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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s basically all we want to talk about.

Caroline: Today we’re interviewing Rashida Coleman-Hale, fabric designer for Ruby Star Society. We talk to her about her journey to becoming a surface designer, her process for designing fabric collections, and her upcoming book.

Helen: If you love to sew, this is your show.

Helen: Hello, Rashida! Thank you for coming on the show today.

Rashida: Hi, thank you for having me. I’m so excited to be here.

Helen: We’re so excited to have you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Rashida: Sure. I’m Rashida Coleman-Hale. I’m a fabric designer with Ruby Star and, I guess, an illustrator and published author.

Helen: And where are you from, Rashida?

Rashida: Originally, I’m from Orlando, Florida, but I’m living in California right now.

Helen: Nice. Okay. The first question we love to ask all of our guests is: how and when did you learn how to sew?

Rashida: Oh my gosh. I learned when I was 12. One summer, my mother, she decided that I needed to learn how and, you know, I was pretty reluctant. Reluctant and curious, I should say, because, you know, we had a family of sewers. So, my grandfather, he was a tailor back in the Caribbean. And then my grandmother, she also did a lot of sewing and hand sewing and crafting. So there was always something being made in my, in my home. I, I lived with my grandparents. They raised me, but my mom came to visit and she’s like, “You need to learn how to sew.” So she took me to May’s Fabric. That was the name of our little shop. And she took me and had me pick out a pattern. And, at the time, it was in the nineties. So I picked out this vest and some hammer pants…

Helen: Of course.

Caroline: I love it.

Rashida: And this really hideous orange fabric. And, you know, we picked out all the notions and everything and went home and she taught me how to do it. And, my god, it was really fun, but it was stressful. And I was kind of annoyed, ‘cause I was like, “Why do I need to do this?” You know? But at the end, I was just like, “Oh, I made this thing! It’s really cool! It looks hideous, but this is amazing,” you know? And I just, yeah, I never looked back. So, I just got really into fashion through her and into making garments and stuff like that. So I went to fashion school to learn fashion design.

Helen: Wow. So cool. I’m wondering, because you are a textile designer, if you’ve always had that love and excitement for fabric and for prints. Like, do you remember feeling that way when you were young?

Rashida: I do, I do. Gosh, there’s so many options when you go into the fabric store and I love just walking through and touching and feeling things and the different substrates and stuff. That was always so fun and exciting. And especially growing up backstage at those shows and getting to see the garments and how some of them were being altered and stuff, like, at the fittings, and it was just really fun and intriguing, you know? Like, how can you take this flat textile with no shape and then suddenly you can turn it into this amazing beautiful thing, you know? I love that so much.

Helen: Yeah, it is so transformative and incredible.

Caroline: Yeah. So tell us more about your professional journey. You said you went to FIT. So how did you get into being a surface designer and an artist?

Rashida: It’s from blogging. I was a stay-at-home mom in the early twos and, gosh, my daughter was such a good baby. And so I was bored. You know, I had been used to just, like, you know, working and going off and doing my thing. And so I was home with this really good, quiet baby and so my husband suggested that I start blogging. He’s like, you know, “You’re here sewing and making stuff for her. Why don’t you blog and post stuff?” So I was like, “Oh, that’s a good idea.” So I did. And my blog, it was called I Heart Linen. And it got a little popular from the projects that I was posting and stuff like that. And Stitch Magazine, they were an Interweave Press magazine, the editor reached out and asked me to do a couple projects for them. So I thought, “Oh my gosh, I’ve got my foot in this door of an editor. You know, I’m already doing projects and posting tutorials and I know how to do this. You know, let’s see if she’ll accept my book proposal.” And, you know, I asked her if she would take a look and she was like, “Oh, that’s funny. We were gonna ask you to do a book with us next.”

Helen: Oh, wow.

Rashida: So yeah. So that’s how I wrote I Love Patchwork. That was my first book, in 2009. My goodness, so long ago now. And It just felt natural to me at the time. I said to myself, you know, “You wrote a book. Why don’t you try making fabric next,” you know? So, I got out my pen and pencils and paper and got on the computer, as well, because I had already been pretty well-versed in Photoshop and Illustrator from doing freelance design on my own. And I put some stuff together and I sent it around to a couple places and I got a ton of no’s. Oh my gosh.

