Artist Profile: Candy Joyce and How to Sew a Cute, Breezy Jumper.

Candy Joyce is a designer and illustrator from the United Kingdom. She is one of my colleagues at Spoonflower and also has a shop of home goods at Envelope.  Her work has a graphic sensibility and she is inspired by mathematical sequences, such as Fibonacci. 
Candy Joyce enjoys a good zombie and that has inspired her to design zombie dolls.  You can see a sample of the reversible dolls found at her website on this video.  Evil clowns are a natural subject for a zombie doll.

I entered a contest sponsored by Candy Joyce and won one free yard of fabric.  My daughter and I looked through her portfolio on Spoonflower and selected Spring Stitch Flowers.
My daughter's jumper was super easy to make.  You will want to measure the length of the jumper from shoulder to waist and waist to ankle (or desired length of pant leg.)  The pant legs should be about 2x leg width tapering to a loose waist. The leg holes are elasticized but only loosely.  I have tabs at the waist for alignment but it would also be a great place to add an elasticized waist.  Top should be a little wide.  The shoulders are sew 2 inches on each side, allowing the front neck to drape.  This drape also allows the child to put on the jumper without need of zippers or buttons.  The waist tie is optional.
If you like Candy Joyce's fabric or would like to get another (such as one of mine,) Spoonflower has free Worldwide shipping for 24 hours beginning 9am EST, Monday, November 30.

Ghana Fish Market, Star Dress and Animal Families

Myrtle Dress at the fish market

Yesterday, I got out of the house and went to visit the international fish market in Tema, Ghana, a waterfront and factory town outside of Accra.  I have been to a couple of other markets in other countries and this one was cleaner and less chaotic than most.  Although, anyone planning on going should be aware you may be mobbed as soon as you exit your vehicle.  It might also be a good idea to know what you want to buy before you get there.  This is not a market to casually stroll.

Kai the fisherwoman cleaning some Tilapia

 In addition to the fish market, I visited a couple of Korean grocery stores, a German butcher shop and had a very nice lunch at a Korean restaurant.  The town felt very relaxing because there is more space between buildings and lacked the close packed feeling of the city.


Another version of Star Attraction

I wore my the dress I just finished sewing the night before from Sprout Patterns.  Sprout Patterns is a new service from Spoonflower.  At Sprout Patterns you can select a Spoonflower fabric which is preprinted with the cut and sew pattern.  I am wearing the Myrtle Dress from Colette Patterns with my own design Star Attraction in Mint and Deep Teal.
Today, 1 day only, this pattern is available for 25% off.  Other patterns will be on sale at Sprout Patterns until Thursday, November 26.

Also today, a new Spoonflower contest begins with the theme Family Portraits.  My entry is based on animal families of the American southwest.  Pictured here are the quail, armadillo, prairie dogs, porcupine and black tailed jack rabbit.  This pattern coordinates with others in my Southwest Animals collections.  Please consider voting.

Barbells and Cheap Fat Quarters

One of the best things for me about living over seas it that I have more time to exercise.  It really helps that I live walking distance from my gym.  Last year with my children at three different schools, with three difference schedules, it was very hard for me to keep up with their schedules and also exercise.  Another benefit is that my oldest boy and I spend more time together now since running and using the equipment are two of his favorite things.
This week's Spoonflower contest theme is fitness, so here is my entry, African Mod Barbells Allover Blue and Green, which I have made into a scarf on Poly Crepe de Chine.  Please consider voting.
Also at Spoonflower this week, until noon EST Thursday, November 12th is half priced fat quarters.  Great time to stock up!

