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Turning Kid Art Into Custom Fabric

Well, Clara can go ahead and add fabric designer to her resume. With her 23 month photo in the can (see the full photo project here), it means the next monthly picture in line is the big 2-4… otherwise known as age 2.

Clara23Months

And since we concluded her first year of weekly-fabric-backdropped photos…

ClaraPics 52 Grid

… with a custom fabric design that we made through Spoonflower by scanning her name drawn out in marker on paper (and tiling it in Photoshop), we though we’d make it a tradition and create more homemade fabric for her second birthday.

Clara One Year

We thought about doing something similar with Clara’s name for our she’s-two fabric (perhaps in Sherry’s handwriting instead of mine) since we liked how personalized it felt, but then we realized it could be even more special if we left it to someone else. Enter our latest fabric designing project- it’s a bit more subtle than last year’s but it’s so much more meaningful to us because… Clara drew it herself!

ClaraTwo Title Square

It basically just involved some Clara scribble, photographing said scribble, playing around in Photoshop, and tiling it in Spoonflower, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

ClaraFabric SFlower Final Pattern

It started on Easter afternoon when we broke out a big sheet of paper and some markers and let Clara do her thing:

ClaraFabric Drawing Orange

We gave her an orange and pink marker, since they’re her current favorite colors (and the ones we’re planning to use for her party) but eventually she requested a black one and we handed that over too. Gotta let the artist do her thing.

ClaraFabric Drawing Pink

She was definitely in the zone. Which was good because we were determined not to interfere so the drawing would truly be hers.

ClaraFabric Drawing Stretch

And although it might be hard to see them in the final work of art, Clara not only incorporated her party colors – but also her party theme, which is, by her own request: “WORMS!” (the girl is so in love with worms that she regularly tells us she dreams about them and looks out the window and says “Oh, hi worms.”). It’s kind of hilarious.

Here’s the final result… which had us scratching our heads thinking “how exactly is this going to become fabric?” and wondering if maybe we should’ve “assisted” a bit more.

ClaraFabric Final Sketch

But sometimes you’ve just gotta trust the artist and her “vision.” So I snapped this pic of it straight on (since the paper was too large to scan):

ClaraFabric Pic Of Final Drawing

Then using Photoshop we put the design on a plain white background (by upping the contrasting and then selecting and deleting the rest of the background). The black marker sort of turned navy, but we didn’t mind, so we went with it. Still not looking very much like patterned fabric though, is it?

ClaraFabric Original Drawing

Just like with the first-year fabric, we figured we might be able to make it look more “pattern-like” by repeating it. So we duplicated the layer and began playing around with different ways to tile it in order to make an abstract pattern out of the bean’s masterpiece. Here’s what it looked like when I duplicated the layer once, rotated it 180-degrees, and placed it on top of the original drawing:

ClaraFabric One Tile

Then we took a second copy of the original (also rotating it 180-degrees) and lined it up on the bottom:

ClaraFabric Two Tiled

Confusing, I know, so here we’ve put a red box around the original rectangle (and two blue boxes around the flipped and shifted ones) so you can hopefully see how they’re layered a little better:

ClaraTwo ColoredBoxes

But of course if we want the Spoonflower program to tile the pattern accurately, we had to crop it in a way that it would repeat seamlessly. So I just found an easy reference point for where I could cut it off at the top and bottom, like this:

ClaraTwo ColoredBoxes Crop

So here’s what the pattern looks like cropped and without those colored boxes on each section. The alternating orange circles with the navy squiggles and the dark pink splotch were starting to look kinda cool. At least to proud parents like us.

ClaraFabric Tiled No Shading

But we’d have to upload it to Spoonflower and see it as a sheet of fabric to really see if were were on to something…

ClaraFabric SFlower Sample Size

Spoonflower actually gives you a lot of options for resizing and adjusting how your pattern repeats. We didn’t really explore this much in our our last fabric-designing adventure, but here’s just an idea of the different ways you can tile your pattern (the one on the bottom right with the stripe was achieved by adding a bit of white space on each side of our JPG before uploading it to Spoonflower).