Helen: Oh, really?

Rashida: Yes, a ton. It was kind of embarrassing. But you know, I think it was just a really new thing for me. So I don’t think I really had a set style at the time. I was kind of just making whatever I thought was cute. But I kept editing it and kind of trying to make it a little better. And then I reached out to Timeless Treasures and, the same day, the art director, she reached out. She replied to my email. I was really shocked ‘cause usually they take a little time, you know. And she said, “Oh my gosh, I just bought your book today.”

Helen: Oh, no way.

Rashida: I know. I was like, “Oh my gosh. Wow. That’s amazing. How…?” You know, just kismet, I guess. And so she looked at my work and was, she really loved it and that’s how I started fabric design.

Helen: Wow.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. It’s so cool. It feels like it was meant to be…

Rashida: Yeah.

Caroline: Even the writing of your first book and then that sort of leading you into surface design. And you persevered, which is amazing. I mean, I want to know a little bit more about the different fabric companies that you’ve worked for. So you started off with Timeless Treasures, but how did that lead you into where you are now, working at Ruby Star?

Rashida: Yeah, so I had two collections with Timeless Treasures. And I think I really just started to get, get my footing and figuring out what kind of designer I wanted to be. So, I think I started experimenting and exploring a little bit more different art styles. So I put together a collection; it was called Suru. And I think Timeless Treasures just thought it was a little too modern for them at the time. And they didn’t want to produce it, and I was like, “Oh, alright. Well, deuces.” And I had already kind of known about Cloud9, who was the next group that I worked with. And I reached out to their director, Michelle. She’s so wonderful. And I showed her that group and she was in love with it. And so I moved on and I started working with them and I had, goodness, I think it was three collections with them. And I was perfectly happy there. It was such a good pairing. And we just really worked well together. The process and everything, you know. It felt right. But then, I was living in Atlanta at the time, and I was friends with Melody Miller. She was designing with Kokka Fabrics at the time. And we lived in the same neighbourhood, so we became friends, and our kids would play together, and sometimes we’d go on walks and runs together. And she said that she had this idea to start a new fabric company, a division of RJR Fabrics, because she was trying to find a new home for herself at the time. And she’s like, “I know you’re happy at Cloud9, but maybe you want to get unhappy?” You know, she’s like, “I’d love for you to come along with me on this journey.” And I was, I was, of course, you know, it’s such a huge opportunity to do something kind of big and different. So I was definitely nervous and scared because I was still so early in my, my fabric design career. But I’m like, “What is life without risk sometimes? So let’s do it,” you know? So she pitched her idea for Cotton+Steel to RJR and they loved it and we started Cotton+Steel. And that was me and her and Alexia Abegg and Sarah Watts and Kim Kight. And that’s how we started Cotton+Steel.

Caroline: It’s so cool. I remember I had started sewing at the time when Cotton+Steel was launched, and I remember all the marketing around it, and it was so exciting having all of you together working on this collection. And what was that like? There was a lot of buzz and excitement in the sewing industry at that time around this launch of this new project.

Rashida: It was, it was kind of just amazing. And it felt unreal, even, you know, ‘cause like I said, I was still relatively new in the industry. So it was exciting to be like, “Oh, we’re coming in and we’re all, like, shaking it up a little bit.” You know?

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: Yeah.

Rashida: And it’s crazy to look back at it and think like, “Gosh, we really did make such a huge impact on the industry.” And it’s exciting and kind of humbling and, just, wow, we really, we did that.

Helen: You did. Yeah.

Caroline: It was really exciting. Yeah.

Helen: And now Cotton+Steel is Ruby Star Society, is that correct?

