U Pick 'Em Contest

It's my first contest on LilaCreates! 

When I was in college my coach used to have U Pick 'Em Fridays in the fall season (crew is a three season sport). This meant that we, the lowly rowers, got the chance to assign ourselves to the seats in the boats rather than having him pick the line-ups. Then he made the boats race each other. There was quite a fair amount of pressure because you had to think about how he thought about everyone, which of course he never actually said out loud, so that you could place yourself among teammates who would help you win those races. And those teammates were all your friends. Lots of psychology going on here.  

But this isn't like that at all. I just stole the name, not the heart-wrenching, nerve-wracking feelings that went with those collegiate U Pick 'Ems. This is all fun. So here it is: I bought this gem of a fabric below a little while ago at the mill. I only bought one yard because I was not sure how to use it. It is made of cotton sailcloth, which is like canvas or duck cloth only lighter weight. It is tightly woven and, though it feels substantial, it is also really soft. It does not stretch. It's got what fabric gurus call a really nice "hand." I think the pattern is super fun, but it is somewhat large. Each group of those rainbow things is about 7" x 8" (18 x 20cm). Each rainbow by itself is 1.5" (4cm) across. In the second photo below the fabric is draped over a square table measuring 16 x 16" (41.5 x 41.5 cm) The color is blue-green on natural. And get this! No one at the mill could tell me who designed it. I thought that was a little strange, but all I could find out is that it is a discontinued pattern by....someone.

So, the challenge to you is: What should I make with it? I'd like to hear many ideas: get creative! Ask your coworker. As your mom. Ask your kid. Send them the link. Please post your ideas--as many as you want--in the comments by May 24th. And if I pick your idea? You get a choice: either a snack sack set or a $20 gift certificate to use yourself in my shop or to give away. And I'll make the item you suggested and credit you in the item's description! Think of the glory!

So get moving. We've only got a couple of weeks for this and you don't want me to come up with an idea on my own, do you? Oh, and one more thing. Keep in mind that I don't do clothing for people because of the regulations, but I do feel pretty confident that I could make nearly anything else, given the time. If this goes well, I'd like to make it a regular blog feature with new fabrics I pick up. Please spread the word so everyone can participate, and so that I can continue to have these contests in the future!