Hi First name / friend, We often get asked how we each got our start in fabric design. Each of us come from very different backgrounds and it’s so interesting to see how we all made our way here to this industry. Taking a chance on yourself seems to be a common thread in each of the designer’s stories and it’s so wonderful to hear how our group made its way here. Grab a cup of tea and settle in for a quick trip through each of our journeys to fabric! |
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Back in 2009, I was new to sewing, and had a little etsy shop where I was selling animal-shaped cushions. I sewed and sewed until I had a herniated disk in my neck and realized my little business was not going to be sustainable. In the meantime, I'd become fascinated with the world of fabric design, something that had not really been on my radar until I began sewing. I began wondering if I could create a line of fabric, and if a manufacturer might be willing to print it. When searching for fabrics for my little cushions, I’d fallen in love with the most beautiful fabrics by a Japanese company I’d discovered called Kokka. A company like that was my dream design gig. I realized that they were going to be attending a trade show called Quilt Market in fall of 2009, and that if I hurried, I might be able to put together a portfolio before the show. |
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I reached out to quite a few different companies before that trip; most of them were not interested in meeting with me, or gave me a rejection in advance. However, I was able to get an appointment with both Kokka and Lecien (another Japanese company), and off to Houston I went. Lecien liked some of my work, but thought some of it was a little too weird. When I met with Kokka, everyone was speaking Japanese and they had a lot to say to each other, but the person translating was not really saying much to me. I had no idea what they thought of my designs. However, two weeks later, I received an email saying they would like me to create a fabric collection for them that would come out the next fall, in 2010. I went straight to work on my first fabric collection that I called Ruby Star Rising. I created six collections for Kokka between 2010 and 2013, all beginning with the name Ruby Star. Embarking on Ruby Star Society in 2018 with my design besties was a full-circle moment for me. I thought I'd left that name in the past with my very first fabric collections, and now it represents all I've worked toward, and I get to share it with the people I admire most. |
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In 2001 or so, my mother-in-law gifted me a sewing machine. I took a beginner sewing class with the amazing Leslie Bonnell in Austin and that started my obsession with sewing. Actually, the obsession was more with fabric. I was surprised to find that there weren’t a lot of fabrics out there that spoke to me. I favored the vintage fabrics I could find on eBay and at flea markets, but also sought out modern designs that caught my eye. I got into craft blogging, which connected me with what would later emerge as a movement of modern sewists. I also began a quest to find out how I could get printed fabric produced, and possibly start a new fabric company. Both ventures got me back into practicing art and design -- I had no formal background, but have always dabbled and taken classes whenever I could. My fabric news blog True Up was taking off and I was making a name for myself in the quilt industry. I wrote a book, A Field Guide to Fabric Design, using everything I’d learned from writing the blog and studying fabric printing. However, I never felt ready or that it was the right fit to create my own quilting fabric collection for someone else. I still had the company idea simmering on the back burner, but it was becoming clear to me that I wasn’t going to be able to do it alone, logistically or financially. |
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Then, at Quiltcon 2013 in Austin, between beer and pretzels and dancing to Prince at the 80s dance, Melody, Rashida, Alexia and I created the bonds that would lead to each of us being brought into the fold on Melody’s idea for a new division of an existing brand. Knowing how talented these women are, I had no doubt that this venture would be a huge hit and that I’d be crazy not to jump on the opportunity. I still feel incredibly lucky 10 years later for the circumstances that led to us coming together. We are much stronger together than we would have been on our own. |
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Sewing is a gift passed on to me by my mother, grandmother, and grandfather, who was a tailor. I studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and I wasn’t sure if fashion was my calling, so I traded in my sewing machine for a computer and worked as a freelance graphic designer for a few years. My passion for sewing was rekindled in 2006 after the arrival of my first child, and I began the blog I Heart Linen to document my re-born creative life and life as a stay-at-home mom. I knew nothing about writing a blog or taking photos, but I loved the idea of trying something new, so I went for it. I was living in New York at the time and would shop at The City Quilter, one of the only quilt shops in Manhattan. It's pretty crazy to think about now, but Alexia and I are pretty sure we crossed paths at The City Quilter when she worked there. |
