This first was for a design inspired by African textiles. What springs to mind most obviously from that is kente cloth, but I figured there had to be much more than that. I googled for a bit and found a type of print using symbols called adinkra. I love codes and symbolism, plus these had a really neat graphic quality.
When trying to pick which symbols to use, I finally decided to just choose one or two that I would want on something for my son. So when I found the "eban" that is supposed to represent safety and security, I went with that. The colors came from this diviner's pouch from Nigera. I could really picture this print used as a duvet cover. Perhaps some day I'll prove it would work by making one. This came in 223 out of 296 with 37 votes. I really liked the swooping geometric that came in second and these colorful masks. This contest had a ton of really great geometrics, the others of which I liked came in all kinds of wonderful color schemes: earthy, mod, indigo, and teal.
Next, there was a contest to make a little pillow you could fill with rice or wheat, heat in the microwave, and snuggle with at bedtime to more quickly warm up a cold wintertime bed. The example given was an inner pillow shaped like a kitten, with a slipcover shaped like a mitten. Awww. My husband suggested I make mine Cthulhu. Yes! It took me a bit longer to decide what to do on the outer versus inner pillow, but I eventually decided on cthulhu on the outside and creepy cthulhu egg on the inside. The slipcover is lined with "wailing souls." I used a granite texture on both cthulhu parts, and you can see the plain colors I used here.
This came in 53 out of 97 with 118 votes. I did get a couple of messages from people who wanted to buy it, so the next time I order some prints I'll have to get this one! As it turns out, I wasn't the only one with a cthulhu entry. My favorite was the mama & baby dragon. Also eminently cuddleable were the piglet and panda in a sweater that came in fifth.
Finally, since it's March, we were directed to make fabrics with lions and lambs. I tried to think of a seasonally-appropriate context where you might find a lion and a lamb together. Then I randomly thought of them wearing ties. Then it hit me - TAXES! The lion and the lamb could be accountants working together to do your taxes! So that's what I went for. Like the snowflakes pattern, I tried to make this look like something you could imagine being used for kids' pajamas.
They are surrounded by paperwork, pens, and cups of tea. I'm really pleased with how this came out. I think the repeat is pretty nice, and I managed to pick colors that made it look the way I envisioned it in my head. This came in 58 out of 151 with 93 votes. My favorites were this very sweet and whimsical entry that came in second and the dandelions (and dandelambs) that came in tenth.
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