Bird on Bloom Fabric Print Arrived!

Last week I shared my first entry in Spoonflower's weekly design challenge and a companion print I designed. I ordered a fat quarter of each print to see what it looked like on fabric and today the companion print arrived!

Bird on Bloom design on fabric. Printed by Spoonflower.com. Bobbin for size comparison of design. Photo taken in natural light and coloring untouched.

I'm very happy with the quality of the printing and how my design looks on fabric (it looks very professional, if I do say so myself!). However, the orange and green colors in the print are darker than I was expecting. After comparing my print to the swatches I am working from, the green does match the swatch I selected. Maybe because the greens in my fat quarter are larger than the swatch, it appears darker?

JPEG File of Original Design

However, the orange in the print is not the same color as the swatch. The orange in my print is darker and has more of a red base than the swatch. My swatch is printed on a quality quilting cotton but I chose to print my fat quarter on Kona cotton, which may be why the coloring is different. After close examination, the Kona cotton has a coarser weave that the quilting cotton, so it may have absorbed more ink than that of the swatch fabric. Next time, I'll try printing on the quilting cotton and see how the quality and color accuracy compares. Spoonflower recommends washing the fabric before using it in a project. I wonder how that will affect the color?

Last night I worked on a new design. While my grandson was visiting last Thanksgiving, he drew a snowman picture on my chalkboard quilt. I've been saving it so that I could photograph it and turn it into a fabric design. I finally got around to it last night and I'm so excited with how it turned out. I ordered a yard of fabric using Spoonflower's Fill-A-Yard option, and printed the fabric with two background colors so I'll receive a half yard of each colorway. I have a secret project planned for this special fabric! Can't wait to share it with ya'll!

~Sharla

P.S. There's one more day to vote in Spoonflower's Birds and Blooms design contest and if you like my Prairie Gardens design, I'd love if you'd vote for it! Here's the link.

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