Let me introduce you all to the Bedrock print. This was yet another print that has been in the works since I was an intern at Mata Traders in the fall of 2011. I had just finished my thesis project and was obsessed with hand drawn doodles. The Aztec/Southwest trend was at it's peak and I decided I wanted to make a pattern that merged the two ideas!

This turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought. Not necessarily drawing the pattern and getting it into repeat, but the color combos drove me crazy! We had our color story ready and nothing worked well together. Should we use 4 or 5 colors? Should we stick to similar colors or go crazy and use complimentary colors? Is this even the season to use this print? It was a lot to handle. I had never had this problem before, but then again this was the first time I was designing for mass production!

Sometimes it really is better to take a deep breath, acknowledge that you have a great start on something and then put it away for a little while. We brought out the Bedrock print a season later and began to rework it in a different color story, with a new selection of garments and most importantly, fresh eyes.

Here we have the Bedrock print in three different garments. On the left we have the Singapore Sweetheart Top, in the middle the Kyoto Color Block Dress and on the right the Patterns and Pockets Skirt. All three items are now on sale on the Mata Traders site! Check out how Laura, from the Mata Traders Blog, found the Patterns and Pockets Skirt at Loufest and Dus, from Cuddly Cacti, wears and styles her Kyoto Color Block Dress.

Don't these ladies look great wearing the Bedrock print?! — Don't these ladies look great wearing the Bedrock print?!

These last 2 years as a freelance textile designer for Mata Traders has taught me so much not only about myself as a designer and the process of designing for a collection, but it also reminds me that in the end, it makes someone happy. Recently, I have been finding images of women who are wearing my designs who share it on social media and blogging about it. It is one thing to design a pattern for a product, but to actually see it on a person in the real world is a wonderful feeling. Seeing that it is the beginning of the month, I will refer to this as a Frocktober Fest!

I gathered some images of these fabulous ladies (some of whom I actually know!) and am excited to share their blogs and websites with you, my fellow readers!

1.Mushmina 2.Jenny Levison ( a family friend fabulously sportin' my rooster print!) 3.Walking with Cake 4.Birds of a Thread 5.Cuddly Cacti (She owns a sweet fair trade, non-profit shop called Mitla Moda) 6.Fair For All Guide 7.Only Just Be 8.Un Petit Fauve 9.Anne Eaikin Moss (another family friend who said she saw this in a Baltimore shop window and instantly recognized that it was one of my prints!) 10.Mushmina 11.Un Petit Fauve (I am in love with the whole concept of serenading a corgi) 12.Verily Merrily Mary.

I hope you check out these fantastic sites and blogs, and may you celebrate Frocktober Fest in your own unique way!