Hello Fat Quarter Shoppers! It's Kate Spain here on the Jolly Jabber and I'm so thankful to Kimberly and FQS for inviting me here today to share about Paradiso, my newest fabric collection for Moda Fabrics!
Q: Tell us about the Paradiso collection. What were you inspired by?
Kate: As it usually happens with my design process, when I finish one collection, I'm left with more ideas swirling around and unresolved so they carry me forward into the next collection. My previous collection, Horizon, was inspired by the colors of sea glass, and I guess it was that combination of dreaming of warm shores and escaping the cold winter that very naturally drew me into a tropical palette and floral Paradiso. The corals, aquas, blues and charcoal grays will blend perfectly with any leftovers from Horizon to create a bright beautiful range of harmonious, happy colors. If anyone has the kind of winter we've been having, Paradiso couldn't arrive at a better time!
Q: Which print is your favorite?
Kate: My favorite prints are usually the ones where I feel like I'm trying something a little different and bringing something new to my style that stretches and pushes me forward as a designer. It's probably because of this that I can never pick which prints will be the most popular in a collection! I get attached to certain prints for various reasons so can I cheat and pick three? I love the energy of Rhapsody. This came from a painting I did in my sketchbook.
I really like the texture of this one called Tradewinds from random elements I pulled together from my sketchbook. And I didn't realize it until I actually made a quilt, but I love the optical motion that Veranda adds to a finished quilt.
Q: What is your favorite project you made with Paradiso?
Kate: Can I have a few favorites for this too? For Fall Quilt Market, the Moda Schoolhouse included a "pajama party" theme, so to play along, we were asked to make pajama bottoms. I have to admit, it seemed a bit daunting having never sewn anything that fit well before (oh! I've tried). But I turned to the internet for some how-to tutorials and was able to make a pair of drawstring PJs that I wear all the time. I incorporated elements from here and there and improvised a lot!
I'm also really excited to be offering new quilt patterns in our shop!
Here's Shangri-La that I pieced and quilted for my booth at Quilt Market.
And here's Tradewinds that was pieced by Sherri McConnell, quilted by Val Krueger and is on our bed right now - along with my fave Denyse Schmidt pillows! As you can see, this quilt happens to be someone else's favorite too!
Q: If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Kate: Paws down, I'd want to be a cat so I could lounge on the ironing board, like Franny, instead of actually using it.
Stretch and sleep, like Lou, as much as possible
Or squeeze myself into an empty box, like Roscoe for a nap,
For a gazillion more pictures of these three (well, and some other photos too), come and visit me on instagram @katespain. Hope to meet you there!
SURPRISE! Franny, Lou, and Roscoe (along with Kate) are giving away a Paradiso Fat Eighth bundle and a Paradiso PDF pattern of your choice! To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is enter through Rafflecopter below.
Thank you so much for reading along! We can't wait to see what projects are made with Paradiso, and please don't forget to share so we can highlight your beautiful work!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Labels: Designer Interview, Designer Tidbits, Fat Quarter Shop Fun, Kate Spain, Moda Fabric
