For the Love of Print

Because They Speak to Me...

Cleaning through my closet the other day, I realized I had a number of pieces of clothing that weren’t exactly my style of dress or cut of blouse, and I wondered why I bought them? Then it hit me, it was the print. I was blinded by its color and pattern. (I am a sucker for that.) Patterns literally jump out and speak to me when I am shopping. I have to be very careful as I walk into a store not to be wooed by the floral, geometric and organic images that are clearly calling my name.

And it doesn’t stop at clothes. I have notebooks, bowls, placemats and other home decor covered in beautiful textiles which are all the culprits of my weakness. (I guess I could have worse vices.) Lately I’ve been taking pictures with my iPhone for inspiration while the little voice inside me says, “You don’t need that, yes it's so pretty, walk away.” I am drawn to the intricate repeat of shapes and unusual color combinations I find. I also love how so many vintage patterns have recycled themselves into today’s fashion and decor. 

What speaks to you when you walk past it? For me it will always be pattern and I will forever be a textile junky. Over the last few years I have dappled in designing my own and have taken some amazing online classes with textile rock stars like Rachael Taylor and Jessica Swift. I’ve learned how digitize my artwork and create repeats for designing textiles. Maybe that’s a path I will explore further down the road, we will see.