How I Created And Printed A Custom Fabric For The Bedroom (Plus, An Update On Tiger)

I’ve been searching high and low for a striped fabric to use on the bed that brings all of the colors of the room together in one fabric. I was originally looking for a wide stripe, but the more I tested out wide stripes on my bedroom mockup, the more I realized that wide stripes distract from the bird fabric. So then I turned my attention to fabrics with small stripes. But after a pretty exhaustive search, I couldn’t find one that had the right color.

So I decided to make my own. I’ve had this Spoonflower color map for several years now, so I used that to match the colors in all of my fabrics, rug, and wallpaper. Each color has a hex code on it so you know what hex code to use as you’re designing your fabric. If you’ve been around for a while, you might remember this color map from when I was working on my studio. At one time, I considered framing this color map and hanging it on the wall.

In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t do that because it would have been impossible to use a framed color map to actually match colors to our bedroom.

I used that software, along with the hex codes from the colors on the Spoonflower color map that I matched to our bedroom items, to create one horizontal repeat of a striped pattern. These colors were pulled from everything — the rug, the headboard fabric, the dresser color, the bird fabric, and the drapery fabric. I went through several different iterations, testing out stripe widths (i.e., all the same width vs. random widths), color arrangements, etc. After all of those tests, I finally decided on this varied width arrangement of stripes. This is one repeat of the pattern, and I created this one repeat at 13.5 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 150 pixels/inch.

Once I had it just like I wanted it, I uploaded it to Spoonflower, used their options to further edit the overall look, and then ordered a yard of fabric to use as a pillow on the bed.

It arrived on Saturday, and here it is with the other fabrics, rug, and wallpaper.

Another great thing about Spoonflower is that it’s a quick and easy way to get the perfect color and shade of a solid fabric that you need for your project. In addition to the striped fabric, I also created a solid green fabric that I plan to use as an accent, probably as cording on the bird fabric pillows. It’s almost a perfect match to the green dresser, and it was so much easier to just create my own rather than searching all over the internet for the perfect solid green, ordering samples, waiting for samples, selecting the right one, and then ordering fabric.

I also found this fun fabric on Spoonflower (affiliate link) that I want to use as a lumbar pillow on the recliner. I don’t have a lumbar pillow form so I just wrapped it around an 18″ square pillow form for now to get an idea of what it will look like.

I tested out the idea of swapping the fabrics because I also really like the striped fabric on the recliner. But I think this pattern (which I do really love and want to use) is too large for the accent pillow on the bed. I think it’s way too big and bold to go in front of the bird fabric.

But I do love the stripe on the recliner…

I love how it brings all of the colors together in one fabric, but I don’t want to use the stripe in two places.

So I’m going to stick with using the larger print on the chair, and the stripe on the bed. I have seven pillows that I need to sew (six for the bedroom and one for the foyer), so I’m going to have to set aside a day to get all of these pillows made. But for now, I’m still trying to get the draperies and that second lamp finished.

In other news, look who’s inside!

I spent way too much time and energy last winter making sure Tiger was okay during our really cold nights and then worrying about him throughout the night. So I decided to bring him inside this winter. So far, he has preferred to spend his days outside, but then he comes in at night. Cooper (our dog) is still pretty aggressive with him. He’s not mean to Tiger, but he’s very hyper and hyper-focused on Tiger when he’s inside. I’m hoping that will wear off with time, but until that happens, I put Tiger in our bathroom during the night with everything he needs. He seems to love being inside at night. Each night around 9:00, he comes to the back door of my studio and waits until I bring him inside.

I’m hoping Cooper will calm down over time, and we can make the transition to Tiger being an indoor cat. Until then, Tiger seems content to be outside during the day and indoors at night, even if he has to be sequestered in the bathroom. He’s probably getting the most peaceful sleep he’s ever gotten having the bathroom all to himself and knowing that he won’t be bothered.