I’ve been spotting some amazing patterns online recently. Have you seen my Patterns Pinterest board? It’s out of control. Over 900 pins, and I’m not stopping anytime soon.
These four images inspired me this week: (clockwise from top left) Marimekko / Beautiful Tile (frustratingly unattributed) / Chladni Plates (Exquisite patterns emerge from salt scattered on a metal plate which is stroked with a bass fiddle bow, illustrating two dimensional vibration) / Ray Eames with her Dot pattern (also frustratingly unattributed, c’mon internet! Get it together!)
pattern
Inside my Sketchbook
I have been debating whether to share pages from my sketchbook for a while, ever since I promised to share the behind the scenes of Cotton & Flax, even the not so glamorous stuff. The thing is, I feel like I have a very warped perspective of what an artist’s sketchbook is supposed to look like. I would see beautiful sketchbooks on Book By Its Cover and think, “Is that what my sketchbook should look like?! Those sketchbooks look so perfect, filled with lots of finished drawings and paintings!” I started to feel bad that my sketchbooks almost never feature any finely polished drawings.
For me, the sketchbook is where I work out “problems.” Where I develop new ideas and practice new techniques. I allow myself to be weird and messy in my sketchbook because it frees me to work without worry. It might not always be pretty to look at, but I look at my sketchbook less as an art piece in and of itself, and more as a tool that I use to create my own art.
Ultimately, I wanted to share these pages to erase any doubt that my designs just pop into my head as finished patterns. It takes me quite a while to develop the final patterns, and my sketchbook is a huge part of that process. Do you keep a sketchbook? Do you share it with anyone? Would love to hear what my creative readers use their notebooks for!
Modern textiles at LACMA
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post these inspirational patterns. I spotted these two textile designs at the California Design show at LACMA a few months ago, and I just love their strange, imperfect repetition. The pattern on the left is called Incantation Textile, and was designed by Alvin Lustig in 1947. The pattern on the right is an Eames pattern, if I’m not mistaken. Did anyone else happen to see the CA Design show? There were so many great pieces featured in the exhibit.
Patterns Everywhere
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I post a lot of photos of patterns I encounter out in the world. Here are a few shots from my summer outings, all which feature awesomely bold patterns.
From top left, clockwise: My cat Frida, lounging with my Bookhou purse and an Ikea pillow // My Bookhou purse and Keiko‘s Shelter bag // My friend Nina in an art installation in Hayes Valley // Some Falconwright pouches, spotted at Poketo.
Patterns at PDX
Just got back from a trip to Portland, Oregon (my hometown, and favorite place on Earth). I took tons of photos that I’ll be sharing here soon, but I wanted to post these two patterns that I spotted in the Portland airport. On the left, a couple awesome wallets from the new Pendleton store that’s outside security. On the right, the awesomely kitschy carpet that’s all over the airport… I have a strange fondness for it.
The carpet in PDX is so quirky, I’m sad they’ll be tearing it out and replacing it. Looking forward to sharing more snippets of my trip: I took a few tours of friends’ studios, and visited my favorite fabric stores in Portland, and I’m excited to hear what you think.
Patterns all day, every day.
August was a busy month at Cotton & Flax! As I prepare for the launch of the Fall/Winter line later this month, I have been working diligently to create a new set of patterns to add to the Cotton & Flax collection. You may have seen me posting some in progress shots of my patterns on Instagram (I’m @erin_dollar (edit: make that @cottonandflax) in case you want to follow me!). When I am developing patterns, I spend a lot of time drawing in my sketchbook, creating hand carved stamps to try out new shapes, and scanning and editing those patterns in Photoshop.
In the next couple weeks, I hope to share a little video showing some of my drawing process for these patterns, but until then, I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek into how these patterns come to life.
