My Garden Sketchbook -- A New Fabric Collection

Spring has been very late to arrive here in Wisconsin; it seems that's the case many other places, too. I think we had deeper snow (and bigger snow storms) in April than we did all winter. Usually by the time May rolls around I've cut flowers from the garden, planted seeds and have already accumulated a fair amount of dirt under my nails. Not this year.

My garden feeds my creativity and without it, I've felt a bit deflated. Without sunshine and warm air and the color green I feel uninspired. Unmotivated. Down. Winter is hard for me. I have to work to stay creative, to keep from falling into a slump. Playing in my sketchbook, trying new things, going exploring, prioritizing creativity... all of that can help.

One way I worked to cheer myself up was through imaginary gardening (with paint!). I put these watercolor sketches together into a gardening-themed fabric collection. I've shared glimpses of the process, now here's the finished fabric:

I've called the collection My Garden Sketchbook and it was just what I needed to work on while winter continued to rage here in Wisconsin.

Thanks to everyone who voted for the main design when I entered it into Spoonflower's challenge (My design placed 50th out of 723). Looking at the test prints I decided I like the smaller-scale version best. (And I think I need a bee skep in my garden this year -- I found a cool tutorial on how to build one).

The images in that main design as well as other sketches found their way into a variety of patterns.

Just the sight of clay pots, watering cans and garden tools makes my heart happy. These designs make me happy, too (I'm imagining tote bags and aprons!).

It was fun playing with radishes, peas, carrots and chives, too.

I am so ready for these things to be growing in my garden. The chives are just beginning to show their green and I'll be planting some radish seeds and peas -- purple ones!-- this weekend. I can't even begin to tell you how happy all of this makes me.

Being able bring them (and all the other garden delights) into my studio to paint will be a dream.

Painting roses from photographs just isn't the same. I'm trying to be patient.

Until then I need to accumulate some dirt under my nails. And I have some fabric to play with, too.

The entire collection is available on Spoonflower as fabric (many different materials), wallpaper and gift wrap. Their business model makes so much sense to me and I'm impressed with their eco-conscious focus. It's also very easy to work with them (as both a designer and a shopper). Order as much as you need and they print it and ship it. I've been pleased with what I've received so far. Mostly it's just hanging on display in my studio,

but I have fabric for a bunch of projects and I'll be sure to share them as I finish them. Stay tuned.

What's been happening in your neck of the woods? Working on any creative projects? Enjoying the energy of spring?