Fool Fabric Fiesta: Vote in Spoonflower's jokers & fools contest

The Fabric Of the Week contest theme this week is jokers & fools, which has a long and illustrious tradition as an artistic subject. Believe it or not, the person who wrote to suggest that we make fools the subject of a fabric design contest is actually theofficial jester of the city of Milwaukee. Who knew that there were official fools! [Please commence sardonic commentary here.] Of course the real fools' contest this month will, arguably, be the Spoonflower staff design contest... coming up next week!

Vote For Jokers & Fools Fabrics

Participating designs and designers this week are:

1. 23 jesters and 1 fool by betje
2. A Jesters Party by quiltsmith
3. Acrobatic Jesters & Fools by simboko
4. ArtyClownDoll by grannynan
5. bouffons du carnaval chien by rusticcorgi
6. clown by elfyne
7. Clown by hikje
8. Clownery by savime
9. clownettas by scrummy
10. Clowning Around in Red by zesti
11. Clowns&buttons! by bora
12. clowns_around by marygrace
13. clown_and_his_friends by dingding
14. Clown_Fun by meadow
15. Clown_Toss_21x18___72dpi-ed-ed-ed by cordeliaslillisa
16. collection of clowns noses by shiny
17. Commedia dell'arte by shirayukin
18. Court Jester by jennartdesigns
19. Crayon the Clown by paragon_studios_one
20. Crows Clowning Around by cynthiafrenette
21. DigiCommedia Harlequin by marg_marg
22. Do not feel like algebra? by annosch
23. Fool by amarina
24. foolish knave or bard of infinite possibilities? by vo
25. Fools by theboerwar
26. Fools Rush In by whatsit
27. green payasos by mg
28. Happy Clowns by missyjones
29. Happy Jester Day by melisza
30. Happy Jesters by fuzzyskyfabric
31. Happy Whimsical Jester Pattern by tortagialla
32. imprimé_clown_4 by nephilim
33. It's a Hoot Confetti by kdl
34. JACKinBOX by peppermintpatty
35. Jester by jadegordon
36. Jester by missjessm
37. Jester by iizzard
38. jester by purple*zebra
39. Jester Cap Circles by dawnams
40. Jester Dolls by michiela
41. Jester's toys by tracydmc70
42. Jester-01-pattern by denisedian
43. Jesters by pond_ripple
44. Jesters by stefohnee
45. JestersGestures by tallulahdahling
46. jesters_n_fools by janiris
47. Jester_and_clowns_B_8_Picnik_collage by khowardquilts
48. jester_pattern2 by aninkling
49. jokers by kec19
50. Jokers aren't fool by faratiana
51. jokers jumping up and down by stsannette
52. Jokers_and_fools_contest2011 by nikky
53. jokesandfools-rdewing by rdewing
54. jolly jesters by gracedesign
55. jumping jesters by melissamelissa
56. Lady Jokers by catru
57. LastScan-ed-ed by bertschcreek
58. les-fous2011 by kalou
59. Little Clown ( zoom as usual:) by newmom
60. Love Fools by majo_bv
61. Lunatic Clown Nightmare (please ZOOM) by potbellybears
62. Mardigras by glimmericks
63. Medieval Jesters by rengal
64. Mejo Memento by jmckinniss
65. Mercy_Percy (click zoom for clearer picture) by victorialasher
66. Mime your own business. by babysisterrae
67. monkey_jester by amel24
68. Picture by la_belle_avenue
69. Pierrot's Pleasant Dream by jaana
70. Razzle-Dazzle Dunces by kristi_oh
71. Scared Yet? by supercoop
72. send in the clowns by heidikenney
73. Silly Wiggle Scribble by decobot
74. spades by regina81
75. spoonflower1-2 by aundi
76. Sunflower Fools by evamarion
77. Tears of a Clown by spellstone
78. The Crow Jester by kiwiandsteve
79. The Fool by farrellart
80. The_Acrobuffos by jumping_monkeys
81. The_juggler_and_the_joker by saraheveleth
82. Tumbling Jesters by poetryqn
83. Wanna See Me Juggle?? by sunflower1974
84. Wiccked Jester Hats by rabble

Toiling for toiles: Sammyk wins the Civil Rights Toile de Jouy contest

Wouldn't you know that on the heels of Cean Irminger's 6th Fabric Of the Week win last week, SammyK would add her 7th? Samarra's latest victory arrives in what may be the hardest fabric design contest theme we've ever come up with: creating a historical toile de Jouy fabric depicting some aspect of the struggle for Civil Rights and freedom.

