31 HOME TEXTILE magazine INTERVIEW // Shanghai China

Last month I was asked by 31 HOME TEXTILE magazine to describe my design process a bit and to feature my work. The images are from my shoot with WINKY LEWIS last year along with a little session the other week that I did once I had a big wholesale order complete that was going to LOTUS BLUE in San Francisco. I thought I would take advantage of having some new colors and prints that were just finished. 

Just for fun I have attached the questions they asked and my answers. I have no idea what was published since it is in Chinese but this is what I said:

Enjoy.

FULL INTERVIEW:

I am a graphic designer that has evolved into surface textile design

>> 2. Please make a brief description of your designing style.

I love to draw and collect found designs in nature, old vintage found elements, and create collages and unique compositions and patterns

3.your growing background, the past experience and your hobby

I hand screen onto fabrics in my Maine Studio and create products out of the prints such as pillows and bags. My life is to be a mother, a wife and a designer---I am obsessed with design and composition and love being a graphic designer, textile designer and focus on all of this everyday. All my free time goes to raising my children and fine tuning my craft.

4. To become a really good designer, what qualities and talents can be need in your 

opinion?

All you need is a strong sense of self and know if you love what you do you will succeed. 

5. What features of your design work?

hand drawn, imperfect perfectness.

What is the source of your design inspiration? 

life. old vintage finds. my children. the maine woods outside my studio. my gardens. 

6.Who is your appreciated designers? Why is he or she?

I love Vera Neumann. She had vision and an amazing depth and endless amount of inspiration and body of work

7. What do you think about the function of color in your work?

color is life and that is what drives my designs---

8. Please give some suggestions to young people who is Engaged in the industry in 

china.

Listen to yourself and work hard---stay focused on what you want to achieve. Never under estimate the beauty and strength of perseverance.

Maine Home & Design

Hello all...just wanted to share a little feature from MAINE HOME + DESIGN  I had an idea to dig through all the amazingness on ETSY and find some cool pieces to throw into the mix in MH&D magazine. I pitched it to Susan and Rebecca and they loved the idea so yes--I searched and searched, flipped through thousands of images and found a lot of amazing things! I wanted to show case the eclectic vintage vibe that I am so in love with these days and illustrate how easy it is to find cool vintage pieces at great prices online--especially ETSY. 


So here is what we ended up with (images below). I was excited to work in a few Erin Flett pillows as well that went with this orange eclecticness...I love the new rounds--might be my favorite thing I have designed ever....


More soon on new pillow shapes and hopefully more great press! 


Thank you Maine Home & Design Magazine...I do love everyone at Maine Mag and MH&D--they are passionate people and believe in Maine and all the amazing people doing insanely wonderful things here. This is why this publication continues to thrive--both of them.  Here is what the blurp said in the little snippet under the ETSY FINDS. Enjoy.


BLURP FROM MAG:
Interior design in my mind is an eclectic journey. A process of finding things that are useful, mindful, and feel good. A collection that grows with you. I love a lot of different styles—antiques, new things, midcentury modern stuff, and everything in between. I am drawn to things that have a story or a past life—things with depth, things that have a soul. This collection is about life, color, and combinations that are cozy and rich with texture. The main pieces feel like I could live with them for a long time. I like to buy some staple items that are going to last, then switch out smaller items like pillows and accessories when I’m ready for a change. I found a lot of what you see here on Etsy, where everything is either handmade or vintage. Like most designers, I love the hunt, and finding pieces that get woven into your home’s tapestry is a fulfilling process. The inspiration for this living space comes from collecting found items and coming up with an eclectic mix. A space for watching TV, hanging out, lounging, reading a book, and a place infused with life and heart. For me, it’s not about matching everything together but creating an organic mixture of new and old, found and repurposed, things that speak to you personally. I think when you buy mindfully and slowly over time it makes for a more authentic space that ultimately feels peaceful. Everything can be new again if we can see past the imperfections—a great metaphor for life, really.

DESIGN*SPONGE -SUPER HUGE THANK YOU

One of my all time favorite blogs posted this yesterday. Speechless. All time record hits to my etsy. So so thankful to them!!! e


new pillows from erin flett | Design*Sponge

2012 15" Pillows!

