Extinct Animal Crackers

For the recent Extinct Animals contest at Spoonflower, I decided to create two collections. It was good that I did both ideas, as I changed my entry at the last minute. My original contest entry was a print inspired by the Bogota Sunangel hummingbird. I swapped out my pretty (but sad) hummingbird print for something a bit more fun.

Extinct Animal Crackers, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

I somehow got the idea to do a print of various extinct animals in animal cracker and cookie form. (It may have been due to my love for animal crackers, especially the chocolate ones). I did some research to figure out which animals I wanted for the print. Represented in cookie form are Tyrannosaurus Rex, Quagga (half zebra, half horse), Steller's Sea Cow, Irish Elk (one of the largest deer that ever lived), Dodo, Great Auk, Eurphinodelphis (dolphin with a swordfish like jaw), Archaeopteryx (feathered dinosaur), Saber-Tooted Cat, Plesiosaur (aquatic reptile), Hallucigenia (strange looking arthropod), and Woolly Mammoth.

I also did this same print in a smaller scale, better suited for clothing and smaller craft items.

Extinct Animal Crackers Ditsy, swatch 8" x 8" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

I wanted to do a sort of scene with the animal crackers, as if someone was playing with them and imagining them in their settings. The end result isn't exactly how I pictured it, but I think it's still fun.

Extinct Animal Crackers Scene, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

I also created coordinating fabrics of dots, stripes, and a sort of geometric print. I love the rainbow effect created in the Cookie Squares print below.

Cookie Squares, swatch 8" x 8" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

Sprinkle Dots, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

Sprinkle Stripe Pink, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

Sprinkle Stripe Cookie, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

Sprinkle Stripe Blue, fat quarter 21" x 18" view shown. Click image to see print in yardage.

I had fun learning about several extinct animals and creating this collection. The collection is available for sale, and fabric can be purchased of these prints by clicking on their image or by going here to see the entire collection.

My next post will be about my entry in the current Mid-Century Cocktail Dress contest. That entry is another fun one, as it was inspired by a board game.

Retro Kitchen to Pomegranates

I have done several new prints (and a couple collections) since the rainbow hat pattern. I have the hat completed, but one of the colors didn't print correctly (it does now under the new color profile), so I am holding off on a post for it until I can do a new version of it. I may end up making a doll size version as a test. Here are my recent contest entries and their results.

* Retro Rainbow Hat: 35/42

* Range Cubes: 78/281

Fat quarter, 21" x 18" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

This contest was for fabrics with a kitchen theme, in a retro style, and in a restricted color palette. Range Cubes is made up of stylized range coils and knobs, making a fun retro design. I really like how this print turned out, and think it would be perfect for potholders, oven mitts, aprons, and the like.

* Garden of Magic: 146/500

Fat quarter, 21" x 18" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

This print was for the Hand Drawn contest, which drew a huge number of entries. Garden of Magic was inspired by one of my favorite childhood books, The Secret Garden. I drew flowers described as being in the garden, and colored them with oil pastels. I drew the pattern with a half drop, so minimal digital work was done (I did have to touch up the repeat a bit after scanning, but I did not digitally create the repeat).

* Parallelogram Trapezoid Stripe: 164/375

Fat quarter, 21" x 18" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

Parallelogram Trapezoid Stripe was for the Geometric contest, which had a restricted color palette. I like the optical illusion this print creates. I also have it in other colors, but they are not available for purchase yet.

* Extinct Animal Crackers: 91/226

Fat quarter, 21" x 18" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

This print is part of a collection that will receive its own post soon. Extinct Animal Crackers was for the Extinct Animals contest. This wasn't my first choice for the contest, but switched to this print to add some fun to the sad contest. I digitally drew several extinct animals in cookie form, and topped some cookies with icing and sprinkles. More details will be in the post for this collection.

* Starry Starry Stripes Grey: 108/328

Swatch 8" x 8" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

Starry Starry Stripes Grey was for the Stars and Stripes contest theme. I also did this print in a red, white, and blue colorway, but decided to enter this greyscale version for the contest since I knew there would be a lot of red, white, and blue designs. I like how this print has an almost dainty feel in yardage. It's simple, but extremely useable.

* Hot Air Pomegranates: 148/290

Fat quarter, 21" x 18" view shown. Click on image to see print in yardage.

I went in a whimsical direction for the Pomegranates contest. I was looking at a sketch of a pomegranate and thought how much it looked like a hot air balloon. I decided to use the idea for this print, and love how it turned out.

All these fabric prints are available for purchase by clicking on their image (though not all their colorways are available for sale, if they have other colorways). The Retro Rainbow Hat is not available for sale yet, as I still have to fix it.

Cake, Paper, Scissors!

I've been working on a couple collections and getting designs adjusted for Spoonflower's new color profile, and took an unexpected break from writing posts. The collections are done, though one is on the back burner until I can adjust the colors. The other collection will get its own post in a few days, and a design recap will be posted also. Now, it's time for cake.

This week's Fabric of the Week contest at Spoonflower is the theme of paper collage cakes. Designers had to create prints featuring cakes in some form, entirely out of paper. The entries cover a wide range of different cake varieties, but unsurprisingly, a large number are of cupcakes. The contest will definitely tempt your sweet tooth.

I decided to go a simple but fun route for my entry. I was partly inspired by several Cake Wrecks, but wanted to create a usable print. I created a windowpane plaid made up of rotated sheet cakes covered with sprinkles. I used paper in several colors, scrapbook scissors, glue, and a hole punch to create this print. Here is my entry, I Want Sprinkles Plaid Large.

I Want Sprinkles Plaid Large. Click image to see it in yardage. Fat quarter, 21"x18" view shown.

This version is a larger scale, both for the contest view and for projects needing a larger scale such as tote bags. I think it would also make a fun apron for a baker or cake decorator (a non Wrecky one, of course).

I have another version in a smaller scale, perfect for clothing. I think the smaller scale would make a fun straight or pencil skirt. I like how the plaid becomes the focus, and the sprinkles add a bit of fun to offset the pattern.

Click image to see I Want Sprinkles Plaid Small in yardage. Image is of swatch view, 8"x8".

Both fabrics are available for sale. I may make some more coordinating prints out of paper later if the inspiration strikes.

Voting for the Paper Collage Cakes contest ends Wednesday evening. You can vote here for your favorite entries.