Leaves

Don't quite know what you'll make of this design.  I wanted to use some loose pen sketches and a fabric with a nod to mid century textiles happened.
I can't decide whether to keep it at a large scale making it more useful for home fabrics or to reduce the scale and it becoming a fabric you might like for something like a crisp summer skirt. What do you think?

Illustration Friday - Twirl

Thirty Third

 

I entered this design in last weeks Spoonflower 'Cityscape' contest and am really pleased that I came 33rd out of 180 entries. When I look at many of the beautiful designs entered in the contest, I am amazed so many people voted for my little monochrome pen and ink doodle. 

They put a big smile on my face! 

This is not exactly a 'city'scape as I interpreted the theme and took the architecture in Totnes, the little town where I live, as the inspiration for my design.

 The actual fabric is a large repeat, ideal for curtains and bedding with the idea that maybe children could colour it in using fabric paints and crayons and have a unique and personal fabric in their bedroom.

I also took the design, reduced the scale, added colour and our new address and used it as our 'we have moved' announcement.

Illustration Friday - Prepare (marmalade)

It's that time of year when the beautiful bitter Seville oranges set me off making marmalade, and as this weeks Illustration Friday word is 'Prepare', I was inspired to show the preparations for marmalade using my old family recipe.

....................and I still have another batch to make!

Empty Picture Frames

 What is it about old picture frames that I really like? I seem to have aquired a few over the years and having just decorated the spare room found a home for them. Now I want to find more and add to the patchwork!

Wind

It was very windy here last week. In fact gale force winds causing chaos across the country. First our fence succumbed blown in half one night.

Two days later our poor old apple tree was blown down. So we spent the weekend sawing and digging leaving us with an impressive log pile, a weird piece of sculpture.....

 and a natural planter ready and waiting for some alpine strawberries I think.....

 and we have planted raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries in the space left behind. A new apple tree will be destined for the front garden along with the old strawberry plants.

Four Coordinating Patterns

A final design for the 'Tree of Life' fabric collection.
Four different coordinating patterns taken fron my 'Tree of Life' designs, on one yard of fabric. It is entered in this weeks Spoonflower contest  and if you like it enough you could vote for it!

Wishing You a Peaceful 2012

Here is another design I can show you now the festivities are over.
My lovely man is mildly eccentric and when moving house I found this weirdly gorgeous photo of him.  It must have been taken around the late 80's when he decided to cycle around Devon, an extremely beautiful and very hilly county here in the UK, on an old Raleigh Chopper bike (an impractical but iconic bicycle from the 70's). All his kit was wrapped in plastic and strapped to the front and rear of the bike adding I don't know how much weight; with inefficient gears and wheels he couldn't have chosen a more ridiculous mode of transport if he tried, yet he obviously had a brilliant trip as I am forever hearing 'Oh I remember when I cycled up this hill on my Raleigh Chopper....'
So I decided to use the photo as the starting point for his Christmas present. I scanned and tweaked the photo and added a border, keeping it all monotone to suit the image, had the design printed up on fabric and made him a cushion of memories!  I  think he likes it.