After initially deciding not to enter this contest, Samarra changed her mind because, she says, she was inspired "by children, by education and learning, by those same children being our future and our hope." The description that appears on her fabric page is worth reading. For the record, Samarra's previous wins are: Celebrity Smackdown, tractors, Medieval, Tiki, cocktails, and science. Congratulations to Samarra and all of the other intrepid designers who toiled for these toiles!

See the Top Ten Civil Rights Toiles

The vote totals this week were:

1. 670 votes for Teach Your Children Well: A Toile for Tots by sammyk
2. 550 votes for Civil Rights Toile by jennartdesigns
3. 433 votes for Salem Witch Trials Toile by decobot
4. 393 votes for Suffragettes: Giving women a voice by vo
5. 386 votes for Huckleberry Finn by paragon_studios_one
6. 362 votes for Rosa Rides the Bus by winter
7. 352 votes for Trail of Tears Large (zoom for details) by victorialasher
8. 337 votes for Freedom's Crossing: Underground Railroad by andreagaley
9. 256 votes for Suffragette_City by ravynka
10. 246 votes for Votes for Women Toile by babysisterrae

Civil Rights history as fabric? Vote in a contest for historical toiles de Jouy

The toile de Jouy style arose from fabrics produced by an 18th-century textile maker in Jouy-en-Joses, France. Toiles employed a relatively complex series of images to depict stories and scenes of pastoral life. But a tradition has also arisen in which the images in toiles are used to celebrate events, lives and ideas in history.

In the spirit of the US holiday this week celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., for this contest we asked designers to tackle the exceptionally difficult task of creating a historical toile celebrating the struggle for Civil Rights and equality in our country or their own. This one offers a small field of entries compared to our typical contests, but one that rewards close examination. Thanks to all who rose to the challenge!

Vote For Civil Rights Toiles

The competing designs and designers this week are:

1. bpp_toile_blue by janineluthe
2. Civil Rights Leaders by asilo
3. Civil Rights Toile by jennartdesigns
4. Cup of Freedom by kdl
5. Free At Last by sarahwalden
6. Freedom's Crossing: Underground Railroad by andreagaley
7. Have a Dream by jadegordon
8. Huckleberry Finn by paragon_studios_one
9. Maria Clara Toile by michiela
10. Robin Hood ~ Toile de Jouy by scrummy
11. Rosa Rides the Bus by winter
12. Salem Witch Trials Toile by decobot
13. Slavery Toile-Blue and Gold by kkitwana
14. Suffragettes: Giving women a voice by vo
15. Suffragette_City by ravynka
16. Teach Your Children Well: A Toile for Tots by sammyk
17. Thank You, Amelia Bloomer! by lulakiti
18. The 2nd Anglo-Boer War by theboerwar
19. Trail of Tears Large (zoom for details) by victorialasher
20. Votes for Women by sparegus
21. Votes for Women Toile by babysisterrae
22. Votes for Women Toile by tracydmc70
23. We The People by poetryqn

Rococo on, Cean! Fabric design co-champion gets her sixth win with Rococo pirates

We're thrilled to announce that, by winning our Rococo-themed Fabric Of the Week contest, Cean Irminger has added a sixth notch to her Spoonflower co-champ belt. This ties her once again with longtime rival (and co-conspirator) SammyK. [Cean's previous wins: Shoes, Snow, Apron Pattern, Collage, Border Prints] Maybe we should try a dynamic duo design contest sometime and pair those two up as a team. Would designing fabric in collaboration with another artist work, do you think? That's an idea to ponder.

