pond_ripple's Fabric Blog

This is the first in a series of posts about my latest project, a fancy steampunk inspired coat. The pattern is loosely based on a Simplicity pattern, 2172, that I have been slowly altering as I go along. Here are a few sketches to show the basic idea for the coat. The Simplicity pattern I'm using; all the new pattern pieces made moving everything to an empty tin box necessary. This is my first sketch when I had simple dreams of adding a hood and maybe changing the neckline. This is a much later sketch showing how I've chopped off the patterned skirt in favor of a pleated and much more dramatic one. This also shows the fancier detachable sleeve option. I honestly don't know how many sleeves I will make. The plan at first was to do the pattern with a few small touches thrown in to make it my own. Adding a removable hood and changing the neckline slightly were quickly followed with making detachable sleeves, and adding a high collar in the back. The pockets b...

Today's #SFDesignADay comes to you from 2015 Spoonflower Staff Challenge Winner, Eloisa Docton, better known as  Natitys  in the  Spoonflower Marketplace . Eloisa is proof that expensive design software is not needed to create beautiful, bold surface patterns. Eloisa stops by today to talk about her favorite open source tools for creating fun, playful designs that won't break the bank!  Eloisa:   Before learning Photoshop and Illustrator, I would search online for countless hours online for easy tools that would allow me to create my designs. To this day, I still recommend using these over expensive programs to start off, because they help you make fun creations without the large investment and the big learning curve. These online programs are also easily accessible, and very user-friendly, people of all ages can play with them! One of my favorite online tools is  Canva . On this website, you can ...

My cell phone and its new home! I'm always trying to do something new with my fabrics, and this is my newest project. It's a cell phone case that features my Cupcakes  design on upholstery weight twill, and some of the lightweight, polyester, crepeback satin fabric I got on E-bay. And I used magnetic beads from an old necklace that I broke forever ago to make the flap closure.  The neat thing about this case is that it's reversible. I'm actually kind of proud of it since I did it all from my own little head. (Using other people's patterns isn't ever as fun as making your own.) Cupcake side with cell phone Black side out  with cell phone A peek inside, Cupcake side out Closer look at the bead closer look at the Closer look at the back cupcakes Full view Black side out- front

Small over the Shoulder Arctic Fox Bag For sale HERE!

I've been making mice shaped cat toys today. It's super fun and actually more simple than I thought it would be. So my Etsy shop is carrying mice, and I took lots of pictures! I'll try and break this down into digestible segments. Set #1: Floral Mice These three are made with my White Flowers fabrics found here and here  on Spoonflower. The guinea pigs, so to speak, they were more of an adventure.  Set #2: Ears and Not This was the part where I wanted to make the mice look more like mice and less like triangles. It worked, but it was troublesome to replicate. Also I have this cautiousness about cats and thread ever since my old cat Felix ingested a yard or two of thread off a spool and the vet had to operate to get it out. Those little ears seemed just a little too likely to be replicated wrong and hurt somebody. So, while this set is secure enough that I'd let my cats play with it, mass production of cute ears is a no go. Set #3: Mostly Blue The...