Do you hear people saying things like “Oh! Just print your own design on fabric!” or “You should turn that into a fabric design!” or “Whip up your own design and turn it into fabric!”?
I do. I hear that a lot and for a long time that’s exactly what I wanted to do. But, it’s more difficult than it sounds to take a beautiful vision in your mind, get it into the correct digital form and then turn it into fabric you can use. While immensely creatively satisfying, it’s easy for the process to get complicated!
This intersection of “Ooh! So exciting” and “Damn. So complicated” is where a little idea started for me. I wanted to design a textile and use it to make my own espadrilles. I’m the espadrilles lady, after all! Eventually, I did. I created this pair. It felt so amazing but I knew that I was basically stumbling through the process in a “by hook or by crook” fashion. It just wasn’t good enough.
I hear from lots of you, as well. Some folks have created their own espadrilles using their design work…from watercolors to drawings. It’s wildly creative and down right spectacular. What if, I could create an espadrilles kit for emerging textile designers? That would be such a novel way to show off your designs! Being granted the Spoonflower Small Business Grant was exactly what I needed to jumpstart the idea.
And, TODAY, well today is the day this idea comes to life! I found the most amazing Adobe Illustrator design partner in the unstoppable Esther Nariyoshi and together with the backing of Spoonflower we have created the Design Your Own – The Espadrilles Design Kit!
The Design Your Own Textiles Espadrilles Kit comes with:
- An exclusive step by step video with expert Esther Nariyoshi using Adobe Illustrator to create and print your design
- The espadrilles sewing pattern in your size as an Adobe Illustrator file so you can design and print with the easy-to-cut-out sewing pattern already on your fabric.
- A promo code for Free Fat Quarter of Linen-Cotton Canvas from Spoonflower.
- The full espadrilles kit to complete your shoes!
I will be honest, I’m a bit nervous about this kit. Is anyone else is interested in designing their fabric and turning it into a pair of espadrilles? I have no idea! Yet, even as I write that I feel a bubbling of excitement.
What?! You can DESIGN YOUR OWN FABRIC and then TURN IT INTO SHOES?!
Yes, that is exactly what this kit is here for. And, Esther and I are ready to help you make that crazy specific dream a reality!
Have you been drawn to the world of textile design? Why not play with that creative vision? Dip your toes (ha!) into design work and make something amazing in the process! This kit is here for that. It’s here to answer that call!
Here are what two amazing designers have done with their espadrille shoes:
Surface Designer and Sewist Amberleigh:
“I love using my own designs to create a pair of shoes that are not only functional but also showcase my pattern work!
I am always get compliments on my shoes and there is so much pride when you respond that I created the pattern yourself! “
Amberleigh Adoff | @beesweetstudio
Watercolorist, Artist and Designer Anne Butera:
“Although I’d sewn with fabric I’ve designed I didn’t really imagine it would be possible to make your own shoes, too. Melissa’s kit proved I was wrong.
The process was easy and fun and a great reminder not to discount any creative dream as impossible! ”
Anne Butera. | My Giant Strawberry
As you can tell, I’m tremendously excited about bringing this kit to life. I hope it strikes a chord for you. Combining the beauty of surface design with the magic of sewing espadrilles feels like reaching the summit of a mountain. I’m struck!
Hope you can soak up the view too! ENJOY!
Esther Nariyoshi is a published Illustrator and Designer based in the U.S. She primarily creates on digital media. Her style is playful, and whimsical yet with a purpose and influenced by the multiple cultures she has lived in.
She has a Master of Arts degree in Advertising and worked as Art Director, and Creative Director before switching to illustration and surface design. She is a wizard in vector drawing and digital painting, yet manages to give intriguing texture to her creative illustrations.
Her art has been licensed by multiple companies including Cloud9 Fabrics. She has also been featured multiple times by UPPERCASE Magazine and was selected as Top 100 Surface Pattern Designers by UPPERCASE Magazine in 2019. On Skillshare, she is a Top Teacher with close to 30,000 students and over 1 million minutes watched in total. Her creative design projects are also featured by Spoonflower Blog, Skillshare Blog, and Print and Pattern Blog. Look for her award-winning classes on Skillshare.
Apart from creating art, She loves improvisational quilting, which both relaxes her and gives her a deeper understanding of designing repeats.
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