It’s our stop on the Indiesew x Dan Lehman x Spoonflower Blog Tour – and we couldn’t be more excited. If you have been following along, you probably have noticed that we don’t typically wear too many prints (you can see some of our basics posts here, here, and here). However, when I saw this Fool’s Paradise Fabric – in some of my favorite colors in my closet (shades of mauve, greens, pinks and blues) on a light colored base – I knew this fabric would break my print-less streak – in a very GOOD way.
Indiesew x Dan Lehman x Spoonflower Collaboration
What’s coolest about this fabric is that there are ACTUALLY carnivorous plants on the print! I can’t tell how large the repeat is, but it is fun to just explore the print and try to identify the 100+ different varieties – and exactly one bug (which I was able to find near my bust dart)! It’s printed on both this lighter fabric color (which is a lovely off-white/tan color) and a beautiful dark blue hue.
The blog tour kick off post gives us some great background on what initiated the collaboration. There’s a fun link where you can see the design process come to life – which is particularly interesting to me. I don’t know if you ever saw the Project Runway episodes where the contestants got the chance to design their own fabric – but those were always fascinating to me.
Fabric Details
DESCRIPTION
I sewed up the cotton poplin substrate, and wanted to share a little bit more about the fabric straight from the Indiesew Website (fabric link here). The details matter so much, especially now that more and more sewists are asking questions about the fabric procurement process:
Indiesew is excited to bring you an exclusive fabric designed by Dan Lehman, made possible by Spoonflower! This 100% cotton poplin fabric depicts the mysterious world of carnivorous plants set against an off-white background. This fabric was designed in Boulder, CO and printed in Durham, NC.
DETAILS
- NAME: Cotton Poplin Fool’s Paradise Light
- CATEGORY: Woven
- SUBSTRATE: Poplin
- SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
- WEIGHT: 3.3 oz./sq. yard
- WIDTH: 42″
- FIBER CONTENT: 100% Cotton
- CARE INSTRUCTIONS:Machine wash warm or cool on a gentle/delicate setting, using phosphate-free detergent. Machine dry on a low temperature setting. Iron on the reverse side of the fabric.
Favorite Fun Facts About the Print
As someone really leaning into the Slow Fashion Movement, it’s been wonderful to have such an intimate peek behind the curtain on how a fabric goes from ideation to concept to sample to reality! This interview with Allie Olson on the Spoonflower Site talks about the meticulous process they went through to get this fabric printed. Apparently, the minimum quantities required to get a fabric printed overseas are typically very high. This is where Spoonflower came in. They printed multiple versions to make sure the color saturation was exactly what they expected between the two fabric types and color schemes. I am happy they did – because the colors are really well saturated and beautiful in person.
Tips for Styling a High Contrast Print
As a high contrast print newbie, I knew I wanted to be thoughtful on how I styled this look. There are three steps I took to make sure that I created a cohesive outfit, where the print could stand on it’s own:
Pair with Solids
You definitely do not want to compete with a fabric this intense — that would completely undermine it! I selected a vest and hat in solid colors that would not contrast with the fabric. In fact, I pulled colors directly from the print.
Layer with a Color from the Fabric
The vest I selected is a light green – which is one of the base colors in the fabric. I think the fact that the color is muted allows the print to still shine, but also is easier to wear for someone who isn’t used to wearing prints.
When in doubt – wear denim!
It matches everything – and allows it to stand on its own. If you have something that is high contrast like this, try denim if you are stuck! Oh, and maybe a pair of neutral boots and bag.
Matching the Fabric with the Perfect Pattern
I got this fabric just around the time that Kennis of Itch to Stitch released her Montana Shirt pattern. There could not have been a more serendipitous occasion! I have SOOO much to say about that pattern and process – but I will share that in my next blog post.
-Mac
