Fabric Design lessons

Fabric collection in progress: Vintage Roses

As I seem to have really taken to fabric design, I've invested in some fabric design books to help me learn some new techniques. I'll post more of them as I go along, but to start out I recommend Kim Kight's A Field Guide to Fabric Design. I've been following Kim's blog True Up blog since it started, and have always found it to be a source of fabric and sewing inspiration. So her new book came just at the right time for me as I was starting out with fabric design:



This book is small enough to not be intimidating, while being full of great tutorials and inspiration. The first thing I needed help with was how to design repeats in Photoshop and Illustrator and this book has nice clear tutorials on this. It also covers hand printing and digital printing, and even covers topics related to selling your designs. The best part for me was to have a book that's up-to-date and full of the kind of fabrics I love and sew with myself.

As I'm spending a lot of time on Spoonflower lately, I happened across Kim's guest post where she gives a bonus tutorial for her book's Blog Tour launch. So today I used her tutorial to add a printed selvedge to my fabric and I love the effect.

I'm still working on the collection of fabrics that started with the one at the top of this post, I decided to create some vintage inspired fabrics that I would want myself. When you love vintage fabric it can be hard sometimes to find the yardage or style you want for your projects, so this is the perfect solution. I'm looking forward to being able to print these designs in any fabric and order as much as I need!

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Crafternoon Tea - Tiny handmade books

Sometimes I find myself sort of compulsively making things that nobody really needs. A case of "the heart wants what it wants" I guess. In this category you will find my miniature origami books. While I originally intended them for dollhouses (and dolls) I discovered this morning that I also like them as little tree ornaments.

These are the first items I've made for sale under my "tiny handmade" label and I thought I would make a little squirrel logo to grace the packaging.

I've made lots of tiny handmade book sets in red/pinks and green/blues and yellow/golds. They would make a sweet present for the dreamer in your life. And they will be available at Crafternoon Tea this Saturday. My recommendation: come for the crafts, give-aways and raffles then stay for tea.

Crafternoon Tea 2011 (7th Holiday Edition) ~ Leslieville

Saturday, November 26 at 11am - 5pm

at Queen St East Presbyterian Church

947 Queen St East at Carlaw, Toronto, ON M4M 1J9

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