Hello! Cheekytree Fabric Shop

I’m very excited to share with you my new online fabric shop.

And I’m  equally happy to say my fabrics make Mother Nature Smile because they are not mass produced. Instead they are custom digitally printed especially for you by Spoonflower  the world’s first on-line print on demand textile company situated in Durham, NC. It is used by more than 200,000 individuals world-wide who want to design, sell or buy fabric.

So if you’re a quilter, crafter or sewer you can find unique fabrics you can’t buy anywhere else with:

• No minimum order
• Eco-friendly textile printing
• International shipping
• Starting from $16.20 per yard

You can choose from 9 different premium natural fabrics including cotton, silk, organic and more. I’ll be adding new designs to my shop each week. Here is a detail of one of my hand-drawn fabrics called Beautiful Curves.

If you make something with one of my fabrics please contact me I want to see it. I’d love to showcase your creation on this blog or my Pinterest profile.

If you’d like to learn more about Spoonflower or just curious to see their state of the art digital textile printers at work, watch this video produced for Time Warner Cable.

The blogosphere is beautiful

SEVEN RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I enjoy the sound of quirky words like “lollygag”, “codswallop” and “hullabaloo”.
2. My favourite cities are Toronto, New York and Barcelona.
3. I’ve read lots of books on Zen and Buddhism yet still … (read point below)
4. Seeing someone litter makes me MAD.
5. I love big, old gnarly trees.
6. Dancing makes me ridiculously happy.
7. My blog was just nominated for The Versatile Blogger award.

This week I had the unexpected pleasure of being notified that my Cheekytree blog has been nominated for The Versatile Blogger award by Sketches & Jottings – a wonderfully creative blog that looks inside the journals and sketchbooks of artists and other interesting people.

First, I’d like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Sketches & Jottings for your high praise: “An imaginative, always upbeat maker of amazing silk scarves, who writes as well as she designs”. It feels so good to be among your list of blogs that inspire.

The idea behind The Versatile Blogger Award nominations is to use these nominations to make others aware of other great blogs. So in return, I’m pleased to nominate the following. I hope you will enjoy discovering them for yourself.

10 Blogs That Inspire Me (in no particular order): My love of art, textile and surface design has led me to find these creative and interesting individuals from all over the world including: Canada, the United States, Scotland, Spain and Brazil. All of these blogs have sparked my creativity and imagination this past year with the inspiring art and design they have shared. These are my nominations for The Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Canadian Art Junkie 
2. Laura Speirs
3. The Littlest Comma
4. Chicquero
5. Eva Carlavilla
6. Needled
7. Small Sweet Steps
8. Gallant and Jones
9. Blue Bergitt
10. Cover

These are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Awards:

• In a post on your blog, nominate 10 to 15 fellow bloggers.
• Inform the bloggers of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs.
• Share 7 random things about yourself.
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and be sure to include a link to their blog .
• Add the Versatile Blogger Award logo on your blog post.
• In the same post, include this set of rules.

Shake Your Tail Feathers

Back in October I wrote a blog post about attending the 159^th annual Rockton World Fair where I shared my Poultry Portraits. Since then I’ve created dozens of patterns based on photographs I took of those beautiful birds. Click here to view some of my favourites. I think these designs would make for some rather unique fabric, notecards or wallpaper. What do you think?

The story behind the scarf

Last weekend I was visiting a longtime girlfriend in Prince Edward County and was able to show her my scarves for the first time. As I shared ‘Out of the Blue’ with her and her mom, I enthusiastically pointed out where each of the images in the photo-collage pattern originate. “Why don’t you tell people that in your blog?” she asked me. But how would I ever be able to replicate this one-to-one experience? Click here to view the visual story of the inspiration for this scarf. I hope you like it.

Out of the Blue – Edition #3

Out of the Blue - Limited Edition scarf (left) and details

“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” 

Oscar Wilde

OUT OF THE BLUE – Limited Edition scarf

Inspired by the colour blue, this photo collage contains sky, sea and everything in between. Wear it on days you’re hoping to encounter something or someone completely unexpected.

• 100% silk
• Square (36” x 36”)
• Designed in Toronto
• Made in the USA

Wing It: Feel ready to improvise

Wing It - Limited Edition scarf (upper right corner) and details

WING IT – Limited Edition #2

We can’t always be prepared, sometimes we need to act on the fly. Feel ready to improvise in this feathered design.

• 100% silk
• Square (36” x 36”)
• Designed in Toronto
• Made in the USA

 I don’t have to tell you how quickly things are changing, and while being fully prepared for what lies ahead may be ideal it’s rarely possible. So today’s post and my newest scarf is an ode to improvisation. Here’s to going with the flow.

“Life is a lot like jazz… it’s best when you improvise.”

George Gershwin

Preview of Flower Power

Details of Flower Power - Limited Edition scarf (12" x 72")

It finally arrived! Yesterday, the very first scarf in my debut collection of modern silk scarves was delivered to my studio.

I wore my new scarf with a black trench coat as I walked to the neighborhood ‘candy store’ to purchase a bottle of champagne. It was time to officially celebrate this milestone, just as soon as my husband arrived home from work.

For me, this isn’t just a scarf. It’s the nine months of hard work I spent on it that makes this silk square so important.

My little dream is now a physical reality. And because it’s real, it’s no longer perfect. Only ideas are perfect. Instead it’s my beautiful imperfection. Something I’m proud to share with you.

FLOWER POWER – Limited Edition Scarf

A celebration of strength and femininity, this brightly coloured design combines bold floral graphics with delicate pattern. Wear it when you want to make peace, not war.

• 100% silk
• Oblong (12″ wide x 72″ long)
• Designed in Toronto
• Made in the USA