Custom Work: Fabric you design yourself, printed by pros

What with the recent spate of print-it-yourself books, the explosion of Gocco fan clubs, and the resurgence of craftiness in general, it can seem like the perfect time to take on making your own printed fabrics. And it is—if you want to add a few one-color repeat patterns to a solid background. If, however, your aspirations are a little loftier, you might need some assistance. Finnish web site Bon Bon Kakku can take the manufacturing work off your hands, leaving you to focus on the purely creative part. The only catch? Your design has to be good. The site runs a monthly contest for new fabric designs; submissions are judged by online votes, and the winners are put into production and sold in the site's online shop (25 Euros per meter). In addition to having their ideas turned into honest-to-goodness products, winners also get free fabric, and shoppers/voters can sign up to be alerted when a pattern they like goes up for sale. Click through the slide show at the bottom of this post to see some of the styles currently on offer. It's pretty amazing stuff, if you ask me. Which one(s) would you vote for? [via Dwell]

Other fabric fun on Shine:
A tablecloth embroidered with a dinner-party-settings lesson
Would you let your kids scribble on the upholstery? This lady did.
At-home fabric dyeing 101