 

Kitties and Tea

My sons went to Shop Rats excellent STEM oriented summer camp this past summer and while they were there having fun, I took my daughter into Mason, MI to look around.  Mason is a cute little town with all of the things that make me happy to see.  They have a nice coffee shop/book store, a quilt shop called Yards of Fabric, and antiques mall and artists coop and many other cute shops downtown.  Sadly, there had been a fire and so several other shops were closed during repairs.  All in all it was a town I recommend kicking around in.
Anyway, while there, my daughter picked out some kitty cat fabric (Window Tails by SPX fabrics).  It is nice to see we are diverging from PINK these days.  She wanted a dress, so this is what I came up with.  We are living in a hot climate now, so I went sleeveless.  It is easier and I didn't really have enough fabric to add them anyway.  I used one of her woven shirts to model the top of the dress on and then angled down from the waist to give it a slight A line skirt.  I finished the sleeves with bias tape since I did not have enough material to make it from the kitty fabric.  I also added the ruched insert and bow to provide a little variation for the eye.
And now for tea.  It is that time of year for Spoonflower's Tea Towel Calendar competition.  I chose to draw a modern day version of the Greek Goddess Hestia.  She was the goddess of the hearth and kitchen and one of her symbols is the kettle.  Seemed like a great fit for a tea towel.  Please consider voting.
Lastly, the new site, Sprout Patterns is having a sale today through Friday 12pm EDT.  This site prints patterns directly on the Spoonflower fabric of your choice.  The sale is for a $1 lined zippered pouch pattern.  WORLDWIDE shipping $1.  Limit three. 

Small Things: Plants and Microorganisms

Haven't had a lot of time for crafts recently but ATCs are just the kind of art one can do with a small amount of time.  (If you haven't heard about them here is a little info.)  The guideline for this swap was to have a cut-out and an add on item.  I really enjoyed learning more about foraging while in the US this last year so I thought that would be a great theme for this card.  I used a page from my old, worn copy of Peterson's A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America that had fallen out for the middle ground.  The trillium is a pen and watercolor pencil drawing displayed in the cutout of the text.  I added more forgeable plants on top in the form trim, drawing and beads.

Forage ATC

I also had some excitement in that I won the ATC giveaway from Bridget.  This was her Additive/Subtractive Book Page card from a 1953 yearbook about Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.  Nicely done!

And on to other small things, this week, on Spoonflower, is a Microorganism design contest.  My younger son was excited about this theme and asked to help design my entry.  He did all of the drawing and I am responsible for the color of this small scale ditsy design.  Please consider voting.

Old School Vibrant Microorganisms

 

Free shipping!

Ready for the holidays? I know, it's not even Halloween yet but for crafters, we have to get an early start if we want to make something in time.  To help you out, Spoonflower is offering FREE shipping WORLDWIDE for 24 hours Monday, October 12th at 9am EDT to Tuesday, October 13th, 2015.  My shop is at your service for patterned fabric, wallpaper and paper.  Here are a few patterns from my African Inspired II collection.


African Weave Hexagon Drop Tropical Large



African Mod Barbells Allover Pinks

 

Peacock Deco Diamonds Large



 

 

2nd Fairy, Michigan & Christmas Cookies Already?



Swap Fairy from Jill Webb, pattern by Susan Barmore

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Dollstreet Dreamers had a fairy swap.  To accommodate everyone's busy schedule, the deadline got pushed back a couple of times.  I was very happy to get my fairy  from Jill Webb in the mailbox right before I left.  (Really, it came the last day I had mail service!)  I had to pack her in the suitcase and just got around to photographing her. 



My fairy, original design by Penney Hughes

I really enjoyed my brief time in Michigan.  I loved the seasons, the woods behind my house and all the wildlife wandering through.  I loved the chance to work with the Lansing Maker's Network folks and I learned a lot.  The people of Michigan were friendly and welcoming.  I enjoyed many special beverages that I had never seen before, like Faygo (Rock 'n Rye!), Vernors, Meads like B Nektar's Zombie Killer, various local hard ciders and the spirits of American Fifth.  I hope to return to Michigan when it is time to hang up the towel with overseas life.  When I do, I want to explore the art scene more and look deeper at the work of artists like Jane Reiter, Kelly Boyle, and ceramic artists Doug DeLind and his daughter Jody DeLind.

Christmas Cookies?  I know, not even Halloween yet but Christmas crafting starts now, so I have created a Christmas themed design for this week's Spoonflower contest, Pop Art Cookies.  I hope you will consider voting.