Sew is Life is written by E-von. A blog inspired by art, design, craft, fashion, beauty and wellness. Based in Perth, Western Australia. Read about the daily ramblings of me being a mother of three and wife to an amazing creative man. These are my stories sewn together with love.
*Reviews written by myself are my honest views and are not influence by third parties. I have not been compensated for these reviews unless stated. Please refer to my disclosure policy for further information.
A few months ago Spoonflower was offering free swatches and free shipping worldwide. I had been waiting for such a great deal for a while! So I managed to pick up a few swatches in different designs and fabrics, because I have always been interested in designing my own fabric. It is a great place to pick up other artist’s designs and make your own. You can customize it as much as you wish! And you even open your own shop, so everyone can view and purchase your design. Costs start from $16.20 per yard, depending on the fabric you chose. The swatches were really helpful because being able to see and touch them gave me a good indication of the quality of the fabrics. I chose 3 swatches in linen-cotton canvas, cotton voile and cotton sateen.
I haven’t washed either of the samples yet, there were some talk about the running of the colours. So I am a bit hesitant to start washing them to test it out. I want the colours to stay as vibrant as long as possible! Sofia selected the ‘Halloween’ themed swatch in the linen-cotton canvas, which is a sturdy, thick fabric. It was quite tiny at 8x8 inches. So I had to decide, to make it into a bag or a cushion? I still had the hobby-fill from my previous projects so I thought a cute cushion to decorate her room would be nice. And then I used the ‘Babushka’ fabric in cotton duck and sewed that on the back, so she could flip the cushion to suit her decorative mood. I really like this design, the characters are so cute and Sofia can look at them all day. She is very much into spooky things at the moment and getting into the spirit of Halloween!
The other swatch is a ‘Mushroom’ design, inspired by Nintendo’s Mario game. I chose this because my husband is a Nintendo fan and loves everything to do with games. So with this swatch I may just make it into another cushion for his dedicated ‘games’ den. Or I could just place it in a nice frame and hang it from his wall so he can appreciate it and matches with his ‘games’ room theme.
I chose graphic lace design swatch in the cotton sateen for myself, the image on Spoonflower looks better on screen than on fabric. So I was kind of disappointed, but I will find something to do with this swatch…any suggestions are welcome :)
I have been ignoring the sewing machine lately, I can’t seem to find enough time to sit down and sew something decent together. Leo will often come up to my legs and hold onto it like a monkey to a tree trunk! Then night time, I am often tired from the day’s events and would rather a ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ marathon with the hubby. I told myself I would sew some skirts and tops for my upcoming holiday…but I could just buy them right?
What type of designs do you like to see on fabric? Graphics, florals, spots, characters? Please share in the comments section below.
E-von xo
