More On Demand Printing?

I keep hearing about Spoonflower and now EZ Textiles has launched a site with CAD ready designs for a variety of fabrics. You can search the site without registering. The designs that I reviewed looked very 1960s/1970s to me.

This concept makes me wonder if we will be moving to more on demand printing of fabric? Jane Sassaman mentioned putting her more spooky designs up on Spoonflower to make them available and not scare people!

clipped from www.prweb.com

EzTextiles Launches World’s Largest Online Resource of Production-Ready Textile Designs
ew York, NY (PRWEB) June 15, 2010 — EzTextiles, LLC has launched EzTextiles.com (http://www.eztextiles.com), the world’s largest online digital library of royalty-free, production-ready textile designs for the apparel, textile, home fashion, accessories and other textile-related industries. The new online service offers immediate access to more than 25 million fully editable woven plaids and stripes, prints, and knit designs. Other patterns and designs such as vintage, graphics, photography, and textures are also planned for the site. New designs will be continuously added to each of these categories as fashions evolve.
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Stalked by BMWs

Recently BMWs have been riding my bumper, tailgating, cutting me off and generally behaving badly on the road near me. I don’t drive that much so my left brain is trying desperately to assure my right brain that it is not some BMW conspiracy and just some weird quirk of driving fate. My fondest dream were I to win the lottery is to employ a driver.

Sunday, I returned from a short weekend away in Monterey. I stayed with friends, spent Saturday at the quilt show, bought fabric, drank wine, was not required to cater to anyone’s whims or needs and slept long and soundly.

Apparently, I needed this and didn’t even know it.

Show Floor
Show Floor

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the show. They can vary widely. I wasn’t sure if I had ever been to the Monterey Peninsula show before.  I have some vague recollection of visiting, but very vague and no photos.

The show as wonderful! The space was bright and airy. The quilts used bright colors and exuded cheerfulness. the quiltmakers were accomplished.They had plenty of white glove ladies, an acceptable vendor hall and food right there. I could see the ocean from outside the hall and people were friendly.

I bought a very special and hard to find gift for my mother at the guild’s booth, which she will have to wait until October to receive. Her birthday is in October – unless I can’t wait to give it to her. I am not sure I can.

I was really pleased that went. I saw Jean, Maureen, Terri and Robin, which is always a pleasure. Jean had a circle quilt that made me less disheartened about the circle quilt I have been contemplating. In general, I was inspired to go home and sew.

Bag Rack
Bag Rack

This is a great idea. I love it that they had a special exhibit of bags made from the Circle Bag pattern by Square Rose. I have been looking at the wonderful bags I have been making and wishing that quilt shows would have a sewn accessories or tote bag category. I realize that quilt shows are QUILT shows, but so many people are sewing other things, too.

Who Needs an Aquarium?
Who Needs an Aquarium?

I am always hard pressed to choose my favorite quilt, but I think the above it is. The fish look happy. There is plenty of turquoise and a lot to look at. It is by Mary Ellen Parsons, who I believe came to the Pamela Allen class at CQFA.

This mini retreat helped me over another hump of the illness and gave me my creativity back. I needed some extra sleep in a big comfy bed and didn’t realize it. I sleep well and for a reasonable length of time most nights. On the weekends, however, when I don’t have to wake up to the alarm, I often wake to the sound of the Wii beeping. I like to get up early, but often stay up late to find some quiet time and then don’t get up early. I went to bed early and got up early both days, read a lot of magazines and still got to chat with my friends and get where I needed to go in a timely manner.

Seeing so much color, fondling fabric and reading about fabulous fiber reset my creativity button. Not sewing for 11 days (mostly) when I was sick turned off the creativity button for some reason.  I knew that this week would be busy, so I decided that my goal would make some straps for a bag and haul out the pattern I bought at Hart’s in January.

I saw a dirt heap shaped like Jabba the Hut.

I saw sparkling water in the bay, in a slough and in an estuary.

I saw a spider about the size of a 50 cent piece.

BMWs were redeemed when I was invited to ride in a BMW 300 series hard top convertible. It was an awesome car and I can understand why their drivers might be frustrated to be behind my modest, imported 10 year old car.