Joanna Figueroa, blogger, mother, quilt and fabric designer tells us about the “Fabric Design Process”, as she guest writes for the QuiltersBuzz again today in Part 2 of her 3-part series.  Joanna owns her own company, Fig Tree Quilts, and designs fabric lines for Moda Fabrics.

Here is Joanna.

The Design Process

Once the fabric palette and the designs are finished, regardless of what medium or method you work with, the next step is submitting the “whole kit ‘n caboodle” to the design director along with any instructions you might have for the mill.

For many fabric companies, those mills are not in the United States but rather in one or more countries such as Korea, Japan, Pakistan, India, or others. For us at MODA, depending on what kind of fabric it is--woven, printed or specialty--will determine what country our designs will end up in. If both kinds of fabrics are in one collection, then those designs will not only have to be sent back to us for approval, but will also have to be coordinated between the countries in which they originated.

And then the wait begins. Anywhere between a few weeks and a couple of months later, depending on deadlines, a wonderful little package will arrive on my doorstep.

STRIKEOFFS!!
 Strikeoffs are small pieces of fabric that have been printed by hand--not put through the giant printing rollers--showing the designer various color combinations that are options for the collection.

As designers it is our job to approve the strikeoffs for color and to make any necessary changes in color combinations or color details. For designers who submit all of their own original artwork, this part of the process is different. But for those of us who submit a combination of drawings, computer images, swatches, etc. this process of deciding on combinations is a crucial one. Sometimes this takes several sets of strikeoffs, and sometimes it is perfect right off the bat.

I always hope for the latter and plan on the former! 

After final approval, the strikeoffs go back to the mills for production. And then we wait again. This time for “air yardage” to arrive hopefully in time for us to produce something wonderful before Market.

(Ed. Note: Quilt Market happens twice a year.  Generally, in the fall, shop owners are reviewing and buying fabric for the spring and summer seasons, and at Spring Market, they are viewing fall and winter fabric selections.  Many designers, like Joanna, are producing a line of fabric for each market-that is enough to keep anyone busy, busy, busy!)

The fabric has been printed but it takes weeks for it to arrive here by boat, so a small amount of yardage is sent by air in order for the designer to have some ahead of time, in order for MODA to make fat quarter bundles and jelly rolls that, and for samples and swatch cards to be made for Market. (Jelly Rolls are a pre-cut 2 ½” strip, one of each color “sku” in a line that are rolled and bundled in a cute little package; so that the consumer can buy a jelly roll and get a “taste” of each fabric in a line.)

And then a new set of insanity begins. Usually by the time the air yardage comes, most of our patterns have been made, photographed & printed into patterns. Many designers use strikeoffs or fabrics that are similar to what we know is coming in the hopes that it will resemble the actual fabric as much as possible.

If we are lucky enough to get the air yardage in time, we will then be burning the midnight oil to have a few samples or models made out of the actual new fabric in time to squeeze it all into our two allotted suitcases and make our way to Market. Shown here are some sneak peaks at our new line of fabric that will debut at Spring Market in Salt Lake City. I can honestly say that you are the first to see this line since it hasn’t even arrived in air yardage yet!!

Next comes Market, and then the orders begin to arrive, by the bucketful if we’re lucky. Thank God that I have Mr. Fig to worry about that part of the business. 

Oh, yeah and did I mention that in between this, I am trying to be a good PTA mom… Well maybe not so good. Only one of my kid’s classes is getting a school auction quilt this year… if they’re lucky. But I truly can’t think of any other job I would rather have! Deadlines and all, it really is a wonderful way to make a living doing the art you love for the people you have come to know as your extended quilting family…. [Okay, so I’m getting mushy….] 

Next time, I will give you a sneak peak at MODA headquarters. Now there is a place filled with inspiration!!

Thanks Joanna, for your insights into the “making of fabric”. 

Be on the lookout for Joanna’s spring line called “Folklorique”, which should be hitting store shelves now. (See jelly roll.)

And the above photos are a sneak peak of her line, "Allspice Tapestry", coming out this fall from Moda.

 Read more about Joanna and her great works in progress on her blog and website.

(Photos and graphics thanks to Joanna and Gregory Case Photography.)