Fabric angstball

[WhiteDove01s]

Okay, now I really just want to curl up and cry. I had this whole thing typed up once, only for a browser glitch to eat it.

So, for about four years now I've had an account on Spoonflower for 1:6 fabrics that hasn't really gone anywhere. Partly because I didn't have much up besides some teeny plaids and houndstooth (and a whole lot of miniature bandannas) due to tight finding for swatches, partly because their site previews have problems showing tiny prints as anything other than an unrecognizable blur (tho they recently improved that a smidge). Anyhow, this year I settled in to try to improve it, expanding scales and adding camos and florals. I actually gotten to where I make about a third of the cost of a swatchbook each month (and am trying to buy one each month, so still not breaking even). I planned to spend part of this year sewing up my large collection of swatches into a few doll clothes items so I could take pictures and upload them to better show off the prints.

Now Spoonflower's fabrics do run a bit pricey, and there are limits as to what I can get swatches on if I want to get them at their cheapest. My preferred choice was always their Basic Cotton Ultra. It's nonstretch (but most of the Chellywood.com patterns I've been eyeballing don't depend on stretch), but at 3.2 oz per yard it's pretty decent for making some 1:6 clothes. I was looking forward to seeing what I could make of my admittedly small swatches.

Then Spoonflower introduces their new Petal Signature Cotton. I was one of the people asked to preview a free swatch, and despite the concerns I voiced during that they are going to replace both the Kona Cotton Ultra and the Basic Cotton Ultra with it. It would sell at the Basic Cotton Ultra's price. My problem with this, is that it has the Kona Cotton Ultra's 4.5 oz per yard weight, and feels even stiffer than the Kona did. If they were just replacing the Kona, I would be fine with that. For quilting it's an improvement. But those of us who sew for small things know that thicker isn't always better. The Basic Cotton Ultra being discontinued has thrown a wrench into my plans that is really wrecking my mood. (And tomorrow's my birthday too! I wish they done this next month, if they felt they had to.) The new Petal Cotton isn't good for 1:6 clothes unless maybe buisness suits or a straight skirt. And it holds a crease really easily. I bent one of the test minidannas with my fingers and still can't get the wrinkle out. No gathers with this like I could have done with Basic Cotton. And now I don't even feel like I can use my swatches to make clothes to show off my prints. Won't people think they could get the same results? And now they can't because I'll be working with a discontinued fabric - which puts me hundreds of dollars and four years in the hole, which is something I can't afford. All the other fabrics that are thin enough for 1:6 doll clothes are more expensive, and the cheapest way to get swatches (as a 'fill a yard' cheater quilt) aren't available on them anyway. So now all my new swatches will be 6-inch squares of this new annoyingly thick fabric.

So, sorry for the frustrated rant, thanks for reading, and does anyone have some kind of happy story to cheer me up so this doesn leave a ball of annoyance all over my birthday tomorrow? Or any tips or ideas for doll clothes that can still be made with a fabric that is just a bit too stiff/thick? Because I'm going to be stuck with it from now on.

[kenaiqueen]

That really sucks. I have no real suggestions except that when I'm down, I head for music to make me feel better. I have on swing music today.

[DollyKim]

Post some pics of it, maybe someone here on the board will want it.

If it were me it would end up in a patchwork project. I made the purse I have now, it always gets compliments, and several shopping totes along with some quilts.

On the print your own side of things have you looked in to Inktense products by Derwent?

[WhiteDove01s]

That really sucks. I have no real suggestions except that when I'm down, I head for music to make me feel better. I have on swing music today.

Music's usually a very good idea for me, too. Maybe I can spend part of my birthday getting more stuff stored away on my media server. I built a PC to handle that around January of 2018 only for 2018 to happen (bad year for me), so I still don't have my stuff up and sorted onto it. (It's an odd setup in that I have an offline wikipedia as the front-end to make it easier to find and sort content). This is probably a good excuse to get some more done on the music section.

Post some pics of it, maybe someone here on the board will want it.

If it were me it would end up in a patchwork project. I made the purse I have now, it always gets compliments, and several shopping totes along with some quilts.

On the print your own side of things have you looked in to Inktense products by Derwent?

I'm not really looking to get rid of my swatches. I need them to keep track of the prints I've made for my Spoonflower shop. (and I feel horrible giving away ocean green minidannas that are too stiff to tie around a doll's head!) I'm hoping to make an income of it, not just print for myself, but I had my whole shop themed around miniature prints for dolls (albeit with matching 1:1 equivalents for most). Even the shop name is "Playscalefabric" (tho I also have some 1:3 and 1:4 stuff).

I've started a convo up on their Facebook about it and at least one other person so far wants to know why they're completely ditching the cheap thinner cotton. I'm also calming down a little since I went through my sampler book and noted the Cotton Poplin Ultra is still thin enough and I can get my fill-a-yard swatches in it. (They have some extreme limits on Fill-A-Yard, and it's now only available in the Cotton Poplin Ultra and the Petal Signature Cotton. It means I'll be paying about $3 more per swatchbook from now on, but I can still get my swatches on something useable. $20 a yard is pricey tho, and I'm going to miss the cheaper option.

When I google Derwent Inktense, all I find are watercolor pencil sets. I have a set of Stadler Karat Aquarells I saved up for, but I do most of my fabric-art on computer so I can get it seamless. I am looking around at Spoonflower's competition, tho.