We couldn’t be more excited to announce that the ultra-talented, Goulburn-based Sami Sparrow is our latest feature artist in The Designer Project. Sami is an artist, author and designer who explores her creativity through illustration, design and painting. Sami’s current creative pursuits include creating cute and vintage inspired illustrations for surface designs, some of which have been made available for our Fabric Shop online – introducing the ‘Favourite Things’ Collection.

Sami’s ‘Favourite Things’ Collection brings together a variety of fun and heart-warming designs inspired by the things the artist loves. The collection features artwork created from watercolour paintings and digital illustrations, balancing rich and muted colours with both soft textures and graphic shapes. Each of the designs have a distinct personality and we have shared some project ideas below for each of the lovingly made prints so keep reading!

‘Indoor Plants’ is inspired by the type of ceramic plates everyone’s nanna had when you were growing up and an adoration of house plants. The small-scale print features motifs painted from Sami’s own collection of plants and are bursting with inky details.

‘Indoor Plants’ would be a fantastic choice for a plush cushion cover, curtains, table or kitchen wear – this surely has someone on your Christmas list sorted!

‘Cityscape’ is inspired by the skycrapers crammed into small spaces seen in cities around the world. The design really captures the way light and shadows play on the hard surfaces and edges of these structures throughout the day.

Strong shapes of the ‘Cityscape’ elements would be the perfect for the power suit or blazer.

‘Dragons’ is inspired by the often misunderstood mythological creature. Sami’s dragon motifs have been carefully hand-painted using watercolours, revealing their cute and sensitive qualities, and are set against a rich charcoal backdrop.

We think the ‘Dragons’ print should be used for a silky set of pajamas or summer bedrobe.

The ‘Floral Fungi’ design is dripping with texture and detail and celebrates fungi illustrations nestled amongst floral illustrations. The small-scale artwork puts a quirky spin on a botanic print.

‘Floral Fungi’ would be perfect for a cute button up shirt with short sleeves or Gypsy style dress.

‘Butterfly Collector’ is reminiscent of a specimen drawer from a natural history museum, proudly presenting a collection of stunningly intricate butterflies. The print is available in two colourways, with the ‘Pink’ colourway mirroring the delicate nature of the motifs whilst the ‘Charoal’ colourway results in a design which feels much more dramatic.

‘Butterfly Collector’ would be a fabulous choice for a long slinky dress with spaghetti straps.

‘Donuts’ is a super fun print with big bold donut motifs and the adorable scattering of sprinkles throughout. ‘Donuts’ is available in two colourways ‘Magenta’ and ‘Purple’ with both feeling playful and vibrant.

‘Donuts’ would be such a fun idea for board or boxed shorts, Hawaiian style shirts for the little ones and big kids alike.

‘Caravan’ is a fun celebration of pastel automotive history and reveals Sami’s love of vintage style prints. The design is available in two colourways, with the ‘Yellow’ looking like a lemon coloured dream and the ‘Grey’ offering a more versatile print.

‘Caravan’ would be a great choice for a quirky a-line skirt.

‘Bugs’ has been created from Sami’s strong curiosity in the natural world, and a particular fondness for the beautiful intricacies found amongst bugs and insects. ‘Bugs’ is available in two colourways ‘Blue’ and ‘Leaf Green’ with each colourway providing a rich colour palette for the vibrant motifs to be set against.

‘Bugs’ could be a fantastic choice for fun table accessories such as table-runners and napkins.

‘Floating Butterflies’ features a variety of beautifully illustrated butterfly motifs which appear to be gracefully flying throughout the design. ‘Floating Butterflies’ is available in three gorgeous colourways ‘Green’, ‘Pink’ and ‘Purple’.

‘Floating Butterflies’ would be a fantastic choice for a formal style hair scarf.

‘Book Worm’ is inspired by Sami’s love of books, with children’s books in particular inspiring many of Sami’s illustrations. This small-scale print is available in two colourways, with the ‘Blue’ colourway offering a fairly monochromatic design whilst the ‘Maroon’ colourway feels more decadent.