Rashida: That’s right. Yeah. So, yeah, things kind of did not work out with Cotton+Steel, which I won’t elaborate on at this point. But that’s history, you know, because now we’re with Moda Fabrics as Ruby Star Society and, you know, when things were kind of falling apart, we had a lot of discussion about, “Well, what’s next for us? You know, are we going to split up and go back to designing on our own?” And we all said, like, “No, this is our family now,” you know, and I couldn’t imagine…for me; I can’t speak for the other women. Well, actually, yes, I can. We all felt like we couldn’t really go forward not working together. You know, we had did this big thing and, and it was amazing. And we can keep going. Let’s keep doing this. Why would we break up the band, you know? Yeah. So we decided to stick together and, and Melody met with Moda and they took us all. So we started Ruby Star and we’re still together and it’s 10, 11 years later now.

Caroline: Wow. Oh my gosh, what an accomplishment. And to be working with four other people for that long,

Rashida: Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. That’s incredible.

Rashida: Yeah, it really is incredible. And I think about it often. I really do. Every time we go get together at shows and we talk to the different shop owners and the customers, just people who use our fabric and work with it, like…oh my gosh, I think I’m getting emotional now. You know, when you start something, you don’t realize where it’s going to take you. And, and when you end up in this place where you’re inspiring people with your work, you know, I think that feels so good. I feel like, you know, when you’re given a talent, whatever it is, that it’s your duty to kind of share it with the world. And you know, I think that’s what we all got the opportunity to do. And, and, and that feels really good.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah, and a lot of the time as an artist or creative, it’s very isolating. You’re kind of working in your own little world, creating something, and to be able to go to quilt shows and things to meet the retailers and, and the fans, I’m sure that must be really nourishing and, and kind of reminding you of why you’re doing what you’re doing, so.

Rashida: Yes. Yes, it absolutely reminds you every time. And you know, it’s funny, I feel like, especially, like, QuiltCon, you know, where it’s the end users and fans and not necessarily shop owners. It’s more the actual consumers, you know, so you really get to see a lot of what people are doing with your fabric. And then they come and they’re so excited and I love just getting to talk to them and hearing their stories and how we’ve inspired them to do other things. And it really is just amazing. I think that’s definitely why I keep doing what I do because I just, I love that part of it the most.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. And it’s so great, the, the fact that you’re all working on this together. I think, as designers, you’re each bringing your own unique style and perspective to Ruby Star. I’d love to dive a little bit deeper into your own art style and the surface design that you do. So can you describe that art style for our listeners?

Rashida: At first, I think I had kind of a little bit of a Japanese influence, and I think that’s evolved over the years. And I blame that on working in tech all the time. You know, I worked at Google for a little while as an illustrator, and doing icons and things like that. So, when you’re doing that kind of art, you really have to try and tell a story with as little detail and information as possible. So I feel like that kind of helped me hone my design style. So I would say it’s very simplistic with a little bit of storytelling and minimalism, but it’s still, I guess, warm and familiar. You know what I mean? Like, I try and add a little kind of nostalgia in there, too, sometimes. And it’s a little quirky.

Helen: I love the quirky side to your designs. It’s, it’s my favourite part about them. I think they’re so much fun. There’s often characters in your designs who just look happy and like they’re friends. I don’t know. It’s coming across, you know, that warm vibe that you’re talking about.

Rashida: Yeah, I love that. Thank you. I really have fun when I’m doing this and I have a silly sense of humour and kind of childlike and, yeah, I think I crack myself up sometimes.

Helen: And what are some of your favourite colours to work with when you’re designing?

Rashida: You know, this is funny. I had this conversation with the team at our, our last meeting. I always tend to lean towards jewel tones whenever I finalize my art and I love it. And then when it comes back, I’m like, “Oh, I don’t like that.” Which is really funny. I think I, I really, honestly, really do love warmer colours. So I’m trying to push towards that a little bit in my colour palette. But right now I stick with jewel tones ‘cause it feels like my sweet spot, you know? And I think that’s what some of my fans have come to expect from me. So, but every now and then I’ll, I’ll go over and I’ll do a warmer palette and that feels good, too.

Helen: I’ve noticed, also, that you have quite a few prints with darker backgrounds, which is my, like, favourite thing, and not always, like, super common in quilting cottons, especially. So I love to see it.

