Patterns/Surface Design

Unique Fabric

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Finding Unique fabric

Beach Summer Fabrics - unique fabrics

Looking for unique fabrics for your next sewing project? Looking for fabric that represents a unique hobby or passion? Spoonflower has tons of niche fabrics created by independent designers – like me! Visit my Spoonflower shop here.

visit my spoonflower shop
Lacrosse fabrics - unique fabrics

Finding fabric for a hobby or passion

It isn’t hard on Spoonflower to find a unique fabric. In the Spoonflower Magazine they have a section called:

“There’s A Design for That”

“With the largest collection of surface patterns in the world, Spoonflower has always been the destination for one-of-a-kind designs. But did you know that thousands of new designs are added every month? Dive into our Marketplace and spend a few minutes discovering the perfect match for any personality-we know you’ll find one as unique as you are.”

– Spoonflower Magazine

I know first hand that people are looking for niche fabrics. By far my biggest sellers are very niche fabrics, specifically my Swimming Laps and Rainbow Goggles fabrics and more recently my Lacrosse fabrics.

visit my spoonflower shop
Swimming fabrics - unique fabrics

Somewhere, someone is looking to make a quilt or other sewing projects that encompasses their unique interests or a loved one’s interests. That’s how I connected with Sue Finley. Sue made a quilt for her daughter’s swim team. I was honored that my fabrics were part of it. Both my Swimming Laps and Rainbow Goggles fabrics are part of this quilt.

"Eat, Sleep, Swim, Repeat" swimming quilt by Wee Susie Stitches #swimming #quilt

create your own fabric designs

Can’t find the right fabric? Create your own!

I began turning my watercolor illustrations into fabric patterns on Spoonflower back in 2015. You can do it too! Fabrics are made up of a simple piece of artwork that “repeats” over and over. When you are uploading a design to Spoonflower, you upload the single “repeat.” Think of it as a slice of the design. Spoonflower will duplicate the repeat to fill whatever length of fabric you or someone else orders.

Example of a fabric repeat - How to create a repeating fabric pattern
https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/eileenmckenna

How to create a repeat

In the post “How to create a repeating pattern in Photoshop,” I detail how I go about turning my illustrations into repeats. Below is also a Spoonflower video on the same topic.

How to create a repeating pattern in Photoshop. For fabric prints, gift wrap, wallpaper and more.
How to create a repeating pattern in Photoshop.

earn money from your fabric designs!

Not only can you upload your designs and order fabrics for your own sewing projects, but you can offer your designs for sale and make a commission when some else orders your fabric! Who doesn’t love passive income?

Let me know if you decide to give fabric design (called surface design) a try – I’d love to hear!

visit my spoonflower shop

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Improvement Every Day – Sewing Masks and Designing Fabric

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Sewing Masks tutorials - learning to sewing improving every day

For weeks I’ve wanted to try sewing a mask, but I don’t really know how to sew. From time to time I try, but then so much time passes I forget everything. It’s like starting over every time. I dusted off the machine and prayed it would work and that I wouldn’t have to do anything complicated with the bobbin. No such luck, the stitches were all wonky. When I looked closely at the bobbin, it didn’t appear to be threaded correctly. With the machine’s instruction manual at my side, I was able to rethread the bobbin. Finally, I was sewing! I’ll admit all my movements are awkward. I said to my husband, if sewing was cooking, I’d say, “I can’t even boil water.” Trying to pin the fabric was a struggle. Why did my mother make me take physics instead of Home Ec? I’ll tease her about that forever.

Finally, I made a mask! It was pretty decent! The second one wasn’t so great. The next night I tried again and the two I made came out okay. The following night was even better. I’m seeing improvement every day! That’s what happens when we keep practicing right? I’ve been experimenting to see which tutorial video mask I like the best. These are the 3 I’ve tried. #1 fits around the nose. #2 and #3 have folds and expand over your face. They all have aspects I like. Does anyone have a mask tutorial they recommend?

The unexpected bonus is that I can finally make something with the fabrics I designed! I have a pile of fabric samples. Recently I designed a new one with watercolor smiles on it. It’s what I miss about going to the supermarket – you can’t see anyone’s smile. You can check out my fabric designs on Spoonflower here or visit Spoonflower and design your own! Not sure how to create a repeating pattern from your artwork? Read this post.

