LICENSING & COMMISSIONS

LET’S COLLABORATE

Hello, I'm Elena, the artist behind The Sewing Sailor.

I specialise in soft watercolours and refined design, creating delicate, detailed artwork inspired by my deep love for nature, storytelling, childhood memories and craftsmanship.

My work captures the quiet beauty of the natural world in timeless pieces that bring elegance and warmth to textiles, homewares, stationery, children’s products, publishing and lifestyle brands.

  I love collaborating with thoughtful brands who value craftsmanship, creativity and the beauty of artwork made by hand. Seeing one of my designs come to life on a beautifully considered product is one of my favourite parts of what I do.

Through art licensing, you can use my artwork across your products and collections while I remain the creator and owner of the original design. It’s a flexible and professional way to work together, whether you’re developing a completely new collection, looking for the perfect print to complement an existing range, or searching for something created especially for your brand. Do you have questions about how licensing work? Check our licensing FAQ section at the bottom of this page.

If you'd like to collaborate with me or have a project in mind, I'd be delighted to create something meaningful together, whether by licensing existing designs or developing custom patterns tailored to your brand.

  • VIEW PORTFOLIO

  • DISCUSS A PROJECT

I have international licensing experience across a wide range of industries, including textiles, interior design, stationery and gifting, book illustration, homeware, fashion and food, as well as many other product categories. This experience allows me to understand the different needs of brands, manufacturers and creative teams, while keeping the artwork distinctive and true to its original character.

READY TO COLLABORATE?

If you're interested in licensing one of my designs or commissioning something special for your brand, I'd love to hear from you.

Please write to us via my contact page here with:

A short introduction to your brand

The type of products you have in mind

Where you plan to sell them

Whether you're interested in non-exclusive, exclusive, or full copyright purchase

From there, we can explore the best way to work together and create something beautiful that your customers will love.

I cannot wait to hear from you!

CONTACT US HERE

Do you want to ORDER FABRIC AND WALLPAPER by the metre?

You can order any length of fabric starting from swatches or wallpaper samples and rolls

directly on OUR SHOP here

from SPOONFLOWER here

from RASPBERRY CREEK FABRICS here

from CLOTH CUTS here

wholesale orders from DEVONSTONE COLLECTION here

ART LICENSING FAQ

WHAT IS ART LICENSING?

Art licensing is a bit like renting artwork. You pay for the right to use one of my designs on your products for an agreed time, in specific markets and product categories.

You don't own the artwork itself, I retain the copyright, but you have the clear, legal right to use it as set out in our agreement.

You can either opt for an exclusive or non- exclusive licensing deal

NON-EXCLUSIVE vs EXCLUSIVE LICENSING

Non-Exclusive Licensing

A non-exclusive licence allows you to use one of my designs on your products, while I remain free to:

  • Licence the same design to other companies
  • Sell the design on print-on-demand platforms (e.g. Spoonflower)
  • Use the design within my own shop or products

Key points:

  • You pay a fee for the right to use the artwork on your product(s) under agreed terms
  • I keep full copyright and ownership of the design
  • The design may be used by other brands at the same time in different contexts

Important for makers:
If you buy fabric featuring my designs from retailers such as Spoonflower, or any other fabric shop, you do not need a separate licence to sell the physical goods you make from that fabric. Your purchase of the fabric covers this use.

Exclusive Licensing

An exclusive licence is ideal if you want a design to feel like "yours" in a particular space.

With an exclusive licence, we will:

  1. Agree on product category (e.g. childrenswear, stationery, home décor)
  2. Define territory (e.g. USA, Europe, New Zealand, worldwide)
  3. Set a time period for the licence
  4. Agree on fees/royalties and any other commercial terms

You will have exclusive use of that design in your agreed category and territory for the length of the contract. For example, if you licence a design for wallpaper in New Zealand, that design will not be licensed to anyone else in that same category and territory during the contract period.

However, I may still:

  • Licence the same design in non-competing categories (e.g. stationery, wallpaper, home decor), or
  • Licence it in different territories, if this hasn't been included in your exclusive agreement.

I will always:

  • Retain copyright and ownership of the artwork
  • Keep the right to create new work with similar themes or motifs

Renewals:
At the end of the agreed time period, you'll have first option to renew the licence. If you choose not to renew, your usage rights end and full rights revert to me, the artist, and I may licence or use the design elsewhere.

Full Copyright Purchase (All Markets)

If you would like complete exclusivity in all markets and categories, this is possible through a full copyright buyout.

In this case:

  1. You buy the copyright to the design outright
  2. I no longer licence or use the design myself
  3. Terms and pricing are discussed on a case-by-case basis

If this is something you're considering, please mention it in your enquiry so we can discuss the best structure.

DO YOU HAVE A PORTFOLIO?

Yes, I do 🌿

You can explore my portfolio, where designs are organised by theme and collection.

You can also browse my Spoonflower shop, my Raspberry Creek Fabrics shop, my Cloth Cuts shop, or our own website shop, if you would like to buy fabrics and wallpaper by the metre.

These are great places to start if you are looking for something ready to licence.

CAN WE ADJUST COLOURS/SCALE?

Absolutely!

I know how important colour is for your brand and product line, so I'm happy to make considered adjustments:

Vector artwork can be matched to specific colours (e.g. brand palette).

Watercolour artwork can usually have background colours adjusted, while still preserving the integrity of the original painting.

Please include any colour or palette requests in your licensing enquiry so I can advise what's possible for the specific design you have in mind.

HOW TO START A LICENSING PROJECT

I aim to make the process clear, friendly, and straightforward:

Submit a licensing enquiry here
Share a little about your brand, what you'd like to create, where you'll be selling, and your timeline.

Choose a design (or brief a new one)

Select from my existing portfolio or Spoonflower designs, or

We discuss a custom brief if you'd like something created just for you.

Agree on terms
I'll send you a simple proposal outlining:

Type of licence (non-exclusive, exclusive, or full buyout)

Product category and territory

Duration of the licence

Fees and/or royalties

Sign & receive files
Once everything is agreed and signed, I'll provide print-ready files in the appropriate formats for your production team.