Desert Mesa by Dr. Helen Lucero  (mom)

It’s been a month (!) since I was eliminated from The Printed Bolt contest so the sting has faded. Although I was disappointed to no longer participate, I have reminded myself that one of the main reasons I entered was to LEARN— a benefit of which I received IN FULL. With each new challenge another way of seeing and designing opened up for me. With each judge score sheet I was encouraged to explore something new or to consider a different aspect of fabric design for quilting that I needed to improve upon. Scale, density, direction and color were common themes with the judges, many of whom are accomplished quilters, so they consider a fabric for their very specific end-uses and cut-ability.

The same week I found out I would not be continuing in the contest, I saw my good friend Cathe at a book signing for Rosette Art, her gorgeous project book for Chronicle Books. Her response to my disappointment in being eliminated; “There’s a reason this is happening, and it’s because there are other great plans for you.” Bless her and I know she didn’t just say it to be nice. What a down to earth and settling comment, the unknown fills me with peace.

A proper thank you to Ellen and Madeline of The Printed Bolt— you’ve created something really wonderful in Repeat(ed) and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to design for the contest. I do hope we meet again. Best of luck to the final four; you’ve all shown great innovation, desire and talent!

Recent themes: There is discovery, there is hard work, there is passion, there is hype… and there is life. The kind I need to show up for. To be there for those who are close and dear to me and suffering.

May we enjoy hopeful days with heaps of perspective.

I’ve finally gotten around to making a mark for myself that I’m much happier with. Most folks I know agree that this is one of the most difficult (and should be one of the most fun), tasks as a designer. Are you loving donkeys yet? You can find more on my Pinterest page.

I’m also very pleased with my new Moo.com stickers. The website has undergone some minor tweaks and NEW CLIENT WORK will be up within the month! Progress, not perfection. Now what can I put my first sticker on?

Some mod and tribal geometrics… interestingly, all found on the same trip.

It’s so fun to see how everyone in this contest thinks and their views from all over the world. We’re down to 6 designers. Here is the my latest entry and you can find everyone’s patterns (and vote) here.

I was inspired by Gennine to make this desktop calendar for you from a recent design I created for “The Farm Show” at the local Heebe Jeebe gallery. Click on image to download large version.

Yet another great theme and showing by my fellow contestants! Challenge 2 Tools of the Trade was posted today and it’s always fun to see how different designers interpret a theme and make it their own in style. Sometimes I think I like the research aspect of creating a pattern as much as the actual design! As I say in my post, if you want to be alerted when the full collection is finished, sign up on my mailing list to the right!

The last time I was in New Mexico I had one of the best thrift store sessions I’ve had in a long time. Cotton cowboy shirts, knit disco dresses and weirdo underpants— lots to inspire out there! Thought I’d share a few at a time in upcoming posts. Enjoy!

The Printed Bolt is well underway and I’m happy to report that I’ve made it to round 2 and came in second place! I’m very happy with the feedback I received from the judges and quilt experts. As promised, here are 4 other patterns I developed while creating the main print for Nepalese Dream. Thanks to everyone who signed up for notification to see these. If you’d like to subscribe to my blog it’s on the right hand side bar… I’ve got some fun posts planned.

Did I get your attention? One category of prints that I see the need to expand upon is florals. Many of my surface pattern friends do almost nothing BUT florals— and they are really lovely… just not my go-to subject. Could this spareness of florals be somehow connected to my shortage of single patterns? As I’ve said before, I think in collections.

Well, good thing for inspiring sites like 101Florals. Designers Lindsay Nohl and Llew Mejia have teamed up to bring us gorgeous weekly florals. I love that they explore different styles and mediums as well as inviting other designers to participate.

Llew gave me my choice of flower so I chose the ever-wild and abundant Naked Lady! AKA Bella Donna Lily, Resurrection Lily or Amaryllis. This common name comes from the lack of leaves which is really a reversal of leaf/flower growth described quite well here. Naked ladies appear like sticks and then grace us with their showy top blossoms around August, the accessory greenery gone months before. In Sonoma County you can find them all along the roadside like weeds. This little mouse is also a nod to the charm of this area… or maybe he’s there for the show.

Beyond excited this week to announce that I’ve been selected as one of 10 international designers to compete in The Printed Bolt’s 2nd Annual fabric design competition for quilt fabric: Repeat(ed)!!! This was my favorite online Surface Design event last year. The challenges were thoughtful and fun, plus the designers were incredible— so insightful to read about other artists’ process. I’m very honored to be among the new group of talented designers that will embark upon this 2013 creative challenge and who will be advised by a stellar panel of judges. Thank you, Ellen and Madeleine at The Printed Bolt for creating this excellent opportunity!