round had you searching for my entry among an amazing group of 100 designs. Well, this time there are only eight, count 'em 8, designers' collections to choose from. Competition is fierce at this point, and my fate is now in your hands (feel the power?). I thank you whole-heartedly in advance for your support!