I've designed a pattern of coral and seaweed for Spoonflower's fabric competition. The brief asked for designs reminiscent of those found in a botanical sketchbook.
I based my watercolour drawings on seaweeds I'd seen at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, and references from various old illustrated botany books, like this one.
Here are a few of the original sketches, including some that didn't make it into the final design. I added pencil calligraphy to the sketches, in a variety of styles, and developed a repeat pattern in soft shades of red.
The design has now made it to the semi-final round, hurrah! This round is open to public vote, and voting is open until the 2nd of September, so please vote for it here.
I'd love to see this made into a fabric, and to develop it further into a collection you can actually buy.
textiles
lavender sachets
I've decided to make one special limited edition Mariko Jesse product collection every year. Welcome to the very first! I've designed and made some fabric lavender sachets that feature two of my ceramic etchings printed on the front. The reverse sides are made from a selection of pretty vintage materials. 
This sachet is 14 x 11cm, with a dark purpley-brown etching of a white jug on a floral background. As well as the lavender, it contains rosemary hand-picked from our garden.
This sachet is about 11cm square, and has a specially created image of a Chinese teacup decorated with lavender flowers. The lavender inside is from Provence, and both sachets contain some rice to give them a bit of weight. 
I've used vintage fabrics and ribbons that I've collected over the years for the reverse side. Most are cotton, though there are also some linens and silks. Thank you to my friend Karen for helping me with the actual sewing!
They're packaged in a little card box with my new shiny gold sticker, and a paper description inside.
They're available exclusively in Hong Kong from Mingei Antiques in Central, or online directly from me. E-mail me if you'd like to buy one, or pop to my etsy shop here.
Outer Edit starts today!
So, my Outer Edit collaboration project starts today. Please go the website, register, and vote for my artwork! The collaboration continues until October 16th, and then the T-shirts with the most votes get produced, yay!
The theme is 'Flora & Fauna', and this is my starting artwork...
Peony rugs
Here are two of my exclusive, limited edition Peony rugs, available from faux in Hong Kong. They're hand-made to order, and I think they're gorgeous! Well, I would...
They're made from the highest quality silk and wool, and the designs are based on my series of Peony etchings. See my previous blogs for images of the Peony collection silk cushions also!
