Well, fall has officially arrived in Seattle, but if you want to keep your summer going, why don't you pick up some Painted Summer?
If these gorgeous, colorful fabrics swinging in the breeze don't make you feel like summertime, you have a heart of stone, my friend. Painted Summer is the second collection of fabric for In The Beginning Fabrics by Seattle artist Lida Enche. Lida's beautiful floral paintings make absolutely stunning fabrics and you will be blown away by how pretty the colors turned out! The fabrics are so eye-catching, and perfectly capture the spirit of a sunny summer day.
Lida was kind of enough to do an interview with us, so read on!
Quilt Sandwich: Please give us a little information on your art background.
Lida Enche: I grew up in a pretty normal but creative household with a Mom who went to Art school and an architect for a Dad. They encouraged me to make art - which opened the doors to attending a great magnet school called the Houston School of Performing and Visual Arts, and then on to The Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art in the wild and crazy East Village of Manhattan. It was quite a change from suburban Houston and I feel so lucky to have had that experience.
I am a painter and the way I create my designs is the old fashioned way - I hand paint them. I use acrylics on watercolor paper and then scan those images, then open them in Photoshop and come up with different color ways.
QS: What inspires you creatively?
LE: I get inspiration from the natural world around me. A walk with my dog in my neighborhood or a particularly beautiful plant or the way the light is can inspire a painting.
QS: What do you most like and dislike about the design process?
LE: I love painting, and then also seeing the finished product - the fabric. I love seeing how everyone is so different in their favorites and how they use the fabric. I find that very interesting. I am having a hard time thinking up a least favorite part... Really, the whole process is fun.
QS: What made you interested in getting involved in the quilting world?
LE: I love fabrics and always had a hard time finding what I wanted at fabric shops. One day I realized that I needed to get my art onto fabric and combine two things that I really love and have an appreciation for.
QS: Are you new to sewing and quilting?
LE: I am a self-taught sewer and very occasional quilter and have been sewing for about 5 years now. I'd categorize myself more of a painter and fabric collector than a quilter or sewer.
QS: How did you get connected with In The Beginning Fabrics?
LE: I asked around, and heard that In The Beginning Fabrics manufacturers quality cotton fabrics, has a great reputation and was local. Then, I started emailing Jason Yenter, the President of the company images of my art.
QS: What can you tell us about your new line, Painted Summer?
LE: It is joyful, sunshiny, vibrant and full of life. That's how I think of Summer and what I wanted to communicate with this collection.
QS: What other kinds of creative things are you doing?
LE: So many! I am working to get my designs onto additional products through licensing my art. I have a Fine Art, Illustration and Graphic Design business as well. And, am teaching art classes at a local school.
QS: What advice would you give to aspiring fabric designers?
LE: Don't pay too much attention to what others are doing. There is such a variety of designs out there. Just think about what you would like to buy if you went to a fabric store and make that - we all have to please ourselves as artists before we think about pleasing others. When you do what you are truly interested in, it shows and people respond to it.
QS: Any other information you would like to share?
LE: I have recently been doing lectures and presentations at local quilting guilds and even a weavers guild. I focus on the process of taking an initial idea, creating the art, then explaining the process of transforming it into quilting fabric. My lectures are called "From Paintings to Fabric". I have been having a great time meeting people and sharing my creative journey and encouraging others to enjoy their own paths to living creatively.
Thanks, Lida! It is so fun to hear from people who are doing what they are passionate about. I'm super excited to see what Lida will come up with next.
We at Quilt Sandwich Head Quarters fell in love with every piece in the Painted Summer collection, so we bought the whole shebang! Here's a little sampling of them, but check out our shop to see all of Painted Summer!
Also, check out Lida's blog for more information about Lida and her art!
We'll see you next time for more awesome fabric and inspiration.
Becca
I just received some Painted Summer fabrics and I love them, right now I can't stop just looking at and admiring them- they are so pretty. And they mix so well with the September Light collection. Now I just have to figure out which quilt pattern to use- I want to make a reversible quilt, a first for me!
Posted by: Suzanne | September 25, 2012 at 02:13 PM