Happy New Year! So excited about this year..going to be amazing. Kiddos are doing well and thriving and I am well, getting a good list of things going that I want to do better around here. I was really busy last few months and worked way too much and well, I became very sick. Coughing and a cold should not last for two months but seriously what was going on...not enough sleep and too many creative projects all at once..(I never thought I could run out of steam) but my body could not keep up. So I promised myself I will slow down a bit, go to yoga and do my gym time more consistently and yes the list goes on..so this year is about balance, kids having enough socks and underwear clean and me spending a ton of time designing and printing the things I love.

I finally had some SUN around here and did a mimi shoot in my bedroom--(has amazing light). So just a quick overview of the different prints that we just finished printing and stitching! You will notice TWO different fabrics. ONE being my standard lovely natural BARKCLOTH that I have been using since the start of my little business and NOW I am using a OATMEAL RECYCLED POLY Twill COTTON that is recycled soda bottles, recycled poly and cotton. ALL woven in the USA just like our original bark cloth. It's super soft, nice heavy weight and has a canvas backing that matches for the back slip covers. We are using a natural darker muslin for the hand screened tag on these. I looked for over a year for a darker USA woven fabric that we could add to the line. I finally found it..I hope you love it as much as I do. Basically for me it warms the pillows up a bit for FALL OR WINTER and or feels more organic or natural. Some people mentioned to me that they felt the natural bark cloth felt seasonal...and I struggled with wanting a ground that was a tad more earthy. SO this for me is the best of both.

AND don't forget to notice our new LETTER PRESSED hang tags. They are super lovely, Mark at Dunstan Press here in Maine did them on chip board just like my cards. IN BLACK of course. I love the utilitarian look and feel of the chip board..and ironically it totally matches the new oatmeal ground.

Thank you for all the support, letters and great feedback on ETSY. I hope you like the new shots...Cheers! e 

WINTER PICNIC // New Pillows

I wanted to share a few pics of the HOLIDAY PICNIC 3rd Annual Picnic Holiday Sale that took place here in Portland on Sunday, Dec 11, 2011.


Maslen + girls and I had a blast with YETTI and ended up selling a all time record amount of pillows, paper, frames and calendars! Thank you all who came by and said hello! We had no time to shoot images but here are a few that we managed to get inbetween all the buying, shopping madness!


Happy Holidays everyone! Looking forward to next year!

e

FINALLY! POP STORE OPENS + New Rounds + Piping + 2012 Flip Wiro Calendar

Okay. So I have been totally insane busy...every client I have has kicked things in high gear, holiday shows, new prints, rounds, calendars and the POP store (100 Commercial Street, Down Town Old Port, Portland Maine...SPACE GALLERY cards---all of it--a great few months of creative surge of energy and production! All of it has come together. After the holiday the girls + mas and I will go on a much earned vaca and escape hopefully to a log cabin somewhere--with  nothing but running hot water and the amazing Maine wilderness. BUT for now, deadlines are soaring and I am on top of it--(and will pass out from all of it and take long naps with the girls and drink loads of hot tea very soon!.

Please stop by the POP store that is only open through the holidays...a great collection of fine art, photography and hand made goodies from local MAINE designers....and a 10x6 space for all my new prints and 15" pillows as well as the new recycled oatmeal fabric that is super amazing. (woven in the USA, recycled soda bottles, poly and cotton.

Check out the new ROUNDS. I have been fine tuning these babies for half the year. Not sure what the deal was, but they were much more complicated then I thought even though I found a vintage one that I tried to mimic. I can't tell you how much fun I had when Mas brought them home finally from my stitcher...the piping was a major concern and I am in love with the random color of mixing piping and prints...

The calendar is HERE and ready to go! CLOSE BUY catalog has closed and I have a limited supply of these little gems. I really love the silver wiro. It added a ton on cost but hopefully folks will like the simplicity and ease of it. Maggie Hoople at East Shore hooked me up with PRINTING--super amazing quality. If you ever need help sourcing anything PRINT related contact her. She is amazing and a dear dear friend/mentor. I love her.