Sunday, 16 March 2014

Sailing Fabrics For Handmade Monday


A big thank you to everyone who left kind comments about my Spring Fresh and Garden Room fabrics last week... i've started work on making some bits and bobs from the sample swatches and your suggestions came in very useful :)  Hopefully i'll have some pics to show you next time!

This week though i'd like to show you a new collection i've been working on... as always i look forward to hearing your thoughts!


'Alone With The Ocean' Sailing Fabrics

This collection is inspired by the peace of being on open water. I started off by drawing the image of the sailing boat and its reflection at the top of this post and i used it to create this fabric...


... this is the equivalent to an 18x21 inch piece - i wanted to have quite a lot of blue in between the boats to create that feeling of sailing alone on still water.

I'm a little bit fascinated by ships in bottles so i knew i wanted to include them in this collection. To give you a better idea of how i go about creating a new design, i first set about drawing and colour editing a simple outline...


... then i filled in some details and colours...


... before drawing a 'swirly waves' background to complete the design.


As with the previous design, this image represents an 18x21 piece of fabric. I hope the 'Free Spirit Designs' watermark isn't too distracting! Once i have sample swatches printed i will be able to take photos that give you a clearer ideas of how these designs look in real life.

Okay, who would like to take some time out on their very own tropical island...? Well here it is! In fabric form anyway... ;)  I have to say just drawing this image made me feel a little bit more peaceful...



... and i'm really pleased with how the finished fabric turned out...


I could see this coming in useful for holiday related projects like beach bags or sunglasses cases, i hope you like it too!

I then adapted the bottle image to create a fun 'message in a bottle' design...


... the colour palette matches well with the tropical island design so they could easily be used together in the same project.


I've also created a couple of simple nautical stripe patterns in colours that coordinate well with the other designs... one in a mid blue...


... and the other in a paler tropical blue.


And that's it from me for today! If you'd like a closer look at any of these designs you will find my complete 'Alone With The Ocean' collection in my Spoonflower Shop. They're not available for sale yet but they will be soon!

I hope you have had a chance to soak up some some lovely spring sunshine this week... As i write this i'm about to spend a happy hour or two making the most of today's glorious weather with a spot of gardening and a lovely log dog walk... i look forward to hearing what you've been doing on the crafting front over at Handmade Harbour when i get back! x

26 comments:

  1. You've really captured the feeling of summer. All I want to do now is sit outside with a glass of pims in my hand !!!! xx

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  2. I love them all, but especially the shop in the bottle and the island designs.

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  3. All so lovely, especially the ship in a bottle one. Love the summery colours. Hope you have a good week.

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  4. Gorgeous, I love the summery shades of blue you've chosen! x

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  5. What a fabulous collection, I can see lots of holiday sewing projects being made with the fabric.

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  6. Summer holidays and peaceful sunny days lazing around on the beach, can't wait :)
    These are lovely, I love the wavy pattern of the waves.

    Jan x

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  7. Your first fabric really does capture the peace of being alone, it's lovely

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    1. Thank you very much, i'm happy that you like it! x

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  8. I can see those fabrics being used for a whole summer range of bags and quilts and picnic cloths! I love the sailing ship one the most! I am hoping for some more gardening weather too this week - ( ie cup of tea in garden!)

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    1. Aww thank you :)

      I know me too... fingers crossed! x

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  9. My favourite design is the top one. I really like the simplicity of it. It is hard to judge the scale, but I could imagine it with the boat even bigger.

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    1. Thank you! I was thinking that too... there may be more sailing fabrics with larger boats in the works! :)

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  10. It amazes me how many different designs you come up with! They are all great but if pushed, I'd say the first and second are my top favourites. The first because I can image the movement of the boats and the way they shimmer in the water. The second because I can see the bottles bobbing up and down one row moving right, the next one left :)) x

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

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  11. Love the message in a bottle design the best but they all fantastic.

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  12. Lovely:) particularly like the first design:)

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  13. They are absolutely beautiful :) I love all of them! :) xxx

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Your lovely comments are much appreciated x