Becoming a Moda Designer
My first love has always been fiber arts and fabrics of all kinds. But, how did I make the leap from designing quilts and Shibori Indigo Dyeing to being a Moda Fabrics designer? It’s one of my favorite stories!
After doing my first year of Shibori resist and Indigo hand dyeing, I realized that I was seeing a lot of Shibori everywhere. It was in the magazines, on clothing racks in stores and also featured for home decor. It made me wonder why I didn’t see Shibori fabrics available for those of us who sew and design at home. And, that got me thinking beyond just hand dyeing for myself.
My Spinning Stars quilt pattern.
I already had a good relationship with Moda Fabrics because they had been one of the distributors for my Calico Carriage Quilt Designs patterns for many years. So, I decided to contact a friend at Moda. She told me how to submit my fabric design proposal and how to back up everything with the examples I was seeing in the magazines and other places.
Low and behold they were interested! And, as they say . . . the rest is history!! Moda takes good care of their designers and they support my creativity and independent thinking. I couldn’t ask for a better fit.
Being a Moda designer ensures that my fabrics are top quality, which is very important to me. In my home studio in Texas, I do all the stitching, folding and wrapping and dyeing of the fabrics that are the basis for my Moda collections.
The fabrics are then sent to a locally-owned mill in Japan and reproduced to the highest standards. In 2019 I had the extreme honor of visiting the mill owner in Kyoto. I was so impressed with the dedication to quality and the kind way I was treated.
Continuing to attend classes about Shibori Dyeing and exploring techniques is very important to me. I will never stop learning! If you’d like to read about my journey into Indigo Dyeing and my obsession with Shibori, click here to read last week’s blog post!
I love traveling to teach and speak for quilt shops and guilds and this world has opened to me even wider as a Moda designer. Traveling to QuiltCon to appear in the Moda booth in Nashville a couple of years ago was another delight! Being a Moda Fabrics designer has offered me so many wonderful opportunities and I can’t express well enough how much I enjoy my association with this great company.
The yearly retreats held for the Moda team are a real bonus. They're a terrific way to connect with other Moda Fabrics designers and gain lots of creative inspiration! Click here to read about this year’s retreat at Lisa Bongean’s Primitive Gatherings retreat center.
My Usagi baby quilt pattern.
So, now the years have added up to many collections of Shibori fabrics and I have several available for you on my web site. Click here to shop and enjoy! You'll also find my quilt patterns ready to order in hard copy or downloadable PDF format. Click right here to browse through my patterns.
Being part of the Moda Fabrics family is such a privilege. I have had wonderful experiences and met so many amazing people. Thank you, Moda Fabrics! You are a joy in my life every day!!
DEBBIE
Use the links below to follow me every day!
Leave a comment