Sunday 10 February 2013

'GB Runs On Tea' Fabric For Handmade Monday





I've had a tricky time trying to decide what to share with you today as i seem to have soooooooo many projects on the go - none of them finished! I have been well and truly bitten by the fabric design bug and in my excitement have been starting new collections here there and everywhere!

Thank you so very much if you were one of the lovely peeps who left one of the wonderfully encouraging comments i got on last week's post about my first ever fabric collection :) I was a little nervous about how it would be received... thank you for putting my mind at rest!

Excitingly, a lovely fellow Etsian contacted me after reading the post and has now become my first ever fabric customer! If you are interested to find out what she bought, you can visit my Spoonflower shop. I must add that i haven't received my own sample of the fabric yet (to check that the colours don't turn out weirdly or anything) - i should get it in the next few days - do contact me for more info.




'GB Runs On Tea' Mug And Tea Towel


As well as developing new design ideas i've also been working on translating some old favourites to the  medium of fabric. My 'GB Runs On Tea' mug is one of my most popular mugs (although it almost always ends up outside the UK which surprises me!)




I felt that the design was perfect for turning into matching fabric accessories - tea towels, tea cosies, coasters etc. I was particularly drawn to the idea of creating a matching tea towel, so this is what i've come up with (i'll show you the finished design in a minute but first i thought some of you might be interested to see how i got there...)



Fabric Design


I don't have any experience with fabric design but i've found that by breaking things down into their component part i've got along quite well (so far!)

I started by drawing each element of the GB Tea design in pen and ink (i could have used a script editor for the writing but i think that this design suits having a slightly 'rough around the edges', hand drawn look... what do you think..?)

The next step was to photograph my drawings, load them up to Pixelmator (photo editor), and change the colours from dull blacks and greys to pretty blue, pink and white!















The final step was to put together the finished design. This involved creating a tea towel sized blank template (brief interlude while i wrestled with DPI, pixels and a 'basic maths' blind spot) and then assembling the component parts.

I ended up with two tea towel designs (which will be sold as a pair) - this one...



... and this slightly simpler design...


It will be a few weeks until they are available to buy but i will of course keep you updated! Alternatively, feel free to contact me to let me know you'd like to be notified :)



What's Next?!


Before i pop over to Handmade Harbour to read about the crafty escapades of my fellow Handmade Mondayer's, i'll give you a sneaky peek of what my next fabric collection is inspired by...


Have a wonderful week :) (and stay warm!)

58 comments:

  1. Hi - I love the mug - and fully agree with the sentiment!! Have a great week, Chris x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohhh, I love the feather! The tea design is fab too, the tea bag is my favourite bit, I wonder why?!

    Have a great week,
    Alison x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you! Hopefully you will like the fabric i'm working on :)

      I like the tea bag too! x

      Delete
  3. I guess if you're selling them in pairs it doesn't matter which design is most popular, but I have a feeling people will go for the heart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could always sell pairs of just the heart too... thank's for the helpful input! x

      Delete
  4. I love the tea print (I like the handmade look, I think it works well) and it will make a superb tea towel. What about doing other colour mixes to match a variety of kitchens?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank Wendy!

      Ooooh, good idea, i might just do that! :)

      Delete
  5. fabulous designs, as always in your case :P the best of British - this is always universal and everlasting theme and it never fails :)Oh, and I like the slogan :D
    I bet your designed fabrics will be selling like hot buns :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you very much Martha :)

      I do love Brit themed things, i don't know why they're so appealing, they just are! x

      Delete
  6. Wow you've really been inspired this week. I really like the GB runs on tea design. The shop I used to work in had a set with consisted of the items you mentioned but also oven gloves and an apron. I thought the tea design would look great on an apron. Have another crafty week.
    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ali!!

      That's a great idea, i had thought of oven gloves but not aprons... they would be so fun to make! :)

      Delete
  7. Oh, that feather design is amazing. Flora puddleduck would like that! Thanks for sharing the processes with us - I'm always wondering how all that stuff works. Your tea towels are brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Aww thank you! I'm glad you like it :)

      You're welcome :) I was always wondering too which is why i thought it worth sharing! x

      Delete
  8. Don't think you can go wrong with tea for GB! What a lovely new craft idea designing your own fabric as well as making things with it! x Ali

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true :)

      Thank you! I am v excited about it :) x

      Delete
  9. The tea towel designs are really great! I know my friends in Canada would love them :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ooo I can't believe I missed last weeks post on your fabric design, its interesting to read how you achieve your designs. Congratulations on your first sale

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No worries! Its hard to keep up with everything isn't it :)

      Thank you! x

      Delete
  11. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! I love the design on the mugs, but I can absolutely see it as a tea towel!! Can't wait to see some more designs! Simmi x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thanks Simmi! I can't wait to see how they turn out in 'real life' :) x

      Delete
  12. Your excitement over this is jumping off the page. I love your designs. I also like Wendy's idea of using different colours. Really looking forward to seeing more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha really! I am quite excited :)

      Thank you, i love the idea of other colours too :) x

      Delete
  13. I don't drink tea but my Mum used to love the stuff....She'd have loved the mug too! Have a good week! x

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great idea to start designing your own fabrics. I love the GB Tea theme. Can't wait to see more :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. great new designs :) looking forward to seeing them as the finished product x

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think you really have something here! I looked around the fabric shop and it's a great idea - I'm already tempted by several designs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you!

      I know what you mean, i've seen quite a few i'd like to get my hands on too! :)

      Delete
  17. I think it's simply brilliant to design your own fabrics and then create from them! Look out Emma Bridgewater! Lovely designs. Jo x

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think these are great designs.I'll certainly be checking the tea towels out!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You are so clever, I love the designs and the sentiment behind them too! Can't wait to see them finished and am very intrigued by the feathers. I reckon whoever said watch out Emma Bridgewater was right - don't forget us when you're famous will you?! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you!! I'm so glad you like them :)

      Thank you for the vote of confidence! :) xx

      Delete
  20. I love the tea towels !!! It makes me proud to be British....

    ReplyDelete
  21. Fabric printing is so exciting. I love your work and these tea towels will surely be a hit.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love the colours on your design, well done on getting an order already although it doesn't surprise me.

    Jan x

    ReplyDelete
  23. I do love your designs - you are so very creative. They are great fund makes too. Hope you have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you! I'm really glad you like them :) x

      Delete
  24. Your designs are so simple yet so effective - and so "on trend". I love them x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thanks Natalie! I'm really glad you think so :) x

      Delete
  25. Great designs - I love your tea one (and I love tea!)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Cool fabric designs again. You need to open a fabric store and i need to live near it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you Helen :)

      Maybe i will one day!! x

      Delete
  27. Very interesting that your GB Runs on Tea mug is so popular outside the UK! The tea towels are a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! I think it could be people who want a 'little bit of Brit' with them for one reason or another :)

      thank you! x

      Delete
  28. Great looking tea towels. I help GB run on tea with the many cups I drink! Bet your fabric will be lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I think the design turned out really nice. :)

    ReplyDelete

Your lovely comments are much appreciated x