Happy Face Mask watercolor Smiles Fabric

A Project to Motivate and Inspire

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Watercolor poppies

I need a project to motivate and inspire me. Something to break up the routine and dull-drums of the week. Without a project I’m bored.

For me, a project doesn’t need to come from someone else. I’m just as motivated by my own projects and challenges. A deadline certainly helps, even if it’s self imposed.

Right now I’m embracing the freedom to work on anything now that my “Let’s Paint Paris in Watercolor” project has wrapped up. But I also need something to get me excited to create and to hold me accountable.

I took a trip down memory lane to review some of my bigger projects:

  • This Blog – when I started it and it was new, it was so motivating! I finished so many projects just because I wanted to post the final product. “Finishing” was a skill I had to learn.
  • Designing one fabric a month. In the early days of the blog I was so intrigued by surface design! I now have a collection of fabric designs on Spoonflower.
  • Month Long Challenges – I participated in several, back to back challeges – InkTober, a month of World Watercolor Group’s prompts (food), and my own Countdown to Christmas. These focused months led to me dedicating myself to…
  • Painting Watercolor Seascapes – Originally a month long project it lasted well beyond that (a year?, 2 years?), and is still a focus of mine. I’ve just launched an watercolor seascape painting online lesson to share all I’ve learned.
  • Acrylic Seascapes – I dedicated a month to exploring seascapes in acrylics. I learned so much and progressed so much. I’m dying to get back to acrylics!
  • The 100 Day Challenge – I participated in the 100 Day Challenge and focused on illustrated map making, something I was curious about for years. The project was great, but map making was a side interest that took over and 100 days was way too long. I didn’t make it to the end.
  • Finalizing my book on creativity. Since the early days of the blog I had ideas for a book. Finally I committed to finishing it and hired an editor as the accountability I needed to finish -> Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life.
  • “Let’s Paint Paris in Watercolor” – After our trip to Paris, I was so excited to paint what inspired me. I decided to invite others along via a paid email series. The program included four weekly emails with watercolor tips, a Paris theme, specific prompts with details and links to learn more, reference photos, and videos of my process painting each prompts. Turning the idea to paint Paris into a shared experience pushed me and motivated me so much! I dove much deeper into the theme than I would have if I painted alone. But I almost bit off more than I could chew – painting and filming and editing five videos a week was a lot even without the technical issues I experienced. But, I learned so much.

A project is great because it gets you excited and forces you to focus, but it’s important to remember that saying yes to one thing is essentially saying no to other things. I want to be intentional about picking my next project. In the meantime, I’m painting poppies. 🙂

Start your creative journey with:
Creative Exploration book -
Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life – Develop a regular practice of creating, explore mediums and subjects in search of your thing, and experience the joy that creativity brings. Creativity is for EVERYONE! Talent is just a starting point.

ONLINE LEARNING
easy watercolor online lesson for beginners fun project Easy Watercolor Seascape online video lesson for beginners

Sea Life Bedroom

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Sea Life Bedroom | Kid Ocean Bedroom ideas fabrics color palette
When my son was small, he loved all the creatures in the sea. He carried around plastic whales, sharks, sea turtles and knew the names and types of all of them. The ocean is a wondrous place! I’m so pleased to announced my latest collection of fabric celebrating life in the sea. Have fun with the blue and turquoise palette I’ve created. Mix and match the fabrics. Add a sprinkling of the coral and mustard accent colors as desired. Enjoy picking out ocean inspired accessories to add to your room.

Large Jellyfish fabric | sea life bedroom ideas Sea Turtle turquoise fabric | ocean bedroom ideas
The Sea Life fabric can be ordered from my Spoonflower shop.

Sea turtle bedding by Eileen McKenna
Want ready made – order bedding, window panels, and more? Order from Roostery. Wallpaper is available too!

Shart art print | sea life decor ocean decor
Add sea life art to your child’s walls. This shark print is a available for download in my Etsy shop. Download and print at home, or send to a local or online print shop.


Look at some of the fun sea life accessories I found on Amazon. Click the image to learn more.

I’d love to see your room design! Tag me on Instagram @eileenmckenna.

This posts contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission whenever you buy using these links, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

10 “How to” Posts on Painting, Graphic Design, Creativity and more!

