Welcome back to Part Two of my interview with fabric designer, Carol van Zandt.
While doing a bit of homework on Carol, I learned that she sewed clothing as a child, and later created home decor. Designing fabric inspired her to make her own quilts. Here’s a bit about her personal quilting experience.
Are you also a quiltmaker? If so, what style of quilts do you enjoy making?
Carol van Zandt’s first quilt.
I just started quiltmaking in the last eighteen months, inspired by all the people I have met making projects with my fabric. A trip to an East Bay Modern Quilt Guild meeting tipped me over the edge. I was blown away by the work they were doing. It just hit my sweet spot design wise. I am inspired to do more improvisational quilting and, though I sometimes plan a basic type of composition with a sketch, I am having a great time quilting for fun and making whatever I want unconstrained by market demands.
Honestly, traditional quilting can be jaw dropping and inspirational, but also very intimidating. With improvisational quilting I can stretch my creative wings by means of my penchant for abstract design coupled with my apparel-sewing skills. I am just beginning on this journey and want to savor every step and I suppose, in years to come, I will probably do a lot of different kind of quilts. I also design for the new collections I send into Andover to be used as a free downloadable pattern for the collection.
Soon though I will actually tackle quilting with my own fabrics, but I don’t want to give up the joy of networking with other quilters and sewists, sharing my fabric with them, and seeing what comes out! It is so thrilling and I learn so much seeing my designs in real life applications through other people’s projects. I pay close attention to their fabric selection and use.
Please tell us about your new line of fabric?
My new line is called Pop Rox by Andover Fabrics and will be in stores in the next month or so. It’s a very fun, geometric line in two colorways. It is simple and modern and very usable. One colorway is more pop with a lot of white and the second is a very different neutral handsome color way with browns and blacks and beiges. Both go great with solids. The main design is a border print with an ombre effect.
Pop Rox by Carol van Zandt for Andover Fabrics.
PopRox by Carol van Zandt for Andover Fabrics.
Do you have product/kits for sale? If so, where can they be purchased?
I carry my fabric lines in my Etsy shop. I didn’t put Tokyo Rococo or Licorice Fizz in there until they had been out for a year so as not to compete with the independent quilt stores. I wanted people to have access to it after it sold out of the stores, or if they have sewn with it and wanted more. It is always a big complaint from quilters and sewers that they can’t find favorite fabrics after they leave stores.
I also have started to sell kits for some of the projects people have designed with my fabric where I split the kit with the project pattern designer. I will be adding a number of kits for Pop Rox when we have them all ready. I will probably also sell fat quarter sets in advance of the year for Pop Rox, but if people want yardage, keep your local quilt stores in business!
Here are some of the creative projects that have been made using some of Carol’s fabrics.
Up, Up and Away by Patchwork Posse using Tokyo Rococco.
Gypsy by Creative Sewlutions using Tokyo Rococco.
Kaleidoscope by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes using Licorice Fizz.
Caroline Dress by Welcome to the Mouse House using Pop Rox.
I just visited Carol’s blog today and enjoyed reading about her recent Improv Round Robin experience at the Stitch Modern 2014 show. Take a peek here. I’m sure you will agree that it looks like a fun and creative workshop.
Many thanks again to Carol for sharing the story of her creative journey in fabric design. As promised, she is offering two fat packs of Pop Rox to two of our lucky readers. If you are interested in putting your name in the hat, simply leave us a comment by end of day, March 10, telling us what project you would like to make with the fabrics. The winners will be announced in Pati’s March 11 post and mailed as soon as they are available.
Carol’s Website: www.carolvanzandt.com
Carol’s Blog: www.theplaidportico.com
Carol’s Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolVanZandtLLC
Until next time, happy creating everyone!
