To Market, To Market...

The biggest trade show for quilters is in Houston in October of every year. I have my portfolio and business cards ready. I've even had one of my designs printed on canvas so I can make a bag to carry my portfolio. All the manufactures will be there (along with all their designers) and aspiring designers (like me). My goal? To be contracted by a manufacturer. I leave in just 6 days!

My 1st Collection

After hours, days & months... I've put together 6 different designs in 3 colorways. I've taken inspiration from all over: photos, brush strokes from paintings, vintage wall paper--and incorporated them into my designs. I researched color on different forecasting sites and picked my colors accordingly. I have used my knowledge of quilting and size and shape to determine my overall design. All my designs are in repeat and index colored. I have just put up 2 of the 6. I would love to hear what you think of them!

Quilting & Sewing

I learned to sew and quilt from my mother--who is a great seamstress. She has made many dresses for me over the years. My grandmother, mother and I made a quilt for me to take to college. I've made many baby quilts to sell or to give as gifts. I've made skirts and shirts for myself; and I love to sew for my kids. I made Ayden a seersucker suit when he was 4 yrs. old and I keep adjusting it to continue to fit him! For Emelia I've made pants, dresses and shirts this is a shirt I made from Heather Bailey's Pop Collection. I love creating with my hands. I've done just about everything from tatting to pottery. I don't believe there is anything better then creating something by hand.

What to do, what to do...

So, now I had a dilemma, I still hadn't taken Illustrator (which I definitely needed for fabric design) and I was living in Northern VA. I looked and looked for a class in DC, Baltimore, Philly anywhere close that taught Illustrator for Textile Design. No such luck. My new brother-in-law (excellent graphic designer) tried to teach me Illustrator in about 3 hours. But, clearly I needed the class. So, I signed up. Now I commute 5 hours each way once a week to attend my three hour class. Thanks to my family for helping out w/the kiddies while I'm gone!

The Move

As some of you know, we have moved to Northern VA. Jayson was laid off by Worth Magazine and decided he wanted out of Ad Sales and NYC. Me, well, I could have stayed another couple of years but eventually I came to realize it would be good for the kids to have more space. In about 2 weeks time I had our beloved apt. rented and all our boxes packed, and as my heart was being ripped out, we drove our U-Haul over the G.W. Bridge singing New York, New York (yes, the kids know the words too). So, here we are in VA close to family. But, you can read about that on our family blog: jaysonandcori.blogspot.com. I'd like to keep this blog for design.

Plans Change

I took the Photoshop for Textile Design course Winter semester 2009, then enrolled in the Illustrator course for the summer block. Unfortunately I arrived at class the first day to find no teacher--the class had been canceled due to low enrollment! In haste I signed up for a Nature Study course and spent the next few months working with gouache and learning to paint flowers and leaves. I loved the class. It was there I learned to really see flowers, every little subtlety and detail and to appreciate the beauty. Here is a painting I did in gouache.

NYC=FIT

I searched high and low for a book on textile design. I finally found one on Amazon: Adobe Photoshop for Textile Design. I purchased Photoshop and began going through the book. I did that for a couple of months then one day. . . as I was flipping through Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)'s course catalog I happened upon. . . Photoshop for Textile Design! I couldn't believe my luck. The course taught me how to set up repeats, index color and much more. There I started putting together a portfolio and gathering ideas of which would later transform into my first collection. This is a picture of one of my first designs.

How it all Began...

A year ago I was at my favorite quilt shop admiring all the colors on the bolts and the prints. I found a couple of jelly rolls to quilt for the Holidays but unfortunately the shop didn't have the print on a bolt for the back of the quilt. I came home and found the print I wanted on the Internet and in the process found the designer who designed the collection of fabric and her blog. I was inspired by reading her blog and I decided I wanted to be a fabric designer too.