CHECK OUT OUR ROCOCO TOP TEN!

The final votes?

1. 635 votes for Ro-co-co and a Bottle of Rum by ceanirminger
2. 589 votes for DamaskVA2c by muhlenkott
3. 512 votes for rococoSeaflower-ch-ch by flock
4. 481 votes for rococozollars by jaime_zollars
5. 468 votes for RococoPeacock by yvonne_herbst
6. 461 votes for Rococoblush by leslipepper
7. 431 votes for Rococo Damask by icetigris
8. 430 votes for Rococo Toile by asilo
9. 421 votes for Ro-Coq-Au-Vin by cynthiafrenette
10. 407 votes for Rococo in Red by greencouchstudio

Spoonflower is back!

After the longest site outage in our two and a half year history, Spoonflower is back up. Only 8 hours or so of silence. It seemed longer. We are very sorry!

Spoonflower site is experiencing problems

As of 1pm EST the site is down due to problems at Amazon Web Services, where Spoonflower is hosted. We are working on bringing things back up as soon as possible. Apologies!

-Spoonflower Team

Spoonflower Silk Giveaway: Register To Win 3 Yards of Custom-Printed Silk Crepe de Chine!

Have you tried the silk crepe de Chine yet? We think it's fab. We'll hold a drawing to give away 3 yards on Monday, January 17th, around noon EST. Join us!

REGISTER TO WIN 3 YARDS OF CUSTOM SILK

We will, we will Rococo you... Vote for your favorite Rococo fabrics!

Rococo refers to an 18th century French style of decoration characterized by elaborate, asymmetrical ornamentation and scrollwork. As is usually the case, our design community took the basic idea in a variety of directions and, looking at the entries, we had a hard time agreeing on which, if any, strayed too far afield of the theme. Some we removed, and some we left in, but in the end it's always the voters who get to decide which fabrics end up in the top ten. Have fun voting!

Vote For Your Favorite Rococo Fabrics

The participating designs and designers this week are:

