OMGOSH. I know this is a lot. I was pretty excited when I received the Fill a Yard sample of my Geometric Bats mini collection from Spoonflower yesterday. I am so happy with the way these came out, even the tone-on-tone dark print. I have a thing for monochrome prints where the pattern is so very subtle and I think this one came out pretty nice.
Initially, I thought I’d be most excited about the quatrefoil bat pattern as that’s the one I imagined and designed first (almost 2 years ago!) It took me much longer than I thought it would or should. I fiddled around with it so much in Illustrator to get the proportions of the bat so it would perfectly fit in the center of the quatrefoil shape and I definitely did a little happy dance when it finally repeated perfectly. But, by then I was distracted with doing something different and I forgot all about it.
Recently, I decided to revisit the quatrefoil. I really wanted a better idea of what it would look like on products so I uploaded it to my Redbubble shop and was quite happy with the mockups. I haven’t ordered anything yet, as I’m currently waiting on another order to arrive.
I wasn’t really thinking in terms of a collection when I revisited this design, but I got an idea to see how it would look when used with other elements. I think I actually LOVE the spider webs more than the bat. So much so that I am seriously considering dragging my sewing machine out of storage to make some new curtains for my studio. And perhaps a few pillows as well. I’d love it on a duvet, but I’m not so sure the hubs would appreciate it. Spiders aren’t really his thing.
I also took another go at a bat-inspired dark garden theme I started at about the same time. I had in mind a Nordic design, similar to something you might find in a ski lodge. I thought it would be humorous to have a design that wasn’t fully recognizable as bat motifs at a distance, but on closer inspection, bat-winged floral blooms would reveal themselves. I first did this pattern in black and white and then wondered how it would look as a two-tone dark print. I really like it! I can imagine it as wallpaper with the darkest parts being flocked and maybe even rhinestone embellishments where the white flower centers are. Yes Please! I’ve been wanting to do the inside of my closet with wallpaper for so long, this might be the pattern that gets me going on that project.
The mockups in the above photo collage are from Spoonflower. If you aren’t familiar with Spoonflower, it’s a print-on-demand site where you can purchase fabric from thousands of super talented designers for your DIY needs in a wide variety of fabrics, from cotton to velvet to satin, and more. But, if sewing isn’t your thing, Spoonflower also offers many premade items made with the design of your choice, including on wallpaper in a variety of finishes.
I started reworking these designs back in June, not really planning on seeing them through to a collection. But as I started reworking them, I realized I was in need of a few things (wallpaper, pillows, a table cloth) and thought it would be a perfect excuse to make a Halloween collection. Though I may be a little late on that. Although, I tend to have a bit of a Halloween theme going on in my house already and find this time of year to be the best time to hunt for cool home decor items. I’m looking forward to getting the table runner from Society 6 at some point. However, as much as I like a table runner, they aren’t exactly cat frinedly.
Thank you so much for reading. If you happen to be starting your own journey into the world of surface and pattern design, I’d really love to hear from you about your experiences or challenges. Or, if you have a suggestion on some themes and patterns you’d like to see me try let me know in the comments! It would help me when I feel a little stumped on what to try next.
Have a great week!
Marie Friddle 