ClaraFabric SFlower Pattern Options

After some contemplation we chose the Basic Repeat just like last time (we initially liked Mirror Repeat, but Sherry said it was a bit female-form-ish and once we saw that we couldn’t unsee it – or stop giggling like twelve year olds). So then Basic Repeat became the favorite. It’s kind of ikat-esque, and not obviously kid-scribble until you get closer, which is part of the fun. So we ordered two yards of it for $36 + $3 shipping (for a total of $39) thanks to a discount at checkout for uploading our own design. Yes, it’s still more expensive than our usual fabric budget, but you gotta splurge sometimes, right?

ClaraFabric SFlower Final Pattern

Not only do we plan to use it for the backdrop of her big birthday photo, Sherry wants to sew something memorable with it (along with the Clara fabric from last year) – so we’ll keep you posted on that. She’s already made a birthday banner, a quilt, and a beanbag from other weekly photo fabrics.

Fast forward about a week and our fabric arrived. Woot. These photos don’t really do it justice (it’s bolder/brighter in person), but it’s awesome. It probably won’t be winning any fabric design awards or anything, but it’s the coolest thing we’ve seen in a while.

  ClaraFabric After Straight

We have to wait a few more weeks before Clara is officially 24 months old to put it to use for a photo session…

Clara Fabric After Hand

… but Clara decided she couldn’t keep her hands off of her own creation, so we had a little playtime with it in the guest room…

…which turned into a little impromptu photo shoot as well. She liked hiding under it.

ClaraFabric After Ghost

And gazing lovingly at her creation.

ClaraFabric After Head

At one point she even asked to take a nap under her “blanket.”

ClaraFabric After Napping

This is the expression I got when I reminded her that naps involve closed eyes:

ClaraFabric After Eyes Closed

Then fabric playtime turned into pillow playtime. And there was some hiding…

ClaraFabric Under Pillows

…and some spirited “Clara popping out!” (her words, every time it happened).

ClaraFabric Out Of Pillows

Receiving her scribble fabric makes us even more excited for Clara to hit the big 2 year mark, though we’re also in disbelief. It seems like just yesterday we were designing fabric for her… and now she’s doing it on her own. Well, sorta.

Anyone else use Spoonflower lately? Or do something else with your son or daughter’s artwork?

Psst- Check out Clara getting her Rihanna on here on Young House Life.

Comments

  3. Carly says

    Just another idea for a Worm party…you could serve Dirt for dessert:

    A clear cup (like a fruit cocktail cup) with chocolate pudding topped with a ground soil layer of crushed oreos and a gummy worm on top! One of my favs as a kid!

    Happy #2!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, dirt is on the possibility list! We’re just not sure if the seven kids under three might get a little more messier than their parents would like- so we have to think about it!

      xo,
      s

  4. Catherine says

    LOVE the custom fabric. I had heard of that site before but what a great idea to draw your own design! That would also be an awesome present for someone, assuming you knew their taste very well.

    Two questions:
    1) How much fabric (and what type) do you get for each photo shoot?
    2) What do you do with the fabric after you are done with the photo shoot? Just various projects around the house, or something specific for Clara?

    I heart your house and your family is super cute. Keep up with the great work!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      For each shoot we got one yard of the fabric for the first year and now get two yards for the second year (but since we only have 12 shoots this year instead of doing them weekly it’s cheaper, which is nice). We usually get the fabric from JoAnn on clearance or use a 50% off coupon, to keep it afforable. Anything that catches our eye is game (as long as it’s not sheer since that doesn’t work as well). Check out this post for things we’ve done with the fabric (we linked to the quilt, banner, and beanbag I have made with it so far). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  5. TERI MISSILDINE says

    The fabric is great. And since she enjoys “napping” under it, perhaps you could break out the sewing machine and add some batting and a piece of matching solid fabric to the baskside to actually make a simple little quilt/coverlet out of it. That would be something she could use forever and even eventually give to her own children. I just got a little teary-eyed when I typed that.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, thanks for the idea Teri! I made her a quilt that she sleeps with every night with other fabric from this project for her first birthday, but another quilt might totally be another possibility! I was thinking about some pillows for her down-the-road big-girl bed, but you never know where I’ll end up!

      xo,
      s

  6. Amanda says

    I cannot believe she’s turning 2! It seemed like it was just a few weeks ago when you created her 1-year old fabric. Wow… just wow.