1. 8-bit Ornament by tinornament
2. acanthusframe by duchess
3. acorn_fabric by jessicamingo
4. Amour Rococo by faratiana
5. Anne Elizabeth by moon_child
6. A~Wild~Heart by grannynan
7. Baroque Dancers by rengal
8. Baroque Deer by t-bird
9. Bernie's Hair by sunflower1974
10. bigknotblue by wheelbarrower
11. Blue daisy with avacado green by jellybeanquilter
12. butterflies_rococo by marygrace
13. Carpet by kat99204
14. Coco Birds by kdl
15. Contessa Damask - Black by pixeldust
16. DamaskVA2c by muhlenkott
17. dogoco by anais_eco
18. Doodle Damask (Zoom for detail) by madam0wl
19. Fleur_de_Char by charldia
20. Flora Emerging by dreamdoodles
21. Flourish White by thirdhalfstudios
22. Flowers on the Vine - Gardenia by inscribed_here
23. French_Chateau-ch by vilianve
24. Go Rococo by sadie_lou
25. Halloween Chrome by captiveinflorida
26. Hawaiian Rococo Mini Print by ailau
27. Hosta Waltz - Cloudy by haleystudio
28. How do you solve a problem like Marie ?-ch by cakeworth&penningtons
29. lacefabric by sakurafairy
30. Lady Marie Antoinette by majo_bv
31. Late Boroque by scrapartist
32. le rococo by kec19
33. leo by surlybirdstudio
34. Let Them Eat Cake by potbellybears
35. Little Shells by shala
36. Mary_Rococo_1 by marij4
37. Mellow rococo by hannafate
38. Mint Chocolate Chip Rococo by hannah_banana
39. Mr.&Mrs. Rococo by babysisterrae
40. multi_green_swirl-ch by diannemarie
41. Navy 18th Century Border Print by izodiea
42. Neo Rococo by melisza
43. Neo Rococo Octopi by rayne
44. Neon Rococo by tracydmc70
45. Nouveau Rococo by dynasty_b
46. Oiseau by anahata
47. Ou_la_la by ag_designs
48. Paradise rococo by paragon_studios_one
49. plumes by theboerwar
50. Prairie Bird by oddlyolive
51. purple_simple_cherry_damask-ch by flo_kraft
52. Rainbow Rococo by sammyk
53. ribbonsrococo3 by utopio_workroom
54. Ro-co-co and a Bottle of Rum by ceanirminger
55. Ro-Cocoa by kasei_lee
56. Ro-Coq-Au-Vin by cynthiafrenette
57. rock_O_ko2 by regina81
58. ROCOCO by bertschcreek
59. Rococo by jadegordon
60. rococo by winter
61. Rococo by charles_josef
62. rococo by leighr
63. Rococo Blues by kamiekazee
64. RoCoco Chanel Presents: Fashionable Pirate Girls by jaana
65. rococo cocoa by scrummy
66. Rococo Damask by icetigris
67. Rococo Damask in Subtle Gray and White by ojamiya
68. rococo decorative leaves by uzumakijo
69. Rococo Ice Cream Parlour (MUST MUST MUST see zoom!!!) by revontuletar
70. Rococo illustrated by newmom
71. Rococo in Red by greencouchstudio
72. Rococo in repose by vo
73. Rococo Ladies by decobot
74. Rococo Lizards by robinrice
75. Rococo Love by happysewlucky
76. Rococo Polka Dots by iota1617
77. Rococo Portrait by lauren_peppiatt
78. Rococo Rose Border Print by shirayukin
79. Rococo Shoes by acbeilke
80. rococo style 1 by raasma
81. rococo sweethearts by verycherry
82. Rococo Toile by asilo
83. rococo, in plum by rabble
84. Rococo2-SM by doubleduck
85. Rococo: Isabelle by simboko
86. Rococoblush by lpds1220
87. RococoOne2010 by nikky
88. RococoPeacock by yvonne_herbst
89. rococoSeaflower-ch-ch by flock
90. rococozollars by jaime_zollars
91. Rococo_Balloons_final by ddmote
92. rococo_blueandgreen by ravynka
93. rococo_color__2 by rekha
94. Rococo_devore by hannal
95. Rococo_FRAMES by erin_lebeau
96. Rococo_Gold by mg
97. rococo_pattern by koalalady
98. rococo_pattern_20110109 by dingding
99. Rococo_print by SarahRuth
100. Rococo_redux by victorialasher
101. Rococo_Skates by regalneedle
102. Rouxcoco by bellenoel
103. Seashell Silhouette by bigb
104. Shagreen___Coral by mcsparrandesign
105. shoes by maryshotwell
106. Simple Rococo by shoebox
107. Spiral Branches by helenklebesadel
108. Spoonflower_Rococo by rachel_galloway
109. Sweet rococo by irrimiri
110. The Blue by kalou
111. Tokyococo 1 (Please Zoom) by chris
112. Turquoise Damask by ebm
113. Venetian Carnivale by poetryqn
114. VOCOCO_RED by nam

Palette-restricted botanical print contest winner is Day In the Jungle fabric by dennisthebadger

The winner of our latest contest is Dennis Bennett, or DennistheBadger, the same artist who won the baby carrier design contest we sponsored last year with Nap Inc. It turns out that since his last win, DennistheBadger, who lives in Germany, has become DennistheDoctor, having finished medical school. It must be nice to know that if the medical career falls through, he's got a future in fabric design. Congratulations, Dennis! These palette-restricted contests always seem to produce a terrific bunch of entries. Thanks to all who participated.