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My blog started to become popular and I started to design projects for several magazines and books. I eventually wanted to write my own book and landed a contract with Interweave Press and my first book 'I Love Patchwork' was published in 2009 and my second book ‘Zakka Style’ was published in 2011. Designing fabric seemed like the logical next step, so I sent my designs to several companies and got a TON of no's. Persistence prevailed, as I sent one last email to Timeless Treasures and quickly got a response from their Art Director. She had JUST picked up my first book the same week! How crazy is that? I worked with them for a few collections and then I began working with Cloud9 Fabrics. I was able to establish a career for myself in this industry and also met life long friends along the way. I met in Melody 2011 when I moved to Atlanta and we lived in the same neighborhood. Soon after, Sarah invited Melody and me to speak at one of her classes in Atlanta and we became fast friends. Kim I met via her blog and would spend time with her at Quilt Market and QuiltCon. Alexia I met at Quilt Market and via Cloud9 as her husband had a collection with them a while back. Life for us all truly changed when we joined forces in 2013. Here we are now a decade later, a family. |
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When I was younger, my grandmother used to alter women’s dresses so that my cousin and I could play dress up. I remember the feeling of warmth that I had wearing something that my grandmother had made. I loved twirling around in those long, frilly Gunne Sax style dresses. That was the very first memory of my fascination with the world of sewing. In 2004, I went to college at Ringling College of Art and Design, and got a BFA in illustration. During that time, I was checking out blogs and growing an obsession with repeat patterns. Tessellating drawings was something that I had always done since I was little to sooth my thoughts. I started making patterns in my art and soon got my first sewing machine so that I could stitch up little paper patterns that I had cobbled together for my portfolio. |
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In 2008 Carter’s and Osh Kosh came to Ringling to do a workshop and perform interviews for their internship program. I got the internship and moved to Atlanta with my now husband, Scott where we started a new life together. At Carter’s I learned how to make repeat patterns for kids' apparel and learned about the whole world of surface pattern design. I was hooked. I had also met a small group of budding surface designers in Atlanta, and we would do meet ups once a month. In 2011, things really started to come together when a friend from our pattern meet up got me an interview at Blend Fabrics. I landed my first collection with Blend and got to attend my first Quilt Market for the launch. That visit to Quilt Market changed everything and I soon found myself obsessed with the fabric world. I started sewing with my fabrics and making things as fast as I could. After a few collections at Blend, I wanted to get even more involved with the sewing world. At that time I was teaching a surface design class in Atlanta and I had Melody Miller and Rashida Coleman-Hale come to speak to my students. I loved their visit so much, and told them about my curiosity of looking into other fabric manufacturers. A few days later Melody called me and told me to hold tight. She said that she had something special developing that I might be interested in joining. Soon after, I flew out to LA to become one of the founding designers of Cotton+Steel where I met my amazing fabric sisters. Here we are today as Ruby Star Society, building even more memories and joy together. |
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When asked the question, "How did you get your start in fabric design?" I picture a long winding road with many forks, twists and turns. I have tried so many different pursuits in my working life. Sometimes I look back and want to be dismissive or call them all false starts, but I think that each try pushed me further down the road towards the creative career I have now. While working part time as a photo assistant here in Nashville I became interested in the hair and make-up department and gave that a try. It wan't a good fit but while working on set I got curious about wardrobe and styling. I started picking up freelance work sewing or assisting stylists. I would often do alterations on set which led to a lot of custom wardrobe and tailoring jobs and also pushed me to attend some semesters of college to study art and fashion. I did some work for a children's clothing company designing everything from knit sweaters to woven fabrics while also working in a fabric shop here in Nashville. |
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Possibly the most influential step towards becoming a fabric designer happened after my husband and I moved to New York and I got a job at The City Quilter in Manhattan. It was an amazing small quilt shop and it was there that I learned about the community created by a common love of quilting. The quilting fabrics that were starting to come out during first decade of the 2000's were exciting and piqued my interest in surface design. I had thought during my time in NY that I wanted to further my studies in painting, but was stymied by the costs of school and the reality of trying to juggle a job and classes. Learning to quilt more than just the little patchwork I had attempted when as a teen my mom tried to teach me how to sew really changed my life. The women at The City Quilter taught me so much about the art & craft of quilting. I started making improv blocks after seeing the inspiring work of both Gwen Marston and Denyse Schmidt. From there everything I did moved me quickly towards fabric design. After moving back to Nashville I met Anna Maria and did some freelance work for her, I opened a small sewing studio and taught classes, and I learned more and more about a quickly expanding quilting and sewing fabric market. My mom and I started a small indie pattern company, my artist husband did a line for Cloud 9 fabrics, and I met Kim, Melody and Rashida at the industry trade show, Quilt Market. My first collection was for Cotton+Steel and I owe so much to these four women for all they have taught me about design. My work has grown and evolved and I feel so lucky to do this job. When I look back at my journey I can see that it was only in trying something that I could understand if it was for me. I'm so glad I got to try this. |
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here on The Charm Pack on September 5th! |
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