Quilt Market is taking place in Portland this week and I will be attending for the first time (yeah!). I am excited to see what the quilt world is up to, but I am also excited to have the opportunity to “talk patterns” all day long.

Earlier in the week I was having dinner with a client and we were discussing how competitive the quilt market has become. To stay ahead, manufacturers have to constantly be on the lookout for original, unique patterns that are truly special. To me, “special” work evokes some kind of emotion (in commercial art the emotion should usually not be negative-but there is always a time and a place for that as well). When I first saw the work of today’s featured designer, Belinda Marshall, I immediately felt a strong swell of emotion and recognized that I was seeing something truly special.

Belinda is a self-taught artist and surface designer living in Melbourne, Australia. She works in a variety of mediums from paints to collage and describes her work in such a lovely way:

“I use layers of abstract blocks of colour and sections of representation in varying degrees of simplicity or detail to share this world ~ leaving out what isn’t relevant to the mood of the work and focusing only on what resonates and draws me in. My intention is to communicate my experience of the environment, even if embellished or highlighted to some degree ~ how it feels to be struck by the detail of one kangaroo paw flower and then also how it feels to walk through a mini forest of fully grown kangaroo paw plants. The surprise of discovering combinations of shapes and colours in a local front yard and what it might say about the person who put it together that way.

My work is also a form of meditation ~ it’s a necessary process that connects me to my self and the world of possibility. Observing beautiful things and trying to express that beauty in my work lifts me into a habit of finding more beauty and more meaning. By surrounding myself with things of beauty and meaning I can feel more grounded and happy.”

Best of luck to all who are at Quilt Market or Surtex this week. May you all leave with new contacts, contracts and lessons learned!

What is a pattern collection?

A collection is simply three to seven patterns with a consistent color palette, artistic style and trend focus. All of the patterns work together, support one another and are often sold as a group.

Collections are most frequently used in the textile design world, although they can also be found on stationary, home goods and other surfaces.

Why are collections important?

Pattern collections simplify the decision making process for buyers.

Home quilters and sewers like to purchase collections because they know that the colors and patterns are going to compliment one another and their final product is going to be gorgeous. Rather than choosing five fabrics from a fabric store filled with hundreds of options, they can find one collection that they like and then purchase yardage of each pattern within the collection.

Apparel and home decor manufacturers like to purchase collections because it allows them to easily merchandise their products. For example, a bedding designer may need several patterns for their next collection. Most consumers do not want the same pattern on their duvet cover, sheet set and bed skirt, so having several patterns that work well together, but are not too similar is ideal.

What types of patterns are used in a collection?

A pattern collection usually has a main print, often referred to as a “focus print.” In The Sellable Sketch I refer to this print as the moneymaker print, because it is often the boldest in the collection and draws in buyers to your website, booth or portfolio.

The supporting patterns in the collection are called coordinates. Their artistic style and color usage should match the main print and together, the patterns should tell a consistent story.

How can I turn my sketch into a collection?

Developing a strong collection starts with knowing your market and identifying which patterns, trends and colors they are going to find irresistible a year to two years from now, when your patterns are being sold on the sales floor.

Once your collection direction is clear, it is simply a matter of develop your sketch into a main pattern with a strong layout and color story. You should then develop two to five supporting patterns which create a cohesive pattern “family.”

Having a system to follow each time you start a new collection will bring a sense of ease to your development process and will enable to you develop more professional collections at a faster pace. You will no longer feel overwhelmed by the process, but will feel driven to create collections that you can confidently use to contact agents, manufacturers or hiring managers.

If you wish to learn more about the process then please join us for the next Sellable Sketch Workshop which begins May 27th.

Today we are proud to feature the work of Sara Franklin, a recent alumna of The Sellable Sketch Workshop. She created a beautiful collection over the course of this six week design class, drawing on her “love of abstract expressionism, the home decor market and the feeling of freedom when putting paint to paper!” Sara has been able to apply the methods learned in the Sellable Sketch Workshop to her everyday work as a stationery designer, and hopes to sign with a textile agent soon.

Post by Claire Carey, images via: Super Trash, Molo, Bakker made with love (Orange Mayonnaise), Zadig et Voltaire, Soft Gallery, Babiekins, Munster Kids, Ej Sikke Lej, Stella McCartney, ESP No.1

“funky, hip, a bit ‘out there’, very grown up and also very current (think the Met Ball in NYC last weekend!). This punk trend is line drawings, black, painterly lines, quirky figures and illustrations with a lot of neon” – Claire

Today’s featured designer, Keema of Pencil Me In, has a knack for developing patterns that are stunning, sophisticated, bold, clever and just plain fun. I had the pleasure of meeting her during February’s UGTR Workshop and fell in love with her pattern styling.

Keema is a stationery and textile designer who loves color, texture and anything design. While attending the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, she won the Connecticut Art Director’s Club Excellence Award for a branding project, amongst other accomplishments. Post graduation, she was asked to join Glamour Magazine as an intern. There, she learned the behind the scenes of how to maintain a successful magazine, which lead to her Assistant Art Director position at Symphony Publishing. Keema finally began her own company Pencil Me In™ where she provides fun stationery and bold textiles.

Over the weekend, take the time to check out Pencil Me In. You can also follow Keema through her blog.