See the Top Ten Large-Scale Botanical Prints

The designers who submitted work this week did an amazing job! Final votes:

1. 745 votes for day in the jungle by dennisthebadger
2. 628 votes for lily pond - botanical by uzumakijo
3. 624 votes for Breezy Botany by sammyk
4. 616 votes for botanicalwonders by mrshervi
5. 535 votes for Jardin_Botanique by snowflower
6. 516 votes for funny flowers by bora
7. 490 votes for Dark Botanical by melisza
8. 470 votes for Sewed flowers by faratiana
9. 448 votes for marisa by valentinaramos
10. 440 votes for Paris Peonies by cynthiafrenette

Upcoming fabric design contests: Rococo, Civil Rights Toile, Jokers & Fools, & Year Of the Rabbit

For those who've missed the list of upcoming Fabric Of the Week contest themes in our recent newsletters, here's what's cooking:

Rococo. The Rococo style of the mid-18th century often used shells as a motif and reflected the decadent whimsy of the French aristocracy. You can read more about the Rococo style here and here. Submit a Rococo fabric design by Tuesday, January 11. Quarter-yard previews (21" x 18").

Civil Rights Toile de Jouy. Submit a toile de jouy [definition] fabric design depicting some element of the struggle for civil rights and freedom in US history (or the history of your own country). For a few inspiring examples of historical toiles, see the Fabric Museum's historical toile page. Quarter-yard previews (21" x 18"). Deadline is Tuesday, January 18, 2011.

Jokers & Fools. Submit a fabric using jesters, jokers, fools, or clowns as a design motif. Please use original artwork. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, January 25. Quarter-yard previews (21" x 18").

Spoonflower Staff Contest. This is a contest restricted to Spoonflower staff, which will offer you the chance to see for yourself exactly how little we know about fabric design (most of us, anyway). Please feel free to laugh. Voting will open on Thursday, February 3, 2011.

Year Of the Rabbit. This is a contest for rabbit-themed fabric designs to mark the begi  nning of the Chinese New Year and the Year Of the Rabbit. Entry deadline is Tuesday, February 8th, 2011. Quarter-yard previews (21" x 18").

 Read Instructions and Rules For Upcoming Contests.

Many shapes, but few hues: Vote in our palette-restricted contest for large-scale botanical prints

We usually hear some griping about the colors we choose for these palette-restricted contests, but I've always found that looking through the entries is a treat. Restricting the palette is one way of pushing designers out of their comfort zones, which is usually rewarding. This week's contest was for large-scale botanical designs that had to use the colors in a palette we provided (visible here). We did our best to discourage the use of gradients in this one, but in the end we didn't pull all of the entries that employed them. As usual, the voters will make the final call. There are 149 entries, so get ready to do some serious scrolling.

Vote For Your Favorite Large-Scale Botanical Prints

The participating designs and designers are:

