darci

Next up in our Meet Spoonflower series is Darci Moyers, another Spoonflower staffer who's been here since the early days.  Darci is a bit of a Jill-of-all-trades here in the office.  I believe she's done nearly every job possible at Spoonflower at some point but is now firmly settled in our small marketing department. Read on for more about this versatile "fleur!"

You’ve been at Spoonflower quite a while now, Darci.  What are the different roles you’ve filled so far?  What’s your role now?

When I started at Spoonflower I was doing the finances, cutting, packing and shipping fabric, sourcing and procuring fabrics and inks (not to mention Band-aids and snacks to keep the team running), then added event planning and promotions. We all tackled many and varied roles when we were a tiny crew. Now we have a really great support staff that keeps Spoonflower running and I primarily handle events and promotions.

The place still feels small to me, though, and the whole team is very connected to the workings of Spoonflower, to the entire process of printing and delivering your fabric, and to connecting with you via the website and social media. I love being able to meet Spoonflower customers out in the wild at sewing, fashion, and craft events. It’s thrilling to see how much people love Spoonflower for providing an outlet for their creativity and a platform to connect with other people who are passionate about design and making things.

What’s your previous educational and professional background, and do you think it was relevant to what you do now?

I studied Theatre and English Language and Literature, so that sort of background in communication and general liberal arts education provided me with skills needed to take on dynamic roles– definitely necessary with a new, small business. When I found Spoonflower, I knew it was a place where I could really sink my teeth in and be part of something that was growing and giving people a chance to express themselves creatively.

How about hobbies or creative pursuits that you enjoy?

I’ve been learning to sew (badly) and I’m enjoying it. I love fashion and design, art that you can use. That’s a new obsession, but I’ve always been a literature fiend and I love to travel — I had the opportunity to travel to East Africa earlier this year. Music is one of my other passions, but I’m going to have to craft a sewing-friendly playlist. My stitches get really haphazard when I’m rocking out to The Black Keys.

What are your thoughts about how Spoonflower has grown and changed over the time that you’ve been here?

We’ve grown up so much since I came in the summer of 2009. From a tiny crew doing everything from printing, cutting and shipping your fabric, writing and maintaining the website, to a pretty smooth-running machine.

For a business that started right at the precipice of a recession, I feel strongly that Spoonflower’s success is directly tied to a great community of people who love to create and share. We’re part of an exodus back to creating things that are personal and have meaning. I see people all over the world connecting as a community of textile designers and textile design lovers, making things with their own designs and sharing photos and ideas, and supporting independent designers.   

Do you have a favorite design or designer on the site at the moment?

I really dig Nalo Hopkinson for her layered, textured looking designs with reference and a little nostalgia. Nina Ribena is one of my other favorites, she creates sophisticated geometric designs with great colors.

What about your favorite Spoonflower base fabric?

Linen cotton canvas prints beautifully and has a slightly textured matte surface that I like for home decor (stretch it over a canvas frame to make an art piece), structured clothing (makes a great pencil skirt), and covering furniture (Holly from the Spoonflower office recovered our rad old GE turntable credenza that I snagged from our local flea market).

Can you share some of the exciting promotional ideas in the pipeline at the moment, or even some may-not-even-be-possible dream promotion ideas you might have?

I’m planning a giveaway for some great cut and sew plushie printed patterns designed by the Spoonflower community (like this one) for anyone who wants to sew up one or two toys for Softies for Mirabel, a great charity that does a Christmas drive for handmade toys for kids in need.

Some of the Spoonflower community is already at work on their designs and sewing up their gifts– we will be announcing the giveaway soon!