Rashida: Yeah, thanks. I love doing darker grounds because I feel like it really just makes the colours and the art pop and it gives it just this more kind of dynamic feel, you know, and it also gives the quilt a little bit of depth also, so I love throwing those in, especially when it’s not just for quilting, you know, because I try to think about what what else they’re going to do with the fabric other than making a quilt. You know, because you’re making bags and clothes and all kinds of other projects, so you kind of have to keep that in mind too when you’re designing.

Helen: Yeah, well, Ruby Star doesn’t only have quilting cottons, they also have some rayons and other substrates as well that are great for garment sewing. So if any of our listeners are curious to try it out, you’re not limited to just the quilting cottons, which is amazing.

Rashida: Yeah, that’s right.

Helen: So take us through your process for designing a collection of fabrics. How do you begin that process?

Rashida: Ah, so there’s a couple of things that I do. First off, I have a list, a running list, because sometimes I keep it in my phone in Notes, of themes and ideas. You know, sometimes you’re out and about and you’ll see something that you find inspiring and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, that would be an amazing fabric collection theme.” So I, you know, I jot that down and I have my list that I reference sometimes. And then next, I go on Pinterest and I collect images and colours and I just make a board. And then I kind of take those and move on to Photoshop and I make an actual mood board for myself. Which is my favourite part of the process. And I, honestly, if I could get paid to make mood boards all day, I probably would do that, happily.

Helen: Yeah, same.

Rashida: But I feel like it’s an important exercise because I feel like, sometimes, you know, you have an idea in mind, and once you start pulling in those different images and colours and prints and other things, it feels like you start to see other ideas that you hadn’t even thought of before. It’s like all these different things start to manifest in front of you, and you’re, you know, building that puzzle. So I feel like that’s such an important part of my process, because it just opens other, other windows for me.

Helen: Do you like to have that mood board, like, printed in colour and put up on the studio wall? Or do you just reference it when you need to?

Rashida: I just reference it when I need to. I don’t always print them out. Sometimes I do, but, you know, most of the time I have a huge display that I use when I work and my laptop next to it. So, you know, I’ll have it up on the laptop screen while I work in the big screen in the front and I’ll just reference it every now and then. It’s just a part of my process that I, I feel like I have to do. It’s kind of like, brainstorming, I guess, you know.

Helen: Mmhmm. Yeah.

Rashida: But after that, then I’ll start to doodle and jot down things in Procreate. That’s become part of my process the past, maybe, four years? I used to design exclusively in Illustrator, but I got an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and Procreate. ‘Cause, you know, everyone’s been doing, been using that. I’m like, “I need to try and see what’s going on with this,” you know? And, oh man, that was a game changer.

Helen: Really?

Rashida: Yeah, because I feel like my illustrations kind of got looser and a little more relaxed, you know, and more movement. And it was just really freeing. So, I start out in Procreate, and then I pull the art over to Photoshop, and that’s when I, all the magic really starts to happen. There is, you start to move the pieces around and clean them up and, and make a repeat and just kind of see how you want to lay things out, you know. And then after I’ve gotten the repeat down, then I work on colour, and that’s also extremely fun and exciting. ‘Cause sometimes, and it’s funny, Melody, you know, she’s our art director, and so we turn the art into her and along with the process, as well, from beginning to end. But I always start with a set of colours and then, by the end of the collection, I’m like, “Mm, nope, I’m doing different colours now” and she’s like, “No, you have to turn it in!”

Helen: That’s a part of your process, it sounds like.

Rashida: It is part of my process.

Helen: Oh gosh, that’s funny.

Rashida: I don’t know what happens, why I end up pivoting at the very end, but I don’t ever regret it, though.

Helen: Yeah. Well, they always turn out beautiful, so you must be making the right choice.

Rashida: Yeah. Thank you.

Helen: So, obviously, you have to have multiple designs in a collection. So do you like to kind of run with one and get it to completion? Are you, like, dabbling in a whole bunch of them all at once and going back and forth?

Rashida: I kind of go in a sequence. So I, you like to start with the hero, of course. And I think that’s my jumping off point. So I’ll start with the hero, and then it has some other supporters that aren’t exactly heroes, but are hero-like.

Helen: Okay. What do you mean when you say “hero?” What does that mean?

