Lynette Anderson is a true Christmas lover. Her
new fabric line,
Starry Night for RJR Fabrics, showcases the wonder of preparing
for that special holiday. You can spot all of her furry friends taking part as
always, like Hugo the dog and Felix the Cat. They've got some penguins for
company this time, and they really wouldn't mind helping you decorate your home
either! Read on Lynette’s take on the grouping and the wealth of project ideas
she has.
Q: Tell us a little bit about the Starry Night Collection. What were you inspired by?
A: Many
things inspire me and I have a special love for the Christmas holiday season
and start planning the decorations for my home in October, of course nothing
gets put up until the 1st December...well maybe a few days before the 1st, but
sshhhh, don't tell my mum! We recently moved house and even I was surprised by
how many boxes of decorations I have that are just for Christmas, I bet a lot of
readers can equate with me on that! Let me tell you a bit about this fabric
collection, the gorgeous feature print comes in three colourways it has sweet
little Christmas holiday scenes scattered on it. You can find my Hugo dog
pulling a sledge with Felix the cat on board and some darling little penguins
that we saw on a recent trip to Tasmania, of course in real life the penguins
were not decorating the tree but on my fabrics they are having such fun. I hope
people will have fun 'fussy' cutting this print.
Q: What is your design process when beginning a new
collection?
A: I use my favorite 2B pencil and eraser
and I scribble ideas. Sometimes I scribble words and sometimes its just quick
unrefined sketches and then I begin the real work. My designs grow organically,
in that I start with a small idea and then as I begin to work with the fabrics
I frantically draw and then stitch more to fill the spaces. My designs often
take 3 months to come to fruition but then sometimes the design is very
instant, the design time also depends on the size of the project. I
am very lucky as I have a huge design wall in my studio where I can have
several projects hanging at once
I like complete silence when I am
working, which is probably due to the range of ideas that are zooming through
my head all the time and its also as I talk to myself when I am
working...probably a bad habit and yes, I have noticed that I do answer myself!
The silence in my studio is interrupted by the gentle snores from my best furry
dog friend, Hugo who usually lies on my feet when I am working. Fat-cat loves
to lie right on top of the paper I am trying to use which of course insures he
will get touched, even if it is to move him out of the way and Felix the cat
keeps snug behind my computer. My pets are very inspirational and appear in
many of my designs, they love the modeling side of their jobs and take it very
seriously!
Q: What design trends are you currently exploring?
A: I design my fabrics with me in mind, I love slightly off
colors, colors with a hint of grey, colors that please my eyes. When working
with my fabrics I enjoy mixing past fabric collections with new, this gives an
interesting depth to the design
A: My Starry
Night fabric collection is very versatile,
there are some sweet 'itty bitty' prints which can easily be incorporated into
non seasonal projects as well as seasonal ones. I have had fun making
Christmas quilts big and small and I hope quilters around the world will enjoy
this collection as much as I am. One of my favorite projects is a collection
of 12 Sweet Ornaments which can be collected monthly each ornament comes with its very own specially designed
little wooden button which we cut in our studio from my original drawings.
Q: How do you describe your style?
A: Simple, fun, sweet, naïve but not primitive.....my
style is predominately combinations of stitchery/embroidery, appliqué and
simple piecing and since its popular I can’t see myself changing direction at
the moment.
Q: What is the biggest sewing faux pas
that has happened to you?
A: I can’t think of anything really terrible that I have
done sewing wise but I can say that much as I love my Bernina she really only
ever gets to go backwards and forwards in my studio, poor girl. However I did
put a zip in once by machine, that was back in the 80's when I was brave and
young....these days I know I prefer to stitch by hand as it all happens at a
much slower pace and I am in control!
Labels: Christmas Quilts, Designer Tidbits, Lynette Anderson, Starry Night Collection