    Reply

  8. Sherri @ House & Home{stead} says

    Love it! I’ve wanted to make my own fabric in spoon flower for my Etsy shop for quite a while now – the cost (to then create and turn around and sell) makes it hard. But SO fun for personal stuff! I might have to let my kids design their own designs and then make them something special for their birthdays this summer!

    Reply

  9. Annie says

    This is such a great idea!

    I’m thinking of ordering fabric with my son’s drawing and then sewing the edges to make a kitchen towel for his grandmas (and one for me too). Do you think the fabric would hold up as a kitchen towel? Or maybe napkins?

    Reply

  10. Erika says

    Love those CUTE pics of Clara, and love that fabric idea (although I will admit I skipped over all the details….hehehe).
    I can’t believe she is so into worms! Can’t wait to see the party decorations for that theme ;)

    Reply

  14. Kasey M. says

    Man I love Clara posts. Best part, sharing the videos with my Mom. I’m an only child and not quite ready to make her a grandma yet, but she loves babies and adores watching Clara with me and saying, “See! Look how cute she is. You know you want one.”

    Reply

  15. jeannette says

    love the print on the pillows, can you tell us what it is?

    also, WORMS. miss clara seems to have acquired some hair since i last saw her, and i’m trying to think of worm barrettes. worm head bands. worm earrings.

    oh man. i laughed out loud.

    Reply

  18. Juliana says

    I adore this project. Given I dont have kids yet, I though about trying to do this project with my 2 months old puppy, she is now 5 months old, and I still cannot make her just stay in one place for a picture! I guess I will just have to wait for kids :-)
    Thanks for sharing!
    Juliana

    Reply

  19. Sam G says

    Such a great idea. It turned out great.

    I just ordered my first sample of a fabric I made. It would be for my son’s room, I want to use it to make curtains, but I’m hesitating because of the price. I need to just pull the trigger.

    Reply

  22. christina says

    Thank you so much for sharing this how-to! I’ve always loved the fabric you made for her first birthday. I just played around with spoonflower and will totally be buying some self made monogrammed fabric (C&J) for my wedding in september 2013! It will make the perfect twist to the photobooth backdrop! Too excited :)

    Reply

  23. Corey says

    How cute guys! When i was young my mom used to make me an Oreo Cookie Dirt Cake and load it up with Gummy Worms! It was definately my favorite for many years. As soon as I hear the word “worms” its the first thing I think of.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we have that on our Worm Party Planning List! Haha. We brainstormed a ton of worm related stuff and can’t wait to get started! I can’t believe her party is so soon!

      xo,
      s

  25. Krista says

    If you don’t already have it, you need to get the book “Diary of a Worm”. So fun! We have pet worms at our house. We built a worm bin a couple years ago out of 2 plastic totes. We feed the worms and they make compost. Of course, we also sometimes feed the worms to our chickens and we always have a good source of bait for fishing! It’s been a fun science experiment.

    Reply

  26. cara says

    Such a cute idea! I have been doing the weekly pictures after seeing it on your blog. We just did 22 weeks yesterday! At first it was hard to keep up with it but I am so glad I have. I decided to use a white background and use different outfits since she has so many cute clothes I want to remember. I want to go make some custom fabric for something now though!

    Reply

  27. Carolyn says

    How about a worm cake or cupcakes for her party! I did this for my boys. Bake your favorite cake and ice as usual. But then cover the icing with oreo crumbs. Just crush the oreos fine (white center and all) until they look like dirt. Add gummy worms…coming out of the dirt. It’s really cute!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes- that’s on our Party Possibilities list! It was so much fun to brainstorm worms! Haha. We’ll have to share all of our thoughts/plans in a post soon!

      xo,
      s

  29. hollyloo says

    she is so adorable!! i hope you get her an inchworm ride-on toy (remember those?) for her big birthday gift. or you could diy a worm hotel! you could put it by your compost. fun!

    ps—thanks for the reintroduction to spoonflower. going to check it out now.

