Design Time

Phew! I have been designing the next line of fabric since December. Traditionally, I try to keep the winter months unscheduled, specifically to be able to "get into the zone" of designing. This big block of uninterupted time allows me to concentrate on the job; it takes lots of dreaming, doodling, drawing, experimenting and adjusting. It can be a bumpy ride, like any creative process. The "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" are par for the course!

So now I can see the end in site, even though I can't see my worktable or the ironing board!

My walls are covered with designs grouped in their color families and the final adjustments are being made. It's an exciting time and I'm looking forward to fondling some "real" fabric after all this pencil and computer work. I still have lots of plans and projects for the Hothouse fabrics. But first the studio needs a spring cleaning!

All of these pictures are from last years design session for Jane's Hothouse Garden. Everything looks the same (even my outfit) except the designs on the walls. I'm afraid you will have to wait until Houston Market to see it. Sorry, but for now it's TOP SECRET!

This week I received a copy of The Quilter's Catalog: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Meg Cox, Workman Publishing. It is a brick of a book which covers every aspect of the quilting world. I was especially happy to read her perceptive chapter, "Fabulous Fabric and Where to Find It". She is one of the first to recognize that commercial fabric can be designed as art and so can be collected for it's own sake.  There is also good coverage about using the computer as a design tool. I get sucked in whenever I pick it up!