1. 10 by aloramyst
2. A large botanical by feathered_nest_studio
3. A Swirl Of Life Botanical by grannynan
4. AH-lrg-botanical2 by ahmarie
5. alliums all around 01 by stsannette
6. AmarylisBotanicis2 by lpds1220
7. An Iris Inspiration by karenharveycox
8. Aphrodite in Love by greencouchstudio
9. Atomic Blossom by pixeldust
10. Autumn Play by jennartdesigns
11. Batik flower-large-repeat-300-white-green-outline by mina
12. Big Pond by jadegordon
13. big yellow flower by becca_lou
14. Big, Bright, Beautiful Botanical by lulakiti
15. Big_Botanical2 by susieswe
16. Bodacious Botanicals by acbeilke
17. botanic2 by anais_eco
18. botanical by renule
19. botanical by kaitlinmartin
20. BOTANICAL by mishysfire
21. Botanical Cures from Dr. Pennington by cakeworth&penningtons
22. Botanical Floral Sketch by locamode
23. Botanical Kaleidoscope in Chartreuse by simboko
24. Botanical Paradise Tree by paragon_studios_one
25. Botanical Q by thirdhalfstudios
26. BOTANICAL VINE by lunakat805
27. botanical1 by peppermintpatty
28. botanicalcrossstichpatternwhite by ravynka
29. Botanicalorchid_3 by yvonne_herbst
30. botanicals3 by artimated
31. botanicalwonders by mrshervi
32. botanical_a_2 by alexandrabridget
33. botanical_dream2 by snork
34. Botanical_Fern_white_Kalou_2011 by kalou
35. botanical_leaves by oohoo
36. BotanicleTwo2010 by nikky
37. Bouquet Botanical by kdl
38. Breezy Botany by sammyk
39. Bright Botanical by pattysloniger
40. bright flower pillow panel by leopardessmoon
41. Bright Night Botanicals by simplysweet
42. Brite in Spite Large Botanical by tracydmc70
43. Christmas Bells and Golden Wattle by rhondadesigns
44. Chrysanthemums by ninky
45. circleflower by kate_fritts
46. Colorblind Gardener by donna_kallner
47. ColossalChrysanthemums by patters
48. Copacabotanical by madam0wl
49. cottonfabric7 by ferdinandhomestore
50. Croton Leaves by suz#1
51. Dad's Poppies by cmanningdesigns
52. Daffodil_Cool150 by kikcaryn
53. Dahlias in My Garden_ by khowardquilts
54. Daisy Dots by annaleeblysse
55. Dark Botanical by melisza
56. Darlingtonia C by daniellegray
57. dots_a_really_big_geranium by victorialasher
58. DSC_0006 by designkat
59. fab by bertschcreek
60. Fibonacci Sunflowers by shala
61. Fibonacci's Exploding Garden by candyjoyce
62. FireFlower by jmckinniss
63. floralfabR by hannafate
64. flower by little_miss
65. Flower Bouquets by magneetje
66. FLOWERS by elfyne
67. Flowers on Black by laurencato
68. flowers-and-leaves201101 by dingding by dingding
69. forest botanical by kec19
70. Fresh Grapes by inscribed_here
71. Fripp Palm by grace&eddie
72. Fruit by leighr
73. Funky Flowers by merttu
74. funny flowers by bora
75. groovy botanical by scrummy
76. gumnut flower pattern by small_pie
77. Happy botanics by marloesdevries
78. Hibiscus (limited palette) by studiofibonacci
79. How Does Your Garden Grow by poetryqn
80. In the Strawberry Patch by asilo
81. inflorescence2 by wheelbarrower
82. Japanese Floral by sarah_chid
83. Jardin_Botanique by snowflower
84. Joyflowers--Zoom for max joy! by Clothdog
85. Jungle Ferns by phorgan
86. kelp - contest by monmeehan
87. keukenhof tulips by aperiodic
88. large botanical by melissamelissa
89. Large Scale Botanical Entry by eviltwinempire
90. largescalebotanical by sara_e
91. Large_Botanical_30s_40s_style by rainlongson
92. Leafy Green by design_it
93. leaves by rosapomposa
94. LeilaM_Botanical_Contest by hannal
95. lily pond - botanical by uzumakijo
96. Little Big Cactus by pikoti
97. lotus leaves by gracedesign
98. Lush by diane_marie
99. Magical Fruit by newmom
100. marigold blooms by indesign
101. marisa by valentinaramos
102. Melon Flowers by annabhall
103. Merey_NYGarden by moon_child
104. Mod Mums by vilianve
105. moonflower_entry by kgarvey
106. multicolor daisy large by rockpaperfabric_design
107. natures_lace3 by dempsey
108. natureWalk by flock
109. Night's Climbing Beauty by robinrice
110. olivemosaic by corinnevail
111. paleterestrict03 by jnifr
112. Paris Peonies by cynthiafrenette
113. Picture_5-sunshine by mamaca
114. Pioneer Crewel - Big Botanical by bard_judith
115. Pollynose by avidia
116. pop bot by modgeek
117. poppies on black by freshcreationsbynaomi
118. Poppy Pods by haleystudio
119. Pretty_Bird_Botanical by flo_kraft
120. Red and Yellow Tulips by jaana
121. regina by regina81
122. Releaved (Verdant) by nalo_hopkinson
123. Ribbons and tulips from me to you by vo
124. rose lattice by trollop
125. Savage_Beauty by charles_josef
126. Savannah by hhd
127. Scattered Leaves by auki
128. Sewed flowers by shinananas
129. she_is_so_happy by queenbea
130. shut your venus flytrap by babysisterrae
131. spoonflowerdec2010b-02 by dennisthebadger
132. spoonflowerjho contest entry by superjennylove
133. submerged fungi by theboerwar
134. Sun Shower Flower by t-bird
135. Tendril Hearts by owlandchickadee
136. TonitzaFloral by daughter_earth
137. treboles by mg
138. trees and birds by alicia_cabello_design
139. Trumpet Honeysuckle Vines by wickedmint
140. Two Flowers Brights-ed by tomatojam
141. Vigorous Botanicals by majo_bv
142. Water Lily Afternoon by jaydesign
143. What's the Story, Morning Glory by winter
144. Whimsical Botanicals by hipmama
145. white flowers by miss_onion
146. woodcutbotanical by circlesandsticks
147. Zing by qwerter

