Camp Pikaland

Back to School | This past month I started taking a class from Camp Pikaland | The Sellable Sketch, taught by Michelle Fifis of Pattern Observer and have discovered a few things that should have been second nature to me but for some reason didn’t click until Michelle pointed them out.

I have had hopes of designing patterns for fabric without really knowing who I am designing them for. Basically shooting arrows without a target but hoping to score a bulls eye. Luckily I have hit the target once without aiming but can clearly see that if I really want to design patterns, I need to know which industry I want to design for and who my audience is inside of this specific industry.

Which Industry?

I have decided to target the quilting industry and have learned how little I know about quilting and the industry.

My first research with keywords in Google produced results that were a bit discouraging for me. It all seemed so prepackaged and cute. This experience was a disappointment for me because I couldn’t see myself enjoying designing for it. I could it just didn’t seem like it would be satisfying.

This experience was a disappointment for me because I couldn’t see myself enjoying designing for it. I could it just didn’t seem like it would be satisfying.

This experience was a surprise and left me feeling really lost. The discovery that I knew nothing about the quilting beyond my personal experience with quilts made by my relatives. I tried quilting once and honestly I am not interested in the process at all. It seemed like a lot of work for a blanket.

During my research, I did discover an amazing series of quilts from Gee’s Bend. The quilts are amazing and worth a look. This discovery was the highlight of my research for this lesson.

At the beginning of the chat session for lesson 2, I didn’t know what or who I was planning on targeting with my pattern designs. During the chat, Michelle recommended trueup.net. What a great blog. I went to the blog looking for current trends and found a side of fabric design that I was excited about. It was refreshing and I felt like I could fit into this world. This is a new world that I want to discover.

It was refreshing and I felt like I could fit into this world. This is a new world that I want to discover.

I am going to continue designing fabric for quilting and I am really looking forward to digging deeper and discovering the great designers and their work.

My Jot Pro from Adonit has arrived and it is by far the best stylus I have used with my iPad. It was a project through Kikstarter and it is a great product. The package is hard to open and apparently it sticks to some screen protectors, but it doesn’t change the fact that Adonit designed an amazing product.

If you have ever used your finger of a stylus with the iPad you will have discovered that precision is a bit of a challenge because your finger or stylus blocks your view. Adinit solved this by making a fine point stylus with a flat clear disk on the end. The disk provides the width that the screen needs to recognize the input but because it is clear you can see exactly where you are drawing. An amazing great product!