MMQG members were overjoyed recently to have the opportunity to see illustrator, fabric designer, quilter, author, maker and all round quilty guru Tula Pink!
On her first trip to Australia, the #tulatroops turned up in force, including MMQG members, to hear Tula talk about herself, her work and her inspiration.
Tula is a self-taught quilter, who took a trip to a quilt store 25 years ago, and found her place. Inspired by fabric designers Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler, she decided to design her own fabric line and self-print it. With a background in graphic and commercial design, she set about the task and sent her work out to design houses for some feedback. Her designs got picked up straight away and all of a sudden, she was a fabric designer!
As a quilter herself, she considers the design elements of her fabrics holistically; what they will look like on the bolt, as yardage, and cut up in small pieces (as quilters tend to do!). To showcase her ranges, she makes 10-12 quilts herself to show off the fabrics in all their glory. And they’re glorious!
She is now celebrating 10 years in the business as a highly successful fabric designer, with 20 ranges produced. It takes her two years for a range to grow from concept stage to being available in store, and she has five fabric lines in various stages of production at any given time.
Following her talk and trunk show, Tula was very generous with her time and signed books and fabric, and everyone totally kept their cool.
Thanks so much for visiting Tula, and thanks also to (MMQG sponsor) GJ’s Fabrics for holding the event.