Oooh! Don’t we all love Lotta Jansdotter! She’s only one one of my favorite textile designers! Here are a couple of easy and fun tutorials that I found. Yay!
How to Make Patchwork Coasters w/ Lotta Jansdotter from Rowenta USA on Vimeo.
Iron-On Transfers w/ Lotta Jansdotter from Rowenta USA on Vimeo.
I am addicted to fabric. Many times I will buy fabric of many types with the intention of using them for an actual project, yet when it comes to cutting them, I stop myself. Especially if they have beautiful prints, colors, and patterns on them! So when Donna, the owner of Fabricadabra sent over an e-mail introducing her amazing cushions, I just fell in love! The Dutch Wax Prints are so colorful and brilliant. I definitely want to order at least one for our apartment!
“I have learned that if there is something you really want you have to just go for it & give it a try. I like that quote: “find a job you love & you will never work a day in your life”. That’s how I feel!” ~Rachael Taylor | Surface Designer
Quite a while ago I ran across the site of UK based Surface Designer Rachael Taylor. Her work is fantastic. Full of color, pattern, and imagination, Rachael takes the beauty of an object and creates lovely pieces such as pillows, fabric, tableware, lamp shades, greeting cards, and wall art. Her list of clientele includes: Paperchase, Graham & Brown, Target, and Hanes Paper just to name a few.
Rachael was so kind to take a few moments to share with us an insight into her inspiration and her process as a surface designer. To purchase some of her pieces, please visit her Etsy shop!
JuBella: How did you know that textiles was an occupation that you wanted to pursue as a career…what would you say was the inspiration behind it all?
Rachael: I have always been a creative/visual person from a young age & loved things like art, drama, dance, drawing etc. I studied Art & Design at College then decided textiles/surface design was a good area as it crossed over into so many areas. As surface pattern design had quite an open scope to go into fashion, interiors, ceramics, stationary etc. So it seemed like a good option for a creative role & it wasn’t to restrictive for career paths.
JuBella: Favorite resources/books/websites for textile/color, etc. inspiration?
Rachael: I look at a range of blogs like Print & Pattern, Poppy Talk, and websites like wgsn. I also look a lot at home magazines e.g Elle Decoration, Living etc., also fashion mags like Vogue & Elle. A lot of my inspiration comes from just general things I see & I try & take my camera every where I go. I’m also inspired by music. Usually my designs sometimes just come out of my head & it just depends on the mood I’m in or the song that I’m listening too.
JuBella: What is an average week for you like as a textile/surface designer & how would you best describe your design process?
Rachael: Everyday is different which is what I love. Generally I’ll have three to four days designing & the other ordering, paperwork & managing of my business. Two or three of the days I may be working direct as a freelancer for companies on a commission or brief, the others I’m left to create my own collections.
The days I’m left to work on my own designs, I try not to have a plan or structure. I may spend a morning out with my camera & sketchbook then I’m full of inspiration, so I put my music on & I just see what happens. I like the variety I have at the moment as I have great direction & trends to follow from companies as well as having room for a bit of spontaneous design within my own label.
JuBella: What are 3 things that you would tell an aspiring designer that you wish you knew when you first started your textile venture?
Rachael: I still honestly feel like I’m learning myself. There is so much opportunity out there. When I was starting out I wish I had learned not to take things to personally & not be to precious about my work. To just enjoy the ‘Now’. It’s great to have future goals but it’s important to take every day at a time & appreciate the work your doing. Just have fun with it!
JuBella: If you had to pick one, what would be your favorite form of handmade textiles/fibers(block printing, crochet, knitting, screen printing, etc.)?
Rachael: I love screen printing. It makes you feel like you are a part of your work as you are actually involved in the print process as opposed to just printing something digitally. A lot more of your personality comes out this way. I’m a big fan of machine embroidery, loose, messy, stitching, threads left loose & not trimmed away, something more raw & unique.
One of my favorite design/decor blogs is a beautiful blog called Yahgie, which is written by Interior Designer Petergaye Kisielewicz. Petergaye has recently launched a new line of home decor products that consists of fabulous: pillows, fabric, wall art, wallpaper, and tableware! You can see more of her beautiful hand designed pieces in her shop at Yahgie.com. One of my favorites would definitely be the “Screaming Lady” pillow, where she uses chandelier silhouettes for earrings…gorgeous; and the “Designers Chair Fabric” is fantastic!
Lovely prints from UK Based New House Textiles. I especially adore the Sweetheart Collection.
May we all have a moment a silence to drool over such stunning color, texture, and pattern! Oh my, Designers Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hubri of Bokja Design truly have created a fabulous line to adorn your home with and gives all textile lovers inspiration galore! Wouldn’t you just love to be able to travel to Lebanon to tour their atelier/studio! Ok, let the drooling begin…
Oh, how I am so very excited to share this new line of custom handmade carpets from Textile Designer Malene B.! If you all remember, Malene shared some of her creative insight with us back when JuBella first launched. Malene is such an inspiration to me as she has impeccable style and so many creative ideas for the home. For more than a decade, she has been creating carpets for industry professionals and private label brands such as Nicole Miller, Martha Stewart, Nautica, Liz Claiborne, Nate Berkus, and the list goes on and on, and now Malene has her own line! I so wish I had a home because I have fallen in love with the Mendhi & Pupunya Pieces; and the Kantha is another favorite too…heck they are all wonderful!
Her Carpet collections will not only make you swoon over texture, pattern, and color, but each one of them takes inspiration from Malenes travel destinations around the world, taking you on a global ride as she identifies the cultures so beautifully within every piece don’t you think? I can only imagine the things to come from Malene…I so hope that a wallpaper collection and a shop open to the creative masses are coming in the near future! Oh my, she is truly one of my textile sheroes! Be sure to check her site to view the full collection & for custom ordering info.
