Have you seen the projects made from my Quilt Blocks fabric over on the Fat Quarterly blog? Go check them out. This checker board is from Ruth of Cherry Coloured Twist using Rashida’s pattern. The Quilt Blocks fabric should be available in quilt shops in a few weeks!
Happy first day of spring! Here in Atlanta, we are dodging the record-high pollen levels and staying indoors despite the warm temperatures. But here’s a round-up of bunnies for spring. (First three listed pictured above.)
Plus, here’s the Bunny Softie from my book 1, 2, 3 Sew. On the right, you can see how my former intern Erin modified the pattern to give her a dress. So adorable! Be sure to also check out more spring craft links here and my list of 50 Spring Crafts here. Photo on the left by Laura Malek for 1, 2, 3 Sew.
Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for Laurie Wisbrun’s book, Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design from Chronicle Books. I know that many of you are interested in trying your hand at fabric design, or you may already be creating your own digital designs and now you’re ready to improve your skills and take it to the next level. This book covers digital designs, various printing and dyeing methods, as well as the practical aspects of turning fabric design into a business, with many resources to start you on your way.
First off, this beautiful book has a fabric textured hard cover, which gives it a nice feel. Laurie begins with some helpful information about patterns, color theory and fabric types, and includes clear photographs and easy-to-read descriptions. She talks about getting inspired from the world around you, creating mood boards and sourcing vintage designs, and how to create repeats manually and digitally. Then you get down to the nitty gritty with chapters covering hand printing and digital printing, with detailed tutorials and tips. For the hand printing chapter, Laurie calls in expert contributors to show some interesting techniques, including a brilliant tutorial from Jesse Braytenbach about how to use a frame and fabric to transform a plastic stencil into a mini-screenprinter. In the digital printing chapter, Laurie covers both Illustrator and Photoshop design methods, with screen shots and step-by-step instructions.
Throughout the book, she’s also included inspirational interviews with some of your favorite fabric designers including Julia Rothman, Heather Ross, and Joel Dewberry. Then there’s a chapter about going professional with tips on presenting your portfolio and even starting your own fabric company. She also includes advice about surface pattern trade shows and marketing. I’d say that Laurie covers it all here, whether you’re interested in experimenting with a new dyeing technique for a special project, or you want to design and print thousands of yards of fabric.
An important message that Laurie includes in the book is not to give up. Most designers have dealt with some rejection (me included). Remember that a rejection gives you time to re-group, pick yourself up again and be better than before. The fabric industry has been inundated with new designers in the past few years, but I know there are still many fantastic artists out there waiting to be discovered. It’s important to think of what you can bring to the market that represents your unique voice. I’ll be reflecting on that myself in the coming months.
Check out the rest of the blog tour. The previous posts have lots of great peeks into the book. Here’s the full schedule:
Monday, March 12 – A Creative Mint
Tuesday, March 13 – Lena Corwin and Handmade Charlotte
Wednesday, March 14 – Spoonflower and; Print and Pattern
Thursday, March 15 – Centsational Girl
Friday, March 16 – A Stitch in Dye
Monday, March 19 – The Long Thread
Tuesday, March 20 – Fat Quarterly
Wednesday, March 21 – papernstitch
Thursday, March 22 – Julia Rothman
Friday, March 23 – Simply Grove
And by the way, take a look at Laurie’s Llook! Llamas! limited release fabric collection. These are adorable! There’s also an interview with Laurie over on Spoonflower.
Girl with Shoes Fabric Fat Quarter, $3.75 from Sew Fresh Fabrics.
Dogwood Cat, $39 from Three Bad Seeds.
Nest in Red by Sarah Watts, half yard $4.90 from Sew Fresh Fabrics.
Vintage Plates, $42 from Wool Trousers.
Women’s Buttoned Dress, $55 from Sharon Boaz Fashion.
Nautical Rope Bracelet, $22 from dekkoline.
Peach Pleated Chiffon Button Clutch, $120 from Heidi Creations.
Mid-Century Modern Lamp, $360 from Barking Sands Vintage.
Waterproof Summer Bag, $79 from Ikabags.
Lucie Summers of Summersville made this amazing quilt. Not sure what’s going on with these English women, but they are making some beautiful quilts these days. Although I think she started out with a bit of a plan, Lucie used an improvisational, piece-as-you-go method for making this quilt. I am loving improvisational quilts these days. As I’m working on 1, 2, 3 Quilt, I realize that I hate making the same block over and over again. Whether it’s due to a short attention span or the need to make instinctual decisions, these quilts have a more emotional appeal to me. Lucie’s quilt reminds me of the abstract, often geometric paintings of Stuart Davis, who was strongly influenced by the free-form nature of jazz.
She started with this block below. You can see her progress as her quilt evolved on her blog here. I also love her choice of quilting random lines, and think it works really well with the top piecing. I love quilting that enhances the design of the patchwork, and I’m often distracted when there’s another layer of pattern that fights the quilt top layout.
Lucie has a new line of quilting cottons that will be available in April. I’ve always been a fan of her screenprinted fabrics, so I can’t wait to use these.
