Yesterday I was driving along listening to “The Story” on National Public Radio, a program hosted by Dick Gordon. Gordon interviews “everyday people” who have experienced something interesting to share. Yesterday, Gordon talked with Stephen Faser, an Internet marketing pro-turned-fabric printer from North Carolina. Faser and his wife started creating their own fabrics to make textile items for their family, which soon blossomed into their custom printing company, Spoonflower. —-
One would think that “in this economy” it would be far wiser to keep a hi-tech net job than to start up a textile business from scratch. If you check out the NPR podcast, you’ll find that Faser & Co. are struggling to keep their business rolling, but are enjoying the ride.
Naturally, I had to check out Spoonflower’s website and I must say, it’s a crafter’s dream come true. Shoppers can search through tons of designs that people from across the globe have submitted to Spoonflower or, for the true D.I.Y.-er, there is the option to upload your own personal designs to be printed on fabric. The final products are a bit pricey – $18-$32/yard – but the Spoonflower team dyes everything themselves and uses eco-friendly printing practices. And rest assured, the designs at Spoonflower are so kitschy and unique, you really won’t find them anywhere else.
Every week, the Spoonflower site hosts a fabric design contest with designs submitted by six different artists. The designs are polled on the Web site and the winner’s design is printed and put on sale at the Spoonflower Etsy shop. From there, shoppers can purchase the handmade fabric and make their own item from it. It’s like pay it forward with fabric…”craft it forward!”
For anyone getting ready to start a summer sewing project, I highly suggest checking out Spoonflower for some fabric.