    Reply

  30. Dona Stone says

    Thanks for sharing the Spoonflower site. My 13yo daughter is very creative and likes to make awesome designs using people’s names. I think I would like to surprise her for her birthday with something totally unique made from fabric with her designs on it.

    Love all your great ideas! Since I steal them from your website instead of other friends, my friends think I’m wonderfuly clever. :)

    Love you guys!!!

    ~Dona~

    Reply

  32. Ginger says

    I love! all you do. Worms for Party #2 sounds perfect!

    But do you ever worry that you’ve set the bar so high that the second/third child will feel jealous? Do you plan to take weekly/monthly pics with each subsequent child?

    Maybe that’s just me. Hard as I try, my two, 9 and (almost 12) constantly point fingers at she got this, she got that. It’s difficult, and I literally try to keep it equal, but maybe that really is a fantasy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’re definitely planning to do weekly/monthly pics for any future kiddos! We both grew up in big families but looking back it was totally equal (I’m sure your kiddos will look back and agree! – it’s just a phase you go through when you’re younger to compare and act like you’re not getting the same attention/stuff). So there will be lots of weekly and monthly pics in our future!

      xo,
      s

  34. Mary says

    What a great idea! We might have to try this sometime. We’ve got lots of abstract art going on daily too.
    This also reminds me of something I saw on Pinterest a while back (which means you probably saw it long before I did) – a company that turns kids art creations into soft toys: http://www.childsown.com/
    Our 4 daughter draws exclusively rainbows, but maybe we’ll give it a try once she moves on to things more involved in the future.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I would totally make window treatments out of that if I was an OBGYN! Not even kidding. They have that stuff all over the walls, so I’d totally think my doc was hilarious and awesome if she embraced it and put it on the curtains. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  36. Alana @ Domestic Bliss Diaries says

    I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this but, if you are going to have a group of kiddos at her party, you could dye cooked spaghetti in her favorite colors and let the kids find “prizes” in the “worms” – bubbles, wrapped candy, or something else for them to take home. Kinda like a different take on a piñata – instead of wacking something, they’ll dig for prizes. ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I LOVE THAT IDEA!! We’re totally planning to use spaghetti to make “Worm Pizza” for the kids, but I like the idea of hiding stuff in a vat of spaghetti like bobbing for apples. But with worms. haha.

      xo,
      s

  38. Sarah says

    She’s SO CUTE you guys! (especially pretending to sleep!) What a littler character you have there! I really enjoy seeing her grow and turn into a little person over the past two years. My daughter is about a year older so I know all the joy – and headaches – you are experiencing. Keep up the great work!

    Reply

  39. Claudia says

    My current plan (my son’s 13 months on Sunday) is to turn his scribbles into embroidery. That, and put on an art show for my husband for Father’s Day (he’s a former art teacher). Super excited. I LOVE the fabric idea. Soon as I learn to actually sew things, my husband better watch out…I’m going to be having my son design up a storm. :)

    Reply

  40. Monica says

    I’m fascinated by Spoonflower!! I had never heard of it before, but I’m super excited you mentioned it! Can’t wait to make a creation of my own :)

    I’m loving that Clara took a “nap” in her cloth with her eyes open. haha too adorable!

    Reply

  47. Emily says

    Seeing all the phots in a grid made think you should make (or get made) a quilt! Is that something you already thought of/planned? The kid-made fabric is neat too. I like how the mirror one formed ovals! Neato.

    Reply

  49. Danielle says

    I played around on Spoonflower with some photos of English Paper Pieced Patchwork I have made – I especially like the Mirror Repeat. I haven’t had any printed yet – but will do as my mum wants some of it too. djcoolbear.co.uk/blog/read_47820/playing-on-spoonflower.html

    Reply

  50. Samantha says

    That is so great! I’m not sure if you noticed it (it was not mentioned!) she accidentally drew a big C in her picture…!!

    Reply

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