[Idea] Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

[Karalora]

This occurred to me as I was working on a Haunted Mansion-related craft project and suddenly wished I had some fabric with the same design as the wallpaper in the Hallway of Doors. That's just one of many designs that we park fanatics could use to kit out our homes and wardrobes. Some other possibilities:

* Shag's version of the park map
* Repeating patterns of ride posters
* A "collage" of iconic ride structures
* White and gold geometric designs a la the IASW facade
* Big Thunder train tracks and mesas (I have scrapbook paper with a design like this; it could also work for fabric)
* A floral print using the leaves and flowers from the Alice in Wonderland queue as design motifs
* Pretty much anything from the parks, come to think of it

How would you like to have that sort of thing as curtains, bedsheets, tablecloths, or even your clothes? This would obviously be something to sell outside the park rather than on-property (unless...Main Street Fabric Shop has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?), but I know I'd go for them anywhere I found them.

[Shoppingbear]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

How would you like to have that sort of thing as curtains, bedsheets, tablecloths, or even your clothes? This would obviously be something to sell outside the park rather than on-property (unless...Main Street Fabric Shop has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?), but I know I'd go for them anywhere I found them.

That would be cool, and why not sell them at the Park? I can see it at anywhere that sells clothes. Heck, they sell every kind of clothes imaginable, down to socks and underwear, why not fabric?

The only thing I can think of is that they don't want to sell something so that you can make something that LOOKS like "official park merchandise", but isn't actually so. They don't want you to make clothes and have people ask, "oooh, where can I buy that" when you can't. That being said, they do have various Disney iron-ons, cross-stitching kits, and so on, for crafty types, so it seems reasonable that they might be willing to make fabrics.

Oh, and they do sell Disney-themed fabrics in fabric stores, just remembered that... just not DisneyLAND-themed. Interesting. Great idea!

[brenden]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I have the Disneyland laptop case they're selling in the parks now and on the inside there's a pretty neat pattern. I like your ideas, especially the IASW one!

[Karalora]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I think it would be logistically difficult for them to sell by-the-yard fabric in the park. To start with, a cutting counter takes up a lot of space. And in a theme park where people are getting dirty and carrying snacks around, there would be a constant tug-of-war between the risk of ruining an entire bolt of fabric because someone spilled their Coke on it, and the inconvenience and expense of storing it where only Cast Members can reach it and thus requiring extra staff to be hired. It would be much smarter of Disney to release a line of theme park fabrics to be sold at Jo-Ann's.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Crafters would make non Disney handbags tops and skirts and then Disney would be at the flea markets and yard sale circuit. Even if they were super cute, I don't think the company wants to go there.

[Circarama]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Great idea!

Here is a shirt that I had made from some vintage Disneyland fabric that I bought on eBay.



I've dated the material to no earlier than 1959. I think it was originally sold to make curtains out of, but it makes nifty shirts too.

On July 17th, 2005 I was walking past a press booth that was setup in the hub near the Plaza Pavilion. Disney author and former public relations spokesman Tim O'Day was seated there. When he saw me walk by wearing this shirt he stopped and asked me all about it. I suggested that Disney try marketing vintage style products since I felt that there would be a market for them.

I still do.

[pineapplewhipaddict]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I like this idea!

I actually stumbled upon a Disneyland fabric on ebay at one point...it was said to be incredibly rare, and from it's design I would say the earliest it was developed would have been after the TL '98 redo, as it had the Astro Orbitor featured on it. The fabric had all sorts of illustrated Disneyland things on it.


If Disney were to do this, I think the best way of implementing it would be in conjunction with Disneyana and/or the Disney Gallery. And perhaps, instead of purchasing the fabric on it's own, you could custom-design whatever you wanted the fabric to be, and depending on the extensiveness of one's order, it could be put together off-property and mailed to you.

[Karalora]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Crafters would make non Disney handbags tops and skirts and then Disney would be at the flea markets and yard sale circuit. Even if they were super cute, I don't think the company wants to go there.

Disney branded fabric prints already exist, though. You can go to any fabric store and find material with Princess, Cars, and Winnie-The-Pooh designs. If it's not a problem with the movie-based stuff I don't see why it would necessarily be a problem with park-based stuff.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Circarama's shirt is cool. I mean don't get me wrong, I like hand made crafts.

[Young at Heart]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Hmmn, maybe sell prepackaged 2, 3 and 4 yard cuts of fabric?

How about a 'Disney craft store' in DTD? Sell Disney fabrics, a really good scrapbooks section with all the licensed products, disney needlepoint and cross stitch kits, beads, iron ons....

I've occasionally fantasized about that as I walked past the empty storefronts at DTD. That would be cool. Maybe in conjunction with a Disney T shirt shop like the ones you used to see in the malls, where you chose your iron on and your shirt color and the store makes it for you.

