Well it seemed like forever, but checking the mail box twice a day finally paid off when my swatches arrived this week! It is unbelievably exciting opening that package!

I’m very happy with how they turned out. They look very close to how they looked on the computer screen. I found the yellow on the petals looked a bit lighter than I wanted, so I’ve darkened and brightened them up a bit for my full order. I’ve tried to make these pictures look as close to real life as I can.

I ordered two of the the Linen-Cotton canvas swatches, one with the linen effect (above left), and one with a plain background (above right). The linen effect turned out great, so I’ve ordered my fabric in that.

I also ordered a swatch of the Heavy Duty twill, but I prefer the Linen-Cotton canvas. The colours print out on the twill slightly more accurate as the twill is a stark white, but the difference is very subtle. In the picture above, you can see that the Linen-Cotton canvas border on the left is a creamy white, compared to the bright white of the twill. I can only JUST see the difference when they’re next to each other.

Lastly, here’s a look at the lining design. I ordered a swatch of the Silk-Cotton blend and one of the Kona cotton. The Kona shows up the design a little better and sharper and the colours are a little brighter. The design is slightly blurred on the Silk-Cotton. I’ve ordered a yard of each, thinking I’ll use the Silk-Cotton for the lining and the Kona cotton for some other projects. Maybe another bucket hat for Roman as I’m sure he’s grown out of his old one.

I also ordered a new colour guide (above right). The old guide is above left. I’m surprised how different they are. The colours on the old guide were a lot brighter. There’s also a lot less yellow shades on the new guide.

It’s difficult to compare them as the colours on each chart are different. I couldn’t find any that had the came code! I tested a few in Photoshop to see how they look on screen compared to the swatch and some are more true to life on the old chart, some on the new. Either way, they’ve changed their printing so there’s nothing to be done about it. I would recommend ordering a chart if you’re wanting to print in a specific colour.

Also in the Build-a-Bag series:
Build-a-Bag: I’ve Finished! – take a look at my completed bag
Build-a-bag: The fabric – my fabric has arrived, but I’ve mucked it up
Build-a-bag: The little extras – take a look at all the other items you need to get when making a bag
Build-a-Bag: The Pattern – take a look at the pattern I’m using to make my bag
Build-a-Bag: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning – designing fabric with Spoonflower