This is my 2yr old grandson Jackson and the inspiration behind my latest fabric collection, Puddles & Boots. When I saw this photo I had taken of him enjoying splashing in the puddles, it sparked so many other fond memories of him and my other grandchildren. Walks through our local woods. Always finding a puddle or two to splash in. Enjoying the fun of ducks waddling behind them. The sheer joy of the muddy puddles splashing everywhere.
Wonderful and fond memories. And inspiration for my creativity. It started out as a few initial sketches and developed from there. Steve, (my hubby) came up with the name, Puddles and Boots. It stuck straight away. And before I knew it, I was sketching out many ideas to design a new fabric collection.
Once the collection was completed, I pitched it to a UK fabric manufacturer but they didn’t feel it was right for their business. And so, I sat on it for awhile not really sure how to get it out into the world. I posted some images on Instagram and the owners of my local fabric shop, saw and loved them.
We met up and chatted about the possibility of a collaboration. How to get the fabric printed. After some research and crunching numbers, we found a digital printers in London and agreed to go forward. It took several months of back and forth getting test swatches as we both wanted the best fabric (100% cotton) we could find. Within a budget of course. At the end of the day we’re both in business and so we had a bottom line that needed consideration in all our discussions and final decision.
The digital printing process is approximately 95% more eco friendly than the more common screen printing process. No water is used in the process and uses Digital Pigment Inks which have passed various industry standard tests that make them especially suitable for children’s products. The fabrics are light and colour fast.
Along with the bolt fabric designs, I designed a couple of panels to go with the collection, a cloth book and a cushion cover. Perfect beginner projects that work beautifully with the rest of the designs.
My designs are always born out of what I’d like to see in a fabric shop. What I’d like to sew with. Always inspired by my family, where I live and the love of nature in all its beauty. Mainly though, I love creating designs that spark some kind of emotional response. To create something that makes people smile. To inspire creativity in others.
UPDATE: October 2023
This fabric collection sold out at my local fabric shop and is now available at my print on demand fabric shop on Spoonflower:
Spoonflower