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Pride & Prejudice Text fabric in sepia... |
Exactly ten years ago, I created a set of fabric designs based on one of my favourite books. I
uploaded them to Spoonflower with a little bit of hope that they would resonate with others. Little
did I know at the time that doing so would open a door to a totally unexpected part
of my sewing journey.
Five years ago, I did add some new selections. I came up with a version featuring navy, at the request of one of my customers who does a lot of sewing with reclaimed jeans.
When I came back to the design a few weeks ago to take another look, I decided that it
likely wouldn't translate too well to other colour schemes, with perhaps one
notable, vintage-y, exception: sepia.
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Finally, since I've had occasion to order Spoonflower's wallpaper in the past and know how versatile it can be, I decided to create a couple of P&P themed items in that format as well.
In the decade since, I have experienced the incredible honour of people
purchasing the fabrics and making some absolutely awesome things out of
them. (Check them out here
and
here.)
From bags to clothing, pencil cases to shoes (!), face masks to head bands,
glasses cases to doggie jackets, and one very
amazing regency styled hat
that kicked it all off, my Pride and Prejudice fabrics have
been rewarding beyond my wildest dreams.
It's why – as the ten year anniversary approached – I thought to myself,
why haven't I added anything to this collection in such a long time?
Five years ago, I did add some new selections. I came up with a version featuring navy, at the request of one of my customers who does a lot of sewing with reclaimed jeans.
What I didn't know then is that navy is a difficult colour to get right. The
simple hex code that most commonly comes up on a search for navy turns out
to be extremely purple when rendered on fabric. After Colleen and I
shared a laugh over the results, I went back to the drawing board and
searched for more "complex" hex codes to test, the renditions of which are
shown below.
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| Second time's the charm... |
These four ended up fitting her needs much better. Colleen even chose the
set (one white on navy, one navy on white) that she liked best
and coerced me to name them after her 😉 so that she would always know which ones they were. (For everyone
else, all selections are still named with an actual hex code, and if
anyone is especially curious, the second one above apparently renders as an
especially dark shade of navy.)
A few weeks ago, I wondered why I never added my coordinating P&P design
to this sub-collection. Better late than never, so here they are:
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| Navy collection now complete (image courtesy of Spoonflower)... |
The first two use the same hex code (#14284A) for navy as the selections for
Colleen's Fave; the third is a one-off, tone-on-tone selection that I simply
call "denim".
You may find it interesting to know that I have never seen any of these navy
selections in person. The original sampling process was done entirely by my
customer and even though I've been tempted to buy some at various times, it
has never come to fruition.
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| P&P in sepia (image courtesy of Spoonflower)... |
Thus I arrived at the version shown at the top of this post. One of the
coordinating P&P designs is shown at left. (There is another that is
somewhat reversed with dark letters on a lighter background.)
With nothing more that I could add to the original collection, I turned my
attention to a project that I actually started a couple of years ago, but
never got around to finishing: a series of panels that can be turned into
banners or wall hangings.
Getting them completed seemed a perfect way to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of this fabric collection, so here are some selections
featuring notable quotes from the novel that can be turned into wall
hangings with some simple sewing.
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| P&P fat quarter panels (sepia)... |
These are specifically designed to fit sideways on a fat quarter in Spoonflower's lightweight cotton twill. The fabric's 58" width allows for each to be featured as a 29" high by
18" wide panel. (Regular price is $15, but during any number of their
regularly occurring sales, that could be reduced by up to 40%.)
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| Closeup view of the background on these panels (courtesy of Spoonflower)... |
The background is actually a washed out sepia version of the P&P
fabric, which features the first sentence of the novel under alternating
"P" and "&" characters.
For those who prefer a darker background, I also have these same designs
on a dark gray with white lettering.
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| P&P fat quarter panels (dark gray)... |
As I demonstrated with my sports banners a few years ago, two of these panels can be sewn back to back to
produce a double sided wall hanging.
Speaking of double, a third version features both of these quotes on one
panel, augmented by some hand-drawn cut out hearts.
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| P&P dual quote fat quarter panel (sepia)... |
Spoonflower used to sell wall hangings as part of their home decor line,
but no longer. Perhaps they realized that crafters could easily sew their
own for much less. Last time, I ordered the more expensive linen cotton canvas for my project, but with the lightweight cotton twill weighing in
at 5.8 oz per square yard (versus 6.4 oz for the canvas), it's a good
option for fewer dollars. And having worked with both, in my opinion, they
have a similar hand.
Finally, since I've had occasion to order Spoonflower's wallpaper in the past and know how versatile it can be, I decided to create a couple of P&P themed items in that format as well.
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| Print these on a wallpaper swatch for instant decorating power... |
These can be printed on a 24" wide x 12" high peel and stick wallpaper swatch (regular price $9), cut into two, and then
individually plastered on whatever surface you want... and they can be
removed when you no longer feel the love.
I have them in both light and dark versions.
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| Spoonflower's peel and stick wallpaper is rental friendly! |
As I've stated, Spoonflower holds sales events on a pretty regular basis. (It just
so happens that there's one – up to 25% off – this weekend on both fabric and wallpaper.) Whatever you need, you can likely catch a deal if you wait a bit.
Oh and yes, for full disclosure, I do get a commission on any
sales. 😊
To see all of the designs in my Pride and Prejudice collection, click
here. To access wallpaper designs specifically, click
here.
By the way, I heard recently that Joann Fabrics is closing
down all of their stores. Will any of you feel the loss in a significant
way?
'Til next... 🇨🇦🍁
Congratulations on your P & P collection!
ReplyDeleteJoann's was the only store in my area for fabric, patterns and above all else, notions. The one and only, regrettably 30+ miles away. I recently discovered that my husband wasn't wearing a navy blue shirt because he didn't like the white buttons on it. I took the shirt to Joann's and got matching (sizeS and color) navy buttons. Things like this are difficult to do on-line. So sad.
...And my heart is with Canada...
He didn't like the white buttons?? But they provide a nice contrast! 😆 Not all things are meant to be done online and the way commerce is being pushed to do so is unfortunate. So many brick and mortar places are staring into the abyss.
DeleteThank you for the sentiment regarding my beloved home country. However, American hearts may want to consider whether an uprising is needed to prevent a truly horrific repeat of history from a hundred years ago. (Yes, heady stuff for a sewing blog, but that's the reality.)
I ADORE Pride and Prejudice, especially the 2005 movie version/cast of characters and am pleased to know we have a Jane Austin appreciation in common.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your fabric anniversary.
P.S. I am very proud of the Canadian responses to USA bully tRump.