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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

  1. Heather H says

    I keep seeing your photo back drop pictures on Pinterest and almost always it says something about using wrapping paper as a background… I leave a comment every time I see it saying it’s actually fabric and reference your site. :D

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sweet! There will definitely be crushed oreos and gummy worms, just not sure if we’ll do cupcakes or a cake! We’ll have to share all of our worm plans soon! Haha.

      xo,
      s

  7. Emily says

    How sweet! Can’t believe she’s almost 2! My daughter does the same thing with fabric- she carries it everywhere, sleeps with it, uses it as a picnic blanket for her tea parties, etc until she finds another fabric she likes better at the store or until I convince her to let me sew it up.

    Reply

  8. A says

    Super cute! Love Miss Clara. Her “worm party” cracks me up. I actually have an irrational fear of worms so I cannot believe someone can embrace them and turn them into a party. My husband teases me all the time. When he gardens he takes pains to make sure to show me worms just so I’ll shriek at him. I always tell him, “if I stand still long enough, they’ll get me.”

    Don’t know if you’ve ever watched Always Sunny in Philadelphia (so bad but so funny), but there’s this one episode where they try to decipher Charlie’s “dream book” and end up making a few “worm hats”. It’s really funny.

    Here’s the clip: http://wakecodesleep.com/post/2064751153/denim-chicken (it has a bit of swearing in it — NOT Clara friendly!)

    Reply

  9. Erin says

    LOVE — this is one of those special things that she’ll hold on to forever. Props to you guys for being the kind of amazing parents that help your kids take their creativity to the next level.

    Reply

  10. Emma says

    Great idea! And I love that picture of Clara’s little feet sticking out from under the pillows. Daawww! :)

    Reply

  11. Mary-Beth says

    How cute! Mine is turning 1 the same time Clara is turning 2. It’s unbelievable how time flies, huh?

    Reply

  16. Bethany @ Sawdust&Embryos says

    LOVE this! I didn’t know there was a site out there like this! This is especially interesting to me, because my mom makes stuffed dolls/animals from children’s drawings… she’s an AMAZING seamstress. A quality I did NOT inherit. You should go look at her website. It’s so cute to see the little scribbled drawings, and my mom’s perfect interpretation of them! I can’t wait till my twins are old enough to produce their own ‘scribbles’!

    http://www.stuffedscribbles.blogspot.com

    Reply

  17. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    John has such nice handwriting! Very impressed.

    I’m so glad you guys posted about Spoonflower again since I wasn’t reading the first time around and I had no idea you could order your own print on fabric! Now I just need something to order.

    Reply

  18. Kat says

    Wow time goes by so fast. Hard to believe Clara is almost two! I used your 1st year fabric as inspiration and designed some with Mallory, my Nice’s name. I’m going to make her a stuffed dog for her birthday in May. I’ll use her name fabric for inside the dog ears and its belly and tail. With the other fabric a pretty bold feminine floral. I’ll eagerly await to see what you do with the 2nd year fabric. It looks like a fun project to do with my niece!

    Reply

  19. Sami says

    I don’t know if you frequent this site – but Woot.com has really great deals. So since Clara’s b-day is coming up and Sherry you’ve been talking about a dollhouse for some time I thought I’d let you know the kids.woot.com deal today is a Melissa & Doug dollhouse for $49.99 + $5 shipping. Not sure how long shipping takes. But the dollhouse is all wood – ready to be assembled and painted – it is a DIY project in itself which seems appropriate. I don’t know the standard retail but I think it’s over $100 – so it’s also a steal of deal which I know you also love. Just thought I’d pass it along :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks so much for the tip! Woot has such great sales! I think I’m planning to try my hand at building something, but I’m not 100% sure, so I’ll go check it out. Thanks again!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, yes! So proud of our creative little leftie! My brilliant dad and amazing BFF are both lefties, so I couldn’t be more thrilled. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  21. Tirzah says

