Lo okBo ok FABRIC
SIRENA by JESSICA SWIFT
FABRIC PROJECT CATALOG
Blue and purple
reign in this underwater queendom.
The world of the mermaids
Aquamarina and Violette
is adorned by friendly sharks, dancing octopi, bright corals
and the exotic fruits and leafs they gather
from the ocean’s surface.
Q &A
Jessica
SWIFT
“...I NEVER HAVE A PLAN IN THE BEGINNING, SO IT’S ALWAYS A FUN SURPRISE TO SEE WHERE THINGS GO. “ 1. Hi Jessica! Congratulations on releasing your second fabric collection, Sirena! We understand you drew a lot of inspiration from the 1980’s movie, Splash. Can you tell us more about this and how it evolved eventually into fabric prints? Hi! Thank you so much! I am so thrilled that I’ve gotten to release 2 collections with AGF so far – honestly, what a dream come true! (I’ll probably say that in every single interview, haha.) I love this collection and how it turned out, and YES it’s true that the initial inspiration for the collection stems from my sister’s and childhood obsession with the movie Splash, one summer. We thought we could turn ourselves into mermaids if we added salt to our kiddie pool in the backyard. We did this daily. Sadly, it never worked (I wish I could tell you I’ve secretly been a mermaid all these years!), but thankfully it did result in something fruitful, albeit 30 years later. My fabric collections with AGF so far have been rooted in real experiences from my own life; for some reason this mermaid memory popped into my head when I sat down to start dreaming about what this collection would look like, and it just felt like the right direction to start exploring. The Siren Song prints (the mermaids) were the first prints I designed, and everything flowed from there. So while it’s more of a tropical/ocean collection and not at all specific to the details in the movie Splash, the root of the collection is most certainly in this silly and cherished memory from my childhood! 2. Since we’re on the subject of mermaids, if you were a mermaid, what would your name be, and what color(s) would your mermaid hair and tail be?
Oh I love this question! My mermaid name would be Allegra, my mermaid hair would be turquoise and salmon-y pink, and my tail would be shimmery aqua. 3. What was the most exciting part of creating Sirena? Most challenging? The most exciting part of creating Sirena was definitely when I finished the main mermaid print. My first try was not good, so I felt a bit nervous and disheartened that I wasn’t going to be able to bring my vision to fruition (all part of the creative process, am I right?), but my second try was much better and I ended up feeling surprised at how much I loved it when it was finished! The most challenging part for me, which is going to sound really weird, was creating the more simple blender prints. I tend toward “the busy” in all of my work, so backing off a bit, creating more space, and creating designs that are meant to blend and feel a bit more neutral and/or act as a solid is not my forté. So it took a few tries and lots of color changes on the simple prints, but the collection eventually came together. The whole process is so fun, though, that even the challenging parts never feel bad or hard. :) 4. How do you usually go about your design process? Does intuition often play a main role? Yes yes YES. Intuition is really the only way I know how to design. In the beginning, I just listen and wait for some sort of idea or theme to grab by. I think about memories, things I love, themes or ideas that are particularly interesting to me currently, colors that have caught my eye, everything. Pinterest is helpful in narrowing in on ideas and creating mood boards from which to start honing in my ideas. But when I start designing, it’s really just a matter of sitting in front of a blank white screen (sometimes it’s my computer, sometimes it’s my iPad Pro) and starting to draw. I never have a plan in the beginning, so it’s always a fun surprise to see where things go. I start with a color palette in mind, but it often changes along the way as the designs progress and colors feel like they need editing. This is also very intuitive; I just try to listen to what the designs need and let them lead the way. That sounds weird, but I don’t really know how to explain it any other way!
As far as putting the collection together, each new print informs the next; I don’t ever have a plan for what types of prints or what motifs will be in certain prints when I begin designing and drawing. For example, in this Sirena collection I didn’t plan to create a squid print, a pineapple print, and tropical leaf prints to go along with the mermaids; each print just flowed and sparked new ideas for the next print, etc. It’s sort-of a circular process, really, editing and adjusting and creating new images all along the way! It’s a very fun way to work. 5. The color palette of Sirena is so fun and summery! How did you narrow down these colors for this collection? Thanks! I love how the colorways turned out. The colors in the collection are close to the original colors that I used when designing, but AGF and I worked together to brighten it up a bit and make it feel really summery. Some collections require lots of color changes and edits, but this one didn’t actually need that much. I was so happy the colors I chose ended up working with the season in which the fabric would be released! Since I don’t start with a plan, this was really a lucky coincidence on my part. Though most of what I design is pretty bright and happy, so I guess maybe it’s not that surprising. I wish I had a better answer to this question, but I didn’t really go through too many color options for this collection. It was blue and purple colorways right from the start! 6. What are you most excited about to see makers create with Sirena? That is a mean question, haha. I’m excited to see everything! There are so many insanely talented makers out there making so many incredible things! But I think I’m feeling particularly excited to see the kids clothing that will be made with this collection….. I think there are just so many fun Sirena options for adorable tiny clothes that I can’t wait to see what gets made. Maybe it’s also because I really wish I had those kind of skills, and unfortunately I just don’t (yet!), and also I have a toddler of my own, so I just love seeing all the creative ways that people dress their adorable children. It’s so inspiring for me!