Rashida: That’s the main focal print of the collection. So, Linear, for instance, that one, I had the ladies that were all connecting, and that was the hero of that, that collection for me. And the other that was hero-like is the, the ladies that were jumping. So, I kind of took them and then I wanted it to be very kind of geometric and, and with lots of movement. So then I went on and started designing the other supporting prints. Let’s talk about Salutations. That one’s just debuted and is being sold right now. So, Salutations is a stationery-based collection. So, I really love writing letters and handwriting them. I think that’s such an important thing to keep doing since technology’s taken over and people don’t write anymore. You know, so I really wanted to do a collection that was a kind of a love letter to writing letters and stationery and all of those fun things that come along with it. So the hero print for salutations is one called “Tools.” And it has scissors and staples and a stapler and tape and paper clips and all those kinds of things. So that’s the hero of that collection. And then the other prints that I put together as the supporters are little envelopes with hearts on them and washi tape on the backs. And I had another print that’s all handwriting that has all the different salutations and greetings, you know, like, “Hello,” “Dear.” “With love,” “Hey Boo,” “What’s up?” “How you doin’?” You know, little things like that. And that’s just in a hand, in lines with handwriting. And then I have a washi tape print, which is one that’s super popular of mine that people really, really love. So I brought that one back. And yeah, so, you know, you make all these other prints that kind of have the same theme, but you, make those kind of fun and dynamic, and then you bring in the other supporters that are kind of, well, for me, I like to make them geometric and and I think that helps kind of ground the collection. You know what I mean? Like that. So, and I also, I always try and put a floral in, too, because, it’s just, they’re so pretty.

Helen: We love a floral.

Rashida: Yeah.

Caroline: So how long does it take for a fabric collection to be completed, like, from beginning to end, for you?

Rashida: I would say it’s about six months? And then it doesn’t really see the light of day for about a year. We work on them for about a month and a half. And then once we submit it, you wait about three months for the strike offs to come back. And that’s where they come back from the mill. And you get the prints of all the art that you submitted. And you get a chance to see how they’re printed and make any colour corrections or change anything with the design, that sort of stuff. And then you send all those notes back to the mill, and then you have to wait another couple months to get the second round to come back. And then usually, by round two, it’s all pretty in good shape.

Helen: Mmhmm.

Rashida: And every now and then you might need another third round. But it, like, for me, I don’t know. It may be a bit different with the other, other women. But for me, I always, by round two, I’m usually like, “Okay, this looks good. And I think we’re ready to put the stamp of approval. And let’s go ahead and get it printed,” you know? And then, yeah, you don’t see it again for maybe another three months. But yeah, it doesn’t hit the light of day to shops for maybe a year. So like, for instance, right now we just turned in art that won’t be in stores until 2026.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, wow.

Helen: Wow. It’s such a long time. Like, by the time you see people using it, you, like, creatively, you’ve, like, completely moved on.

Rashida: You’ve completely moved on. Like, it’s funny. It comes back. I’m like, “I’m not that person anymore.” And it’s so funny to see it come back. And, you know, I like to look at it again. And think about the place where you were mentally while you were working on that. You know, it’s like, “Oh, well, gosh, so many things happened then and now that, yeah, that’s gone, and I’m kind of not into this art anymore.”

Helen: Yeah. I’m sure everyone else’s excitement gets you re-excited.

Caroline: Yeah.

Rashida: Yeah, you’re still excited about it, of course. But it’s just funny, because, like, even as an artist you kind of have moved on, you know. Because your style keeps evolving sometimes. So, some collections are…for me, I like to experiment and try different things. So I’m like, “Oh yeah, that didn’t work out too well. I don’t want to do that anymore.” So you move on and try something else. Or maybe, “That was amazing, but let’s just try something different,” you know. So when it comes back, it’s always like, “Oh yeah, I remember what was going on then. Now I’m a different artist and it’s fine.”

Caroline: It’s so interesting to hear you talk about this process. And I’m coming at this from the perspective of a fabric store owner and we do more garment fabrics, but we also design prints in-house and stuff, and it really makes me wonder if you are, as an artist, receiving, like, feedback from your customers or your retailers about, like, what’s popular and what people are buying and does that, like, inform you as a creative and and the types of prints that you do in the future? And, like, are you kind of taking that feedback into your designs or are you really just trying to reinvent every collection and keep it fresh and new?

