Cookies & Cream...& Ravens?
I made a really comfortable gingham plaid yesterday that I had to work into a few of my favorite items. I say it's comfortable because it's not as blatant as common gingham.
This one is smooth. The black and white is still obvious, but muted over with soft cream.
As much as I enjoy the versatility of gingham, I see it as a pretty blatant pattern. It's generally a primary color in contrast to plain white, and largely reserved for kitchen use - mainly on tablecloths, curtains, napkins - things like that.
I like gingham because of it's simplicity. It screams breezy country kitchens, fresh fruit and picnics - however, I wanted to bring that sense of familiarity into something unexpected and fun, with a Southern Gothic vibe.
The first thing I made was this skater skirt.
I wanted to offset the formality of the gingham with a fun print, so I incorporated one of my skull and crossbones prints at the bottom, divided by some scalloping between them.
It's definitely not a subtle print and I like it a lot. The white is toned down in an antique kind of way by tinting it to be more cream, and the blacks fall into a more aged grayscale. It kind of reminds me of Oreo cookies and a warm glass of milk.
I love the skater skirts because of their versatility. They fit into almost any style, making them a classic go-to for me, personally.
Next, I wanted to make a top to match the skirt, but I didn't want it to be an exact replica of the skully pattern. I also wanted it to be something that could match up with some of my other patterns and plaids nicely.
After much thought, I decided to create a raven dressed in Victorian gentlemen attire.
It's fun, unexpected, and very Southern Gothic. I placed him inside of a cameo, and just love the way he turned out.
The first shirt I put it on was the relaxed jersey tank. It's perfect for Summer, but I wanted the art to be available in a more versatile way, so I placed it on a variety of
shirts.
The first t-shirt I created was the ""Debonair Raven" Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee", which is on a traditional soft 100% cotton t-shirt and available sizes up to 2XL.
I call this the "band shirt" because it's the shirt most commonly used for band merch. It's comfortable, but the size is a bit limited. Cotton shrinks, so if you're a true 2XL, you can't size up for the "shrink factor". It's a nice size, but some folks want a little more room for the art, and they like their shirts to have a bit more give and a bit more plus...
So, I decided to go with the "all-over-print" style shirt. This shirt sizes up to a 5XL, which is wonderful! It does give me more room to make the art a bit larger as well.
Unfortunately, this shirt only comes in a 95% polyester, 5% spandex blend, so for those with skin sensitivities, it's not the best buy. Again, for safety sake, you might want to size up if you're on a "cusp" size. If you're closer to a 1XL, this will fit loosely. If you're closer to a 3XL, it may fit more snug and roll up at the bottom. It really all depends on your body type. It's a standard and expected fit, so go with what you know on this one. ;)
You know how I love to mix up my seasons. I like to make sure that I have that long sleeve for those chilly Summer campfire nights, or a quick slip-over during forest walks and ghost-hunting.
It's also an obvious go-to for Autumn attire, so to make sure Debonair Southern Gentleman raven got more bang for his buck, I put him on the long-sleeve as well.
This shirt is 100% cotton and sizes up to a 3XL. As is with all cotton, shrinkage behavior applies, so if you're worried about it, you might want to throw it in the dryer on low heat, or just hang it up to dry after laundering.
To bring the entire "outfit" together - if you're indeed looking to make a few of these items an outfit - I placed the Cookies and Cream Gingham on a hoodie.
The upside to this hoodie, is that I can all-over print on it, which give me a hell of a lot of artistic freedom. The other boon is it's a cotton polyester blend, making laundering a bit less "shrinky".
The downside, is the size only goes up to a 2XL, so if you're a 2XL looking for that comfortable baggy hoodie, this is probably not going to give you the baggie comfort. The other downside is the price. Before it even sizes up into plus sizes or before ink color, print complexity or our own profit is considered, the base price for this hoodie is 4 cents shy of $50 (not including shipping). Right now, the lowest I could get my price after base, begins at $62. Now, if you love it and have the cash, great. If not, I'm sorry; I try to get the prices on things down as low as I can, but this guy just refuses to budge at the base price. But hey, it's a comfortable and cute hoodie, right? :)
And of course, you need a bag.
I decided to go with the tote on this one.
I love the tote! The art and detail are clean and crisp, it's easy to clean, and it comes in 3 sizes!
The small is 13" x 13" x 3", so it's a nice size for quick market runs, for use as an every day bag or a diaper bag. It's great for carrying a notebook and some essentials. The medium is 16" X 16" X 3", so you gain on the height, but not so much on the width, which is pretty standard in the way totes go. It'll fit a ouija board upright, or a sketchbook, an accessory pouch or whatever else you can fit. It's a nice size.
Then there's the large.
The large is 18" x 18" x 3", and is a foot and a half tall. I find it to be a perfect little travel bag, especially if you're carting a few notebooks or a text book and an accessory pouch. It's a perfect beach bag, as it holds flip-flops, beach towel, and lotions nicely. It's a great going-to- the-park bag, because if you fold your sitting blanket flat, it can fit more than a few things.
Just so you get a good idea about how big it is:
It's not massive, but it is a really nice size.
The bottoms of the totes are boxed, so that they do stand up straight when placed on a surface (of course, that depends on what you have in it and how it's arranged.) The inside is black and the handles are pretty strong.
*To launder, pretreat any visible stains with a stain remover. Mix warm water with laundry detergent and clean the bag with terry washcloth or soft bristle brush. Let the bag air dry.
I also have a matching accessory pouch:
The pouch comes in small or large size, has a flat bottom and black zipper.
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