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

10 "How to" Posts on Painting, Graphic Design, Creativity and more! | acrylic painting watercolor tutorial diy round up post
It’s still amazing to me that I made a commitment to be creative, created this blog to hold myself accountable, have continued with it for over five years, and have published over 600 posts! This from someone who previously couldn’t finish a creative project. Here’s a round up of my best “How to” posts.

How to Design Invitations. I’ve been a Graphic Designer for over 20 years. I wrote this post to share the process of designing invitations. Designing invites has always been one of my favorite projects. Visit my Etsy shop for invitation borders, backgrounds, and clipart that make the invitation design process easier!

How to Design Invitations | DIY Invites | Invitation Tutorial | Easy Invites

How to Paint the Ocean. For the last few years I have dedicated myself to capturing the ocean in watercolor. This post shares my step by step process and my secret ingredient.
How to paint the ocean in watercolor and gouache | tutorial | step by step instructions | painting tips 

Transitioning from Watercolor to Acrylics was such a challenge and I’m still learning every time I pull out a canvas. In this post I share the top differences between the two, to help others make a more smooth transition.
Going from watercolor to acrylics, painting acrylic seascapes

Easy Forest Watercolor Project – is a great one for watercolor beginners. Create an interesting forest and learn and practice five watercolor techniques along the way. It’s actually one of my most popular posts and I’ve heard such nice things from the people who have tried it. There was even a group at a library that tried it.
Easy Forest Watercolor Painting for Beginners | Learn watercolor techniques! #winter #forest #watercolor #beginners

Creating Repeating Patterns. Early on in my blogging days I began noticing the art of Surface Design. This post explains how to turn your art into a repeating pattern.
How to create a repeating pattern in Photoshop. For fabric prints, gift wrap, wallpaper and more.

Creativity is for everyone. For me being creative is less about the final product and more about the joy I get from being creative. I wish I realized sooner that talent doesn’t mean much. It’s just a starting point. If you have the desire to be creative and work at it regularly, your skills will improve.
Want to be creative? Start here! creative inspiration | how to be creative

Winter Birch Tree Painting. I wanted to add wintery art to my living room so I created these birch tree paintings in acrylic and shared my process in this post.
Easy Acrylic Birch Tree Painting #beginner #painting

Developing your own Illustration Style. When my kids were small I desperately wanted to illustrate a children’s book. But, not only were my skills not there, but I didn’t have a style. I scoured the internet looking for ways to develop my own style. In this post I share what I learned.
6 Tips on Developing your own Illustration Style 

Ways to Find Inspiration. It’s very rare that I don’t have ideas. For me time is more of a struggle, as well as following through on ideas. This post shares ways to find inspiration.
10 Ways to come up with ideas for your creative projects

Logo Design Process. I shared a peek into my life as a graphic designer in this post about designing logo.
Logo Design Process

Want a dose of creative inspiration? Sign up for my newsletter -“My Creative Collection.” A collection of all the things that inspire me, in the hopes of inspiring you! Sign up here!
My Creative Collection

Experimenting with Watercolor Mandalas

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Experimenting with Mandalas - designing mandalas with watercolor paint | fabric print design
Recently in my newsletter, I featured the work of block printer Marta Harvey. (My newsletter is a collection of all the things inspiring me – artists, mediums, places, and more. Sign up here.) As I sat looking at a blank page in my sketchbook I thought about Marta and how she creates a sliver of a mandala and then prints several times, in different directions, to form her mandalas. I decided to draw a circle and divide the circle into halves and quarters and fill the sections with different designs using watercolor. Then I scanned the page in and separated the different designs, and for each design I repeated it to form a circle. My eyes are open to a new way to design fabric prints!

Have you visited my Etsy shop? Click to visit. 🙂
Printable Valentine's Day cards invitations gifts | Personalized Valentine's Day gifts

Fun Gift Wrap with Your Photo!

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Unique personalized gift wrap

I’m so excited to announce my collaboration with fungiftwrap.com, a site that allows users to make one-of-a-kind wrapping paper using their own photos. What a special way to wrap a gift!

I enjoy designing and love the challenge of creating a pattern with a place for someone’s special photo. So far two of my designs have been added to the site:

How unique to give a gift with the recipient’s photo on it? Imagine how surprised and delighted they’d be. And the gift wrap at fungiftwrap.com is high quality, beautiful wrapping paper.