Oh how I do love these pieces from the Villa Nova collections. I think that the pattern, color, and texture combination of these pieces are beautiful. The couch in the top photo is absolutely divine. I love the shape of it…It reminds me of a well-tailored suit and the legs in my opinion give it a very fashion forward feel as they remind me of the tops of many dress forms. I could definitely see it in a fashion designers office/studio! So, if you ever find yourself in the London area, be sure to visit their showroom which is located in the Chelsea harbor Design Center.
Who: Jane Schouten of All The Luck In The World
Occupation: Graphic Designer, Artist, shop owner
Home Location: Rhenen, Netherlands
Style of Home: An eclectic mix of vintage and handmade
Time to visit another creative elite! Today we have been invited to the colorful and lovely home of designer Jane Schouten of All The Luck In the World. I love Janes sense of style in her home, and the color and pattern just pops out at you so lovingly don’t you think? If you have read my About The Editor Page, then you will know that one of my creative goals is to live a “Zakka” filled life, and Jane’s home reminds me of the art of Zakka. She has taken the time to show so much TLC to every nook and cranny of her space. From little trinkets, to placement, to an eye full of colorful art, Jane has done a spectacular job of making her space beautifully filled with the influence of Zakka!
Ok, let’s head on over…and if you would like to stay longer, then check out her full flickr set of her home!
JuBella: Favorite Rooms/Spots & Why?
Jane: I love my bedroom because it’s a nice white, quiet place. My whole home is filled with treasures and memories so every room has it’s own charm. My kitchen and bathroom are tiny. In my next house I hope they will be bigger!
JuBella: Design/decor challenges when it came to decorating?
Jane: Fitting everything in and organizing it so it’s not too cluttered.
JuBella: Favorite shops/boutiques/websites for decorating your home?
Jane: fleamarkets and thrift stores. I love the Noordermarkt (market with lots of vintage goods) in Amsterdam, and Spitafields market and Portobello Road markets in London. Local flea markets are the best for finding real treasures. I also buy gifts and art on ETSY.
JuBella: How do you want someone who is visiting your home to feel?
Jane: I want them to feel welcome. There is a lot to see if you have an eye for it!
“I’m so proud of my beautiful new designs in Softwares,” said Amy Butler. “I love the way this digital collection allows sewers and quilters to customize and completely plan their projects – and better yet, to see the results right before their eyes.” ~Amy Butler
She just never stops the inspiration! Amy Butler has a new quilting software (Amy Butler Softwares) via the Electric Quilt Company that will be available for purchase for just $29.95 on May 15th. The software will be available on both Amy’s site as well as the Electric Quilt Company site. The digital software will include a collection of 22 new home sewing projects and nine bonus projects for sewers of all skill and experience levels who want to add fresh, modern items to their homes. Project instructions are written in a clear, step-by-step style so that first-time as well as experienced sewers can successfully create beautiful new projects for their homes! Yay!
Images by David Butler, © Amy Butler Design for The Electric Quilt Company
Oh how I love the Flowie Collection by Textile Designer Yaling Hou! I especially love the pillows…swoon!
About: “Flowie is a textile and lifestyle product design company that was formed by Yaling Hou out of her passion for textile designs and her appreciation for stylish yet personal objects. Launched in 2007, Flowie designs and manufactures refreshing fabrics, bags, home accessories and other fashion accessories. All the fabrics (linen or cotton) are hand screen printed locally in the San Francisco Bay Area and finished products are also sewn locally.” -flowiestyle.com
I have a major passion for not only color but i think textile art, especially fabric dyeing and screen printing, and hand printing is amazing. The colors and textures that can be achieved never cease to amaze and inspire me. With that said I love the color palettes of A Stitch In Dye(isn’t that name great). I have plans on starting my own shop online that will sell hand printed fabric swatches and one of a kind gifts, and this offers me so much inspiration for achieving my goal of diving back into textiles. I truly miss it from the days of S.C.A.D and it continues to call upon me to create in this medium again!
Designer Lisa Whatmough of Squint Limited is absolutely amazing! As far as my personal style goes, I absolutely adore an eclectic and clever combination of patterns, bold and striking colors, textures, and random composed shapes. The collection of Squint is the epitome of what I love about design..fun, colorful, and artistic! I would be in heaven if I had a studio with accents of furniture such as this..oh why yes..I would sit on my custom sofa of magentas, sage greens, eggplant purples, and teal blues, and sip on some lavender tea s I sketch away my dreams within my sketchbook! Squint is located in East London, and I am sure it would be heaven to visit! Oh, how I want that Egg chair(top left)!!!! It’s so so pretty!
Oh my gosh…the HIMLA Textile catalog is absolutely beautiful! Their palette of sweet pastels and rich magentas and baby blues and purples are so intriguing & I would love to have a candy coated purple car such as this one in which yes I would drive around town with bolts and rolls of linen fabric sticking out the top and possibly the trunk too! I think that these colors would be so much fun to decorate a little girls room in. I remember my parents painting my walls a very light purple very much like this when I was a little girl and I loved it! Nevertheless HIMLA, based out of Sweden, specializes in decor and fabrics made of mostly linens and cottons. A list of their retailers can be found on their website under Agents.
Have any of you been to the ABC Home store in Manhattan? I would love to step foot in such a textile rich abode! I am in love with the eclectic patterns used on there chaise lounges, chairs, and sofas, such bright and rich colors…I love it all! Gotta Get There!
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