    Regarding the gummy worms in pudding thing, I would recommend instead the gummy worms in oreo crumbs (in a clear container of course). I tried the pudding thing for a garden themed party and the pudding somehow stripped out the flavor of the gummy worms rendering them horrible tasting. (Sort of tasted like cartilage.) Even the kids didn’t like them. A real waste of rainbow gummy worms.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No way! I wonder why that happened? So funny. I remember having “dirt” with pudding and oreo crumbs with gummy worms on top as a kid a bunch. Maybe I didn’t notice they didn’t taste good or the fact that they were on top sort of separated them?

      xo,
      s

  22. Becky says

    It really makes me smile to see all of these meaningful projects and memories you are creating with the Bean. My kids are 10 and 15 now, and I really wish I had done more of this type of thing. She will cherish the feelings you are giving her through these projects, even if she doesn’t care about the end result one iota (which of course wouldn’t happen, I’m just sayin’). Love it.

    Reply

  28. tia says

    I am a quilt maker and I hoard bits of fabric for a someday quilt that I will send my boys off to college with. I wish I had thought of designing fabric. I think it’s a great tradition and if you keep it up she will have such a great quilt for her dorm room. By then she caould probably sew it herself!

    Reply

  29. Lynn @ SafeBeauty says

    This is uncanny because late last night I was up perusing your archives to get ideas on invitation websites (our Bean graduates pre-school in June) and came across the old Spoonflower post, which led to another post, and another…I love the idea of her putting her own stamp on the fabric. Looking at the picture of her admiring it I was wondering “I wonder if she recognizes that creation as hers…awww”. Age 2 comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Or you might get it the other way around. With my little man he was literally an angel all through his 2’s and then Beelzebub for the 3 year mark – the year we shall not speak of. But then good again from 4 on so you never know what you may get.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  30. Lisa says

    Love the idea of homemade fabric. Such a sweet tangible thing that your little girl can look back on. I could see the fabric being created into a blanket, with a fun color piping around the edges.

    Love your blog! Can’t say it enough! :)

    Reply

  33. Rose says

    That bunny in Clara’s 23-month shot looks a bit like my 2-year-old’s best friend, “B,”a much-loved Jellycat bunny. I know you guys love original art at a good price, so you should check out this woman’s work: http://customtoyportrait.com/
    She does beautiful acrylic portraits of favorite toys, and since so many people seem to love the same Jellycat bunny that our daughter does, we were able to get a gorgeous print for a steal. It’s great to have “B” immortalized like that, and the picture is so well-done we hung it in our family room!
    I don’t know if she paints worms or not, though…

    Reply

  34. vicky says

    Spoonflower! OMG! This is crazy but I’m an architect and I designed/permitted their space a couple of years ago here in NC when they must have just started out- basically two guys, a warehouse, a couple of computers, a conference room, a couple of young employees, and a GREAT idea!… I can’t believe that they’re on your website. It’s funny to know that I’ve been in their shop!

    Reply

  38. Rachel says

    Beautiful, beautiful girl! She is growing up…but she’s still so adorable and little (mine are both teens, so believe me on that).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, strangely enough I think she would have a ton of fun planning parties. She would just institute a rule about lots of cookies, ice cream, cake, and worms. Haha. As long as folks didn’t mind her throwing the same party over and over again it could be her “signature.” Haha.

      xo,
      s

  44. Ranell says

    I literally just discovered Spoonflower about two days ago. I can’t wait to create some fabric! Your years in photos was a great idea! Your little one is adorable.

    Reply

  45. Amber says

    If she loves worms so much you should make her a worm farm! I did one as a school project in Junior High. You just use a plastic tote and since y’all already do composting it’ll be easy. You just feed them in different areas of their “home”. I’m sure you can find them online. In return for a nice home w/ plenty of food they will make you some good rich soil.

    Reply

  46. Tracey says

    Ok, I may be dating myself, but do you know about the toy from Hasbro called the Glowworm? It was popular a long time ago. Its got Clara written all over it.

    Reply

  48. Lisa in Seattle says

    Well, now you’ve done it. I’m dead from cute. I hope you’re happy!

    Do parents still buy Richard Scarry stuff for their kids? I loved his world, especially his little worm in, what, a Tyrolean hat? Looks like you can get a very cute plush toy here. And an insanely priced board book here.

    Reply

  49. Jenn says

    I love the fabric backdropped pictures. You could get each one printed on a fabric square and make a really cute quilt.

    Reply

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