 

Good Will Bunting: Jenimp wins fabric bunting kit design contest!

The contest this week between kits to make buntings -- thos festive little flags that seem to be everywhere in the crafty world these days -- produced a batch of lovely entries. Loveliest of all, however, was Jenimp's Dreaming of Spring Bunting by jenimp. This is her second win (remember the scanned nature object contest?) and well-deserved. Congrats, Jeni!

SEE THE TOP TEN BUNTING KITS

Final voting totals:

1. 689 votes for Dreaming of Spring Bunting by jenimp
2. 588 votes for Solar System Banner by wildolive
3. 575 votes for Litte Forest - Bunting by bora
4. 574 votes for Woodland Alphabet Bunting Kit by inktreepress
5. 509 votes for Baby Bird Bunting with Accessories by pattysloniger
6. 435 votes for Houses by stefohnee
7. 430 votes for happy_birthday by amel24
8. 420 votes for Story Book Bunting by Penelope and Pip by penelopeandpip
9. 403 votes for Mi Amor, My Love Fabric Papel Picado banner by feathered_nest_studio
10. 394 votes for Hi, ho, a merry-o: a bunting we will go (check full yard view for extras) by vo

Spoonflower Year In Review: Top 10 Indie Fabrics & Designers for 2010

This the last in our series of posts looking back at 2010, a year in which our little fabric-loving Internet startup accomplished quite a bit.

We grew a lot in 2010, a transformation that included moving our office from the old sock mill in Mebane, North Carolina, where we started to a more modern, comfortable facility in down the road in Durham. The marketplace for fabric created by independent designers that we launched in the fall of 2009 has now blossomed into the largest collection of indie-designed fabrics available anywhere in the world. [Where else can you choose between 47 different hippo fabrics?]

We've still got a lot of work ahead of us, of course, but I hope you'll take a few minutes not just to appreciate the designers in our top 10 lists but to congratulate yourselves for all you've done to build the Spoonflower community and support creative expression, both your own and that of others. Thank you for being here. Here's to a crafty new year!

Top-Selling Indie Fabrics of 2010

1. Heather Ross. An accomplished and well-known designer in her own right, Heather put out two, limited-edition fabric collections on Spoonflower in 2010 and, not surprisingly, her fabrics take up a good many spots in our top-sellers for the year. For the purpose of this list, we're just going to put Heather in the top spot and note the six most popular Heather Ross fabrics for the year. Please note that none of the HR fabrics listed below are available for sale at this point.

         
l-r: newspaper boats aqua fabric, gnomes apple green (gone from site), mushrooms apple (gone from site), gnomes pink (gone from site), little spools aqua, clothes pin people sunset 2 by Heather Ross

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2.   cherry fabric by troismiettes

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3.   Owl Be Darned! Apron Pattern fabric by ceanirminger

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4.   multi_owls_-_white_background fabric by petunias

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5.   Alice Vintage Border and Text fabric by ophelia

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6.   Cheater Friday fabric by melaniesullivan

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7.   Tetris Border Print fabric by chronicallyuncool

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8.   2011 Birdies tea-towel calendar by cynthiafrenette

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9. Obscure Animals Alphabet fabric by maile

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10.   birdhouse fabric by troismiettes

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Top 10 Indie Fabric Designers Of 2010

Having looked at the most successful fabrics, here's one last list -- this one showing the most successful indie designers on Spoonflower from 2010. You'll see some familiar names!

