I'll put in two cents for creating a fabric pattern that is 1.) unique to our group (even if it means creating yet ANOTHER logo/signature) and 2.) that REFERENCES Disney/
DCL without explicitly including characters. For example your idea of "creating mickey balloons" out of flowers is a good one....or making hidden mickeys in a tropical print/pattern....or a mickey ears hat out of other objects (which is kind of like what Jordak did in his logo.....and I still think you should see if they can create something with that logo because it's really nice AND it's not quite as explicitly Disney).
As an example....the company that many people use for TShirts is Cafe Press...and they are notorious for shutting down ANY item design that might be a copyright infringement. I've had quite a few designs get nixed over the years....but one that I DID get away with was I took a family trip in 2007 and we put the date on the shirt and I turned the zeros in 2007 into a mickey head.....and it got by the censors/copyright folks:
(if you look closely at this photo you can see the mickey head on the shirts.....and yes, if you can read it.....the shirt says "No Fun Vacation 2007" on it (with the word "no" scratched out)....for those who haven't heard that story...I'll have to post it later!

)
An abstract mickey head or mickey hat could easily be made with a sun, a beachball, clouds, flowers...or anything tropical...or a combination.