‘Book Worm’ would be a really cute print for mens shorts.

‘Cats and Dogs’ is a celebration of our furry friends and allows both cat and dog people to unite! The figurative design is available in two colourways, with the ‘Turquoise’ colourway allowing the motifs to really pop whilst the ‘Lavender’ colouray feels more delicate.

‘Cats and Dogs’ would be a fabulous choice for makeup and cosmetic pouches, tote bags or fun pet accessories.

The suggestions listed above and really just ideas to get your creative juices flowing. The possibility with each of these designs is truly limitless. Each of the designs featured in the ‘Favourite Things‘ Collection are available to print onto any of our gorgeous stock fabric print bases.

We are so thrilled to share the next artist in focus for The Designer Project along with her stunning range of vivid textile designs that are guaranteed to whisk you away. Introducing Anna Markula and her collection ‘Summer Nights’! Anna is a professional ecologist (wow!) who has spent years working on incredible projects in the field all around the world. After having her daughter, Anna decided to pursue a more creative career, and with the ocean as her muse, she created Girl and the Deep Blue Sea. Anna now creates unique pattern designs, custom illustrations and photographic prints. Girl and the Deep Blue Sea is the perfect fantasy escape filled with tropical vibes, lush iconography and playful designs.

Anna’s latest collection ‘Summer Nights’ perfectly captures the essence of warm nights with fragrant floral air and a salty ocean breeze, and is available now in our ‘Fabric Shop’ online. Below, we’ve put the focus on each of Anna’s designs, providing a little insight into each and sharing the types of projects we think they’ll be great for, so keep reading!

‘Blue Lagoon’ is a gorgeously ornate print featuring photographic motifs with a tropical theme, including hibiscus’ and shells. The mid-scale artwork pairs the detailed design with a minimal colour palette to ensure it feels timeless.

‘Blue Lagoon’ would be a fantastic choice for a training swimwear, rash west or accent cushions.

‘Bird of Paradiso’ is a playful textile print pairing graphic shapes with a bold colour palette. The design has been created using hand-cut paper motifs and is inspired by Birds of Paradise flowers.

‘Bird of Paradiso’ would be the perfect print for a fun Summer playsuit!

‘Blue Diamonds’ is a bright, abstract design inspired by days spent at the beach. The detail rich artwork achieves this look by layering different techniques including underwater photography, shibori and watercolour paintings.

‘Blue Diamonds’ would be a great choice for statement activewear garments such as rash west or a pool party outfit.

‘Palm Swirl’ is a beautifully hypnotic design featuring hand-painted palm leaves with a marbled background. The mid-scale print instantly calms with it’s soft colour palette and gentle flow.

We think the ‘Palm Swirl’ print would create an incredible table-set or upholstery fabric, the perfect flourish for a coastal inspired interior.

‘Pink Flutter’ is a fun and graphic print featuring quirky motifs and statement pink background. The small-scale artwork has been created using hand-painted elements ensuring that the design has texture throughout.

‘Pink Flutter’ is just asking to be made into the cutest possible low-back one-piec kids swimsuit for Summer!

‘Pink Palms’ pairs a simplistic layout with a striking colour palette to create a design which feels fun! The design features hand-painted palm tree motifs which are approximately 5cm in height.

We would love to see ‘Pink Palms’ used for a retro feeling bandana or ponytail scarf!

‘Yellow Flutter’ is a playful design featuring hand-painted, abstract motifs nestled in a bed of sun yellow and is sure to put a smile on your face. We think this small-scale print is a fantastic statement design for your wardrobe.

‘Yellow Flutter’ would be an ideal choice for a retro feeling bandana or ponytail scarf!

We are so excited to have Anna taking part in our The Designer Project and can’t wait for you to all fall in love with her designs just as we have. Each of the designs featured in the ‘Summer Nights’ Collection are available to print onto any of our stock fabrics and our suggestions above are ideas only, the possibilities for each of the designs is truly endless.