1.  heatherross
2.  hamburgerliebe
3.  holli_zollinger
4.  troismiettes
5.  heidikenney
6.  ceanirminger
7.  sammyk
8.  kristopherk
9.  ophelia
10.  helenklebesadel

These are all incredibly talented individuals, but the Spoonflower marketplace is also full of many, many talented artists who don't appear on this list. Discovering new designs and designers is certainly the great pleasure of visiting Spoonflower.

Spoonflower Year In Review: Top 10 referring Web sites & blogs for 2010

Top 10 Referring Web sites for 2010

Even as the world drifts farther into 2011, we're still having fun sorting through data from 2010. Among the trivia extracted so far: the top 10 (non-blog) Web sites that  referred traffic to the intrepid, fabric-loving Internet start-up we call Spoonflower between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011.

1. facebook.com [we just want to be liked]
2. google.com [no surprise there. Custom fabric, anyone?]
3. stumbleupon.com [a fun alternative to search engines when you're not in a hurry]
4. flickr.com [the very best place to admire amazing crafts by fellow Spoonflowerers]
5. colourlovers.com [friends of ours who love color... and extra vowels]
6. twitter.com [snatching victory from the jaws of re-tweet]
7. etsy.com [a million suns shine across the Etsyverse]
8. vintageprintable.com [an amazing collection of public domain art]
9. LiveJournal.com [old school community]
10. reddit.com [no idea. This one came as a surprise to me.]

 

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Top 10 Referring Blogs for 2010

Somewhat arbitrarily, we took our top referring sites and carved out the ones that are -- at least to our way of thinking -- clearly blogs rather than Internet services of some sort.

Blogs have always been the primary force behind the growth of Spoonflower as word of our services has spread, grassroots-style, from one crafty blog to another. The blogs that have driven the most traffic to Spoonflower between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011 are:

1. regretsy.com
2. heatherross.squarespace.com
3. dans-mon-bocal.over-blog.com
4. hamburgerliebe.blogspot.com
5. olivemanna.com
6. trueup.net
7. ohdeedoh.com
8. decor8blog.com
9. boingboing.net
10. totallysevere.com

[Bonus entries to the top 10 blogs -- because I just can't leave them out -- #11 designspongeonline.com and #12 soulemama.com  ]

The list above is short, whereas the list of great blogs to whom we owe our thanks and appreciation is actually very, very long. Please know, bloggers everywhere, that we admire and respect you for making the World Wide Web into the amazing and complex ecosystem of information that it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do to share your experiences!

Spoonflower Year In Review: Top 10 Most Viewed Fabric Designs for 2010

As 2011 gets going, we've got another data-laden look back at dear, departed 2010 for those of you who follow the adventures of the intrepid, fabric-loving Internet start-up we call Spoonflower.

Below are the top ten most viewed fabric pages on Spoonflower between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011. Note that these are not necessarily the top-selling fabrics, but they are -- for whatever reason -- the most popular in terms of pageviews.

1. Owl be darned! apron pattern by Ceanirminger 
2. Dingleberry plaid (regretsy designer print) fabric by Pantsmonkey
3. Houndstooth-blk Fabric by Mysteek 
4. Multi_owls_-_white_background fabric by Petunias 
5. Birdhouse Fabric by Troismiettes
6. Cherry Fabric by Troismiettes 
7. Woodland fabric by Lydia_meiying
8. Alice vintage border and text fabric by Ophelia 
9. Tetris border print fabric by Chronicallyuncool
10. Spoon_flower_cakes Fabric by Daniellehanson 

Next up, we'll post the top ten blogs that wrote about Spoonflower in 2010 as measured by people who visited our site based on links from those blogs, as well as the top ten referring web sites!