7. Are you planning any upcoming sewing projects that we must know about? Yes! I’m currently addicted to making tote bags. I’ve made a couple recently and have plans for more. Lots more! Speaking of totes, I’m currently hosting a Sirena Summer Tote Challenge, where makers are invited to make their ideal summer tote using my Sirena fabrics. Any and all types of totes and bags are welcome – duffle bags, purses, travel bags, market totes, backpacks, anything. If it’s a bag that holds things, it will work in the challenge. Details are on my blog and on Instagram. I’ve also got a bunch of talented makers making tote bags that I’ll be sharing throughout the summer, so basically it’s a summer tote bonanza in my world! For non-tote projects, though: I’m working on my first-ever quilt for my little boy, using fabrics from this Sirena line of course and also my first line with AGF, Tallinn. I’m also making a blanket with the knits from the Sirena collection and am currently puzzling over how to bind it. Binding with knits = not very easy so far! Other than that, I really want to learn to sew clothes, so those will be my next sewing adventures, I think. I made jammies for my kiddo, so I might venture into jammies for myself, too! I also have visions of sewing knit jammies for all my nieces and nephews for Christmas this year… we’ll see if I can make that happen. There are 9 of them, all different ages and sizes, so it’s a bit ambitious for a novice like me! 8. Five things you can’t live without? My family. My computer (for designing, of course!) Grapes. Kombucha. Exercise. Boring but true answers!
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Made by Jessica Swift
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Tote Bag
Made by Jessica Swift Based on a tote bag design by Quilt 101 Featuring SRN-6352, SRN-6350, SRN-6354 & SRN-5353 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
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by Violette Field Threads Made by Ashley Cowan Featuring SRN-5356 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
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by Jessica Kapitanski from Sallie Tomato Featuring SRN-6350 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
MAKE
Patch
by Carl Featurin CLICK T
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hwork Linen Pencil Pouch
la’s Creations (Craftsy) ng SRN-6350, SRN-6355, & SRN-5356 TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
Made by Sharon McConnell
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Bon Bini Sunset Quilt byAGF Studio CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN!
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by Emmaline Bags Made by Sarai Schuk Featuring SRN-6354 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
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by Deer & Doe CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN!
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THE BL O CK C O R N E R
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SRN-5350 SIREN SONG TWILIGHT
SRN-5351 OCEANIA NIGHTLIGHT
SRN-5352 WAVELENGTH SAND
SRN-5354 OCEAN FLORET BREEZE
SRN-5355 KELP SUNSHINE
SRN-5356 ANANAS AQUA
SRN-6350 SIREN SONG ORCHID
SRN-6351 OCEANIA MORNING
SRN-6352 WAVELENGTH REEF
SRN-6354 OCEAN FLORET STORM
SRN-6355 KELP STORM AND MIST
SRN-6356 ANANAS SORBET
AQUAMARINA
SRN-5353 CALAMAR CORAL
SRN-6353 CALAMAR CITRON
SRN-6357 JUNGLE HEATWAVE
VIOLETTE
SRN-5357 JUNGLE TROPICALE
In 2004, our desire to bring a chic and modern perspective to the quilting idustry is what inspired us to start Art Gallery Fabrics. Since then creativity, beauty, and design have been our passions. And to this day, they have not changed. When it comes to designing a collection we always keep originality and uniqueness on the top of our list. We have the pleasure of working with a talented design team who creates enticing color palettes and artful, intricate prints that make our collections one of a kind. Art Gallery designs fabrics that keep up with ongoing trends and at the same time it encourages our customers to use new colors and patterns so they venture out of their usual comfort zone. Designs that evoke style with a statement of color. A quality that sets us apart. Art Gallery Fabrics! 100% PIMA COTTON
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58/60" (152 cm)
52/53" (133 cm)
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