[YodelingCowgirl]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Oh man, if there was a Disney craft store, I might go in and never come back out. )

I think park-themed fabric would be really cool, but I can see why it might be hard to set up a fabric shop in the park. I would love it if they did, though.

[Bruce Bergman]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

A fabric and sewing store would be a nice first step to revitalizing Main Street. Then you start getting the other specialty shops back, and get exclusive merchandise for the ones that exist now in name only.

(You get a nice space for the Disney Gallery and put a real Bank Branch back in the Bank Of Main Street, but that's a whole 'nother multiple page thread...)

They would have partial bolts on display out front but the main stock and the cutting table would be Backstage. They would go back and cut it for you, then wrap it up tight to avoid those "Kids and messy fingers" disasters. If you want a full bolt or three, that's when they ship it to your house for a nominal fee.

Where this would be invaluable is in the sources Disney has built over the decades for getting the specialty fabrics they use for costumes and set dressing. It would be a miracle to find some of them at any price for less than 50 bolts in a special batch order, so you gladly pay a bit of a premium to get it by the yard.

I'd love to see a lot of those vintage prints in light all Cotton and Cotton/Poly blends, or a "stealth" print where you only see Hibiscus and Plumeria at a distance - till you look close and see Mickey peeking out from behind a flower...

Make some fabrics that John Lasseter would kill to have Hawaiian shirts made from, I'll get in line behind him.

Oh, and don't forget the specialty notions like buttons for costuming and with characters on them.

Disclaimer - I am a defensive bachelor sewer, I can do a passable job but I don't make a habit of it. I have been known to go kill and skin a Nauga for it's hyde, and toss it on the old Singer 557 ("Will sew the fender back onto a '53 Buick!") to make a custom light-bar cover or shifter boot. And an Overlock makes Cutoff Jeans look acceptable, fast and easy.

Now I just have to find the right shoe and needle, and master a double-fold hem in Denim...

--<< Bruce >>--

[Karalora]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Wow, it's nice to see so many other crafters here! I was almost certain I was going to get a couple of token "hmm, yes, that'd be nice" responses, and no more.

I could easily spend all my disposable income at a Disney craft store, if the items in stock were cool enough. I already have quite a collection of Disney scrapbook stickers and papers, and I don't even do scrapbooking. I'm not really sure what I'll do with them...maybe some park-themed collages?

The craft project I'm working on that brought this idea to mind is a cross-stitch of the Haunted Mansion attraction poster. It occurred to me that it would be nice to make it the front panel of a throw pillow when I'm done, but I would want the back panel to be something more interesting and appropriate than the plain black and navy scraps in my remnants box.

[DisneySarah]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I gotta admit, I've considered buying an XXL Disney Hawaiian shirt (you know, the Shag-style ones) and chopping it up to make a quilt. But at about $70 a yard, that would be some expensive fabric!

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Wow, this is like watching flowers grow. Great ideas, guys.

OK now that you have the whole Crafts store on Main Street, I'm seeing revenue potential and even classes you can sign up for like the cookie baking they used to do.

[Circarama]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

In typical fashion (pun intended) I think Disney under-estimates the potential for a crafts store like we're discussing here.

[SpcMtn77]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I think it's a great idea...I know there may be some logistical issues initially, but the great minds at Disney could surely overcome them to make a fabric store a reality. I'd shop there!!! I love how a store like this could be functional and popular, while maintaining the integrity of an authentic early Main Street.

[HulaMinnie]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

I would love to see this happen!

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

Any notion as to what name will fit - Sew we can be ready.

[Bruce Bergman]

Re: Merch Idea: Park-Themed Print Fabrics

In typical fashion (pun intended) I think Disney under-estimates the potential for a crafts store like we're discussing here.

And of course you know the corrolary to that: It might catch someones ear at the Executive level, and they assign it to an 'Assistant to the Secretary to the Junior-Vice-President' to do a feasibility study and possibly open a pilot test...

And if that flunky decides it's not worth trying and failing at (and jeopardizing his career) he'll submarine the idea right off, rather than give it an honest chance. It's just like a Push Poll, they can write the survey to come up with the results they wanted to get - or even sway public opinion their way through how they ask the question. Then they can say "it surveyed badly."

You and I might think it's an idea worthy of an honest tryout, but you have to convince Disney that it's a good idea. That bar is set a whole lot higher.

The pilot project could be getting some specialty fabrics printed, take some of the Costuming stuff they aleready have made for internal use and put it on there also, and do an online store. That would gauge interest without a huge investment - and they are the main copyright holder, so that's done and clearances on the rest (joint and outside ones like Roger Rabbit and Winnie The Pooh) should be a snap.

And when that works (as I suspect) then they could have the online store as the bulk of the effort and the Disneyland and WDW storefront venues (as well as Disney Stores) for a 'touch and feel' availability.

The storefronts would have a small supply for the 2-yard sales, and for large orders they just have it drop-shipped from the online store.

--<< Bruce >>--