Designer Tidbits: Tula Pink


The sea may be stormy but it sure is beautiful. Tula Pink captures the enchantment, mystery and power of the sea in her newest collection, Salt Water. Feel the pull of the tide and get lost in the vibrant, alluring colors. Shop the brand new collection and try your hand at Tula's FREE patterns that accompany Salt Water. Watch our FQS exclusive interview [at the bottom of the post] to see her projects in action at Fall Quilt Market. There is lots to see so jump right in. Trust us, the water's fine.



Q: To what or whom would you dedicate this collection, or what inspired this collection?
A: I would dedicate Salt Water to all of the people who loved and missed my earlier fabric collection, Neptune. I did this one specifically for them. I had a lot of requests to reprint that one. I don't like to reprint my older collections because with every fabric release I push myself to be better and grow as a designer. I wanted to give them that collection but with all of the skill and knowledge that I have gained in the time between designing Neptune to where I am now as a designer. I like to consider Salt Water to be the evolution of Neptune. Not a copy but Neptune all grown up. So Salt Water is just that, a little more sophisticated, a little more detailed and a more complete vision.

Q: What is your favorite project using this collection?
A: My favorite quilts using Salt Water would have to be Anchors Aweigh and Hex on the Beach but for very different reasons. I love Anchors Aweigh because it's more than just a quilt, it's an illusion and an entire illustration in and of itself. I love that it's a great big image that plays off of the colors of the fabrics but also off of the theme of the collection. It’s a complete story that is told in layers and that is exciting to me.


Hex on the Beach is a labor of love quilt. Free Spirit Fabrics asked me to create a kit using one inch hexagons and the English Paper Piecing method. I saw it as a challenge. I fell in love with the idea of using a timeless shape and a very traditional method of piecing to create something that felt new and fresh. I knew I wanted to steer clear of the traditional flower motif and create a texture with these shapes. Being so limited in size and shape was an exercise in real creativity for me. It took a lot of moving around and adjusting until I got it just right but I was crazy happy with the results. Hex on the Beach is a great marriage of old and new and that's what I really love about it. I made this one completely by hand as well. It seemed like the best way to pay homage to the craft of English Paper Piecing.


Q: What would be your collection’s theme song?
A: Salt Water's theme song would probably have to be Popeye the Sailor Man. The song is about a sailor who eats his spinach, makes no apologies for it and doesn't like people who do bad things. I have always liked that about him.


Q: If you could live in a movie, what movie would it be?
A: If I could live in a movie it would probably be The Life Aquatic. That boat has everything on it and all of the fish are supernaturally beautiful. I think I could be happy working for Steve Zissou. I like his kind of logic and those blue and yellow adidas everyone wears are pretty sweet.


Q: What do you get nostalgic over?
A: I don't get nostalgic. I try sometimes but it never really works out. Well, I had this super rad jacket when I was a kid that was red and white with Scandinavian style hearts knitted into it. If I found one today that was my size I might have a moment about it.

Q: What is your favorite TV show of all time?
A: Haha! You ask this every time and the answer is never going to change. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Forever.


Q: If you could be a modern day fictional character, who would you be?
A: My head is in the ocean right now with Salt Water coming out so I would say being Dory from Finding Nemo would be pretty awesome. She always seems to be having a really great time even when the situation is getting a little hairy. I would love to have that kind of blind enthusiasm for all of life's situations and a short memory would keep the stress levels low and really enable that whole living in the now thing.

Q: What’s the strangest compliment you’ve ever received?
A: Once someone asked me if I had nightmares, because my imagination was so vivid. I was never really sure what that meant or if it was even a compliment but I decided it was and ran with it.


For a closer look inside Tula's Salt Water booth at Fall Quilt Market 2012, get a bit more information about the projects for Salt Water and hear all Tula has to say about the collection watch our FQS exclusive interview!



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