Hi everyone! Kate Spain is here today to chat about her newest collection for Moda Fabrics, Horizon. This sea glass inspired collection is filled with cool blues and soft lavenders and is a twist from Kate's previous collections. Read on to find out more!
Q: Tell
us a little about the Horizon collection. What were you inspired by?
A: Thanks for having me on the Jolly Jabber! I'm so happy to share a little more
about Horizon with your readers. For much of my life, I've lived close to the water (still do) and one of my
favorite things to do in any season is to take walks along the shore. Even from
day-to-day, there are noticeable changes in the scenery...whether it's
the sun illuminating bright green sea grasses, or shorebirds diving and bobbing
on the waves, or the blend of colors in the sky at different times of day. I
love to notice these shifts and that they're all set against a single, tranquil
constant; the horizon line. Here is a photo taken from the end of our street:
And
this photo is of sand at low tide that I took on Christmas Day last year.
There
is always something to be inspired by!
Horizon is a bit of a departure from my usual style in that
I began by hand-carving blocks and printing them to create the repeat patterns.
It was the first time I'd ever tried to do this and really had no idea how the
process would translate to fabric. But I am so happy with how it turned out! I
love that the irregularity, imperfection and handmade quality of the
block prints remains intact in the finished fabric. Here are several of the
blocks I hand-carved and some of the patterns I created from these blocks
The
color palette for Horizon was inspired by bits of beautiful, luminous
sea glass I've collected from many shores over the years — in hues of
bright green, crystal blue, turquoise, and brilliant cobalt. These are some of
my favorite colors and I love the way they resonate harmoniously with the
textural designs of the block prints.
Q: What
is your design process when beginning a new collection?
A: I really love the freedom of being consumed by the creative
process so I typically
start with either a color palette or a very simple, unrefined idea or area of
interest: woodland gardens, ceramic tiles, Caribbean blossoms etc. Then I
usually draw or paint or as with Horizon, carve. This gives way to exploring
how colors interact, seeing how the scale and rhythm of patterns play together,
and then composing and refining these elements to balance the collection as a
whole. I guess it's a bit like sailing where you can be drifting along and
then suddenly a gust of wind fills your sails and off you go! I love the
creative process because you never really know when the wind of inspiration
will arrive or which direction it'll come from. It could happen early on at the
beginning of a project, or somewhere else. The thing you can be sure of is that
once it arrives, you get completely swept up and carried away toward a new
creative horizon!
Q: What is your favorite part about being a designer?
A: Every single part of it. It’s what I love to do. Working with my hands is
definitely a big part of it for me. The process of carving blocks was so
inspiring to me that I may have to do it again. If anyone is interested, we're
going to be offering a limited edition of my woodblock prints on our shop site. Each one was hand-printed
by me and a wonderfully skilled neighbor did all the framing. Both framed and
unframed prints are available.
Q: What
projects do you hope to see made with Horizon?
A: I've already seen some amazing quilts being made with Horizon and will keep my
eyes peeled for others! Also, I teamed up with a wonderful
sewist/photographer, Becca DuVal who has brought her amazing
talents to creating three "looks" for children's outfits and a small
"Day Tripper" bag. We're featuring her projects, the patterns she
used and her photos on my blog now, so please
come for a visit! Here's an adorable peek:
And
what's on my creative horizon? Maybe some of this.
It's
called Paradiso and will be shown at the
International Quilt Market this October.
SURPRISE! We have not one but TWO special giveaways with Kate today!
First, we're giving away a Horizon fat quarter bundle to one lucky winner. All you have to do is to comment below and let us know what you would like to make with the Horizon collection and we will announce the winner on September 26th, 2014.
And the winner is...
Anita
Our second giveaway is our most exciting one yet!
We want you to show your love for Horizon with a video review. All you need to do to is ...
- Purchase a yard or more of Horizon fabric or a jelly roll, layer cake, fat eighth bundle or fat quarter bundle between now and October 15th,
- Record a video review of yourself reviewing the fabric.
- Post the video review on our Facebook wall, tag @fatquartershop, @KateSpain and use #fqsloveshorizon.
- And that's it! You're on your way to winning a $100 Fat Quarter Shop gift certificate.
The winner of the Horizon video review giveaway will be randomly selected and announced Thursday, October 30th on our blog and Facebook! Good luck everyone!
Labels: Designer Interview, Designer Tidbits, Fat Quarter Shop Fun, Kate Spain
