There was an interesting post on today's
Spoonflower blog. If you're not familiar with Spoonflower, it's a wonderful group of folks in North Carolina who do custom-printed on-demand fabric. Their "catalog" has a kajillion fabric prints that you'll never seen anywhere else - ranging from the inspiring handiwork of well-known textile artists, to the dazzling doodles of school children. They'll custom print
your artwork, if you want, or sell you some amazing yardgoods -- believe me, spending a few minutes on their site will make you smile.
Remember the cephalopod bag in my last blog post? Much of those fabrics came from Spoonflower; it's their quilting weight cotton, and it's great. I'll have pix of the next bag in that series to show you soon.
On today's Spoonflower blog, the topic was trends in fabric. You might have noticed that I'm not really a big follower of trends, and I often don't even know what's "hot." (And sometimes when I do know? I don't like it much, so I don't really care or want to work with it.) But in the past few years there
have been some trends that have resulted in truly charming fabrics.
For instance, there were (and still are) owls: I've had some fun with owl prints, because really? They are adorable and quite endearing with those googley eyes! But I do wonder how owls got so trendy.
Theses are top-level carnivores we're talking about, with very few natural predators. A study
of owl pellets (regurgitated remains of their prey, indigestible and
coughed up as pellets) can be quite fascinating (don't ask me how I know.)
Ummm ... ok ... wait ... let me rein in my tangent. I really didn't plan to write about owl pellets today!
Where was I? Oh yes, birds in general are very "haute" in textile and jewelry design. As a bird brain bird lover, I've always sought out bird-related fabrics. I guess that makes me a bit of a trendsetter, given that I started this behavior, oh, 30 or so years. But I do love bird prints; in fact, a few posts back, I showed you a pile of bird fabrics ... some of which have now become this ...
Another trend I've really enjoyed the past few seasons has been Dia de los Muerte imagery on cloth, particulary those prints featuring
La Calavera Catrina. I'm almost ready to show you how
this project worked out, so someday soon, I'll post more about my love for all things Day of the
Dead, and the inspiration I have found in Mexican textiles, particularly
those from the state of Oaxaca.
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| Yay - this is well on its way to becoming a bag for me! |
I'd
have to say the knitting community agrees with Spoonflower, and is trending towards foxes, so if
you're looking for inspiration here are some patterns to consider:
I'll leave you today with this pic from the Spoonflower site, and
will wonder out loud if they are correct ... are foxes going to be the
next happening critter to take the textile world by storm?
PS: There will be a small update tomorrow at
the Etsy Shop. Here's a little sneak peek:
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| (L to R: Loopy Lulu $25, Med. Cinch Sack $35, Loopy Lulu $25) |
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| (Three new Snapdragon Pouches, $10/ea.) |
I hope your weekend is full of fun, friends, and creative endeavors!
For instance, there were (and still are) owls: I've had some fun with owl prints, because really? They are adorable and quite endearing with those googley eyes! But I do wonder how owls got so trendy. 
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