Best of 2008: Rifferaff

Shannon Riffe is a designer/entrepreneur who handprints and sells screenprinted paper goods through her Etsy shop Rifferaff. She shares her learning process as a largely self-taught businessperson on her blog Make It. As a former intern at the organic fabric company Mod Green Pod, she is familiar with the indie/boutique fabric scene. It’s one of my goals for 2009 to reach outside the quilting cotton world more, so I’m very pleased to have Shannon’s picks as a jumping-off point. Without further ado:

“Bloom” by Kalla

Best Handprinted Fabric: Kalla, especially the Bloom print. Limited color palette + strong one-color designs and clear photography. It catches my eye every time.

hand batiked yardage in cranberry and aqua by Margot Bianca

Close second place: Margot Bianca. I’ve taken some batik classes and have a huge appreciation for her artisanship and skill level.

Best Trend: Companies that will offer small-run fabric printing services to the general public (finally!): Ink and Spindle (screenprinters in Australia), Spoonflower (digital printers in USA).

Charlotte by Jan Dicinto (Daisy Janie)

Best New Designer: Jan Dicintio popped on my radar for the first time this year. She has a great eye for color combinations and I like that her blog offers a peek at her creative process.

Best Solid/Nonprinted: Filzfelt. Such a simple product but their photography and graphic design just pulls me in. I would love to upholster a little something with this wool.

{Thanks, Shannon!}