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fabric design

What is surface pattern design?

June 14, 2019

After being profiled by Uppercase Magazine last month for their Surface Pattern Design issue, it’s been great to connect with people from all over the world who have a love of repeat patterns!

You might be wondering, what is surface pattern design, anyway? As my creative work has expanded beyond my own product collection for Cotton & Flax, I’ve been working more as a freelance surface pattern designer. I use the term surface design from time to time, forgetting that it’s “insider” terminology.

Surface Pattern Defined

Surface pattern design is artwork that I create specifically to be applied as surface decoration. This could include patterns, illustrations, hand-lettering, and artwork in all sorts of styles, as long as they’re made to enhance the appearance or functionality of a product. For me, this usually means a two-color minimalist pattern design, but the style options for pattern design are endless.

I usually design patterns for use on fabrics — this is why I call myself a textile designer and a surface pattern designer interchangeably. My patterned home decor products, as well as the fabric yardage collections I create for Robert Kaufman Fabrics are all examples of my surface pattern design work. Surface pattern designers also create artwork for use on stationery, apparel, book covers, and gift items. In fact, I’d argue that murals are also a form of surface pattern design!

My creative career covers a lot of ground: business owner, artist, teacher, textile designer, and surface pattern designer. Having my creative work highlighted by Uppercase Magazine made me realize that I haven’t talked much about my transition to focusing on surface pattern design for select collaborations. I’m hoping to share more of my experience as a freelance designer here, especially with more partnerships in the works for 2020!

In the meantime: see more of my pattern making process, and explore my roundup of contemporary fabric designers!

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes Tagged With: fabric design, fabric designers, pattern

Introducing Balboa – New Linen Fabrics for Robert Kaufman

August 10, 2018

Balboa fabric fat quarter bundles

I’m thrilled to finally share Balboa, my second collection of 29 new patterned linen fabrics, created in collaboration with Robert Kaufman Fabrics in Los Angeles! This collection was inspired by my explorations into the world of textiles, featuring pattern motifs that echo Anni Albers’ weavings, Sashiko mending techniques, endless spools of cotton thread, and traditional woven baskets from around the world. The color palette is drawn from my life in my new city: San Diego. Lots of beautiful blues, sandy tans, and even a little green. I named my first fabric collection for the Arroyo Seco where I’d hike in LA, and Balboa is named for the park that’s just blocks from my new home — a beautiful place of inspiration in my daily life.

Meadowland Quilt made with Balboa fabricDouble Mountain Quilt made with Balboa fabric

I was excited to collaborate with a few of my favorite makers to create sample projects for this collection! I worked extensively with Meghan from Then Came June to mock up her gorgeous quilt patterns with Balboa fabric. The quilts above are called Meadowlands and Double Mountain.

Gemma Tank made with Balboa

My friend Kristyn sewed up this cute Gemma Tank from Made by Rae, and I’m in love! Gonna make so many tanks with Balboa for those late summer heat waves. She also sewed some Noodlehead wallets for me, which I’ll be sharing over on Instagram soon!

Balboa City Blocks - Quilt Designed by Erin Dollar for Robert Kaufman

I designed a special quilt for this release, which I called “City Blocks.” It will be available to download for free from the Robert Kaufman website once the fabric begins to ship to stores later in the Fall!

Cora Handbag made with Balboa fabric

The marketing team at Robert Kaufman created this beautiful Cora Bag from Sotak Handmade out of the Spools fabric in Chambray. Such a dreamy tote for all your crafty gear.

Balboa will begin shipping out to fabric stores later in the fall. If you’re excited to sew with Balboa, let your local fabric shop know, so they can order it! Sharing the love for this collection is the best way to make sure it ends up in more fabric stores near you.

I’m so excited to see what other makers will create with these new fabrics. The biggest thrill of releasing a new fabric collection is seeing my work take on new life as creative sewists make something new with my designs. If you create something with Balboa, tag me on Instagram, and use the hashtag #balboafabric!

Filed Under: Collaborations Tagged With: Balboa Fabric, fabric design, sewing

Fabric Designers – Names to Know

March 15, 2018

Carolyn Friedlander - Carkai fabric swatchesThe fabric industry can feel a little opaque sometimes. I get lots of emails from textile design students who are looking for advice, and I totally relate to that thirst for knowledge. There’s tons of info out there about talented fabric designers, but if you don’t know any famous textile designers’ names, it can be tough to know where to start.

I put together a list of my favorite contemporary textile designers, so that an artist interested in becoming a textile designer, or looking to learn how to become a fabric designer will find some inspiration. While some of these fabric designers’ names might not be the most recognizable in the textile industry, they’re certainly up-and-coming designers to watch out for. The textile designers’ websites are linked, so you can check out more of their work, and get inspired to sew!…

Read More

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Arroyo Fabric, fabric, fabric design, fabric designers, linen, pattern, quilts, sewing

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A textile designer’s journal

Welcome! I'm Erin Dollar, the textile designer behind Cotton & Flax. I create patterned home decor that's rooted in creative exploration.

Here I'll share peeks of my design process, creative inspirations, decor ideas, and more.

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A textile designer’s journal

Welcome! I'm Erin Dollar, the textile designer behind Cotton & Flax. Here I'll share peeks behind the scenes, recent inspirations, decor ideas, and more. Read More…

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