Rashida: I think it’s a little bit of both. I definitely want to keep my customers happy, and fans, and keep making the things that they love. So I think it’s a little bit of both, for sure. Like, you want to explore and grow as a designer. But, you know, you have to make what sells, too.

Caroline: Yeah. It’s hard to find that balance sometimes. Yeah.

Rashida: Yeah, I think it really is, but I do like to hear feedback. Like, I’ll post stuff on my Instagram. For instance, there was a print that I was just working on and I posted it and I’m asking, you know, “Which colours do you guys feel like you’re gravitating towards?” You know, I posted five of them, and people are giving me all kinds of feedback, and I really love hearing what they think, you know, ‘cause at the end of the day, they’re the ones that are going to use it, you know? So I really love that. Sometimes I don’t agree. Like, “Oh yeah, I don’t think I want to do that, but thank you for your feedback.” Yeah.

Caroline: That’s so funny. I’m also curious, because you’ve been doing this over a decade, like, do you have a favourite fabric collection that you’ve designed? Like, favourite one of all time?

Rashida: Oh, goodness. Oh. I really liked Sunbeam. That one was one of my favourites because I took a little detour with colour there. And every time I see someone use the whole collection, as a whole, I’m like, “Yes! That was exactly what I was thinking! You’re doing it!” And that’s always so exciting, you know, because you have this vision and you put it out there, and that’s another thing that I really love about what I do, is just getting to see how people take and interpret your work, you know what I mean? But so, every now and then there’s just a couple of people who just really hit the nail on the head of what you’re thinking and you’re like, “Yes! That’s it!” And I think that that collection just did that for me. It’s really just a warm and sunny collection, and it kind of just reminds me of, like, being out on a, at a picnic on a really beautiful summer afternoon, and you just had this really good day, and it’s golden hour, and…

Helen: Yeah.

Rashida: Yeah, so that one’s my, one of my favourites.

Helen: It is so gorgeous. And the tigers are one of my favourite prints. Yeah. So good.

Rashida: Yeah. Oh, thanks. Yeah. I had so much fun drawing those. Oh my gosh.

Helen: So you design an entire collection of fabric and then you get to see what other people do with it as far as putting it into their patchwork and their quilts and stuff. Do you ever take your whole collection and make your own quilt or project with it to kind of see it all come together in your own creative expression?

Rashida: I do a lot of mock-ups. That’s another part of our process that, I guess, I forgot to mention before. But we’ll take quilt patterns and we’ll design our own quilts on the computer and put the design in to kind of see how everything’s laying out and playing. So that’s also really super important. But that has nothing to do with sewing in real life. Yes. I like to sew with, I do like to sew with my own fabric. I make things for my daughters. My sons aren’t really into my prints. They’re like, “No, thanks, Mom. I don’t want a balloon dog shirt, but thank you.” But I do, every now and then. I haven’t played with an entire collection in a while. But I do like to use my prints, especially the, I’m really into canvas. I don’t know why that’s my favourite substrate to use for making little projects and stuff. So the canvases I hoard. And the neutrals. I always try to include a white-on-white in each of my collections. So I hoard those. I do my studio sales but I never sell those.

Helen: How interesting, because I think of you as such a bold, colourful designer. And to know that you are hoarding the neutrals is really funny to me.

Rashida: I know! It is, it’s hilarious. It’s funny to me, too. I’m like, “I don’t know why those are my favourites.”

Helen: A good neutral is hard to come by. Maybe that’s why.

Rashida: Yeah, maybe so, maybe so. But yeah, I really love linen fabric and it’s such a neutral, blah kind of colour. But when you combine it with other cotton prints and colours, it really just helps all those colours pop and, and dance. And I’m so into neutrals. It’s kind of silly.

Helen: I love that you mentioned the canvas as well, because the Ruby Star canvas is so soft and delightful to sew with. It’s one of my favourites.

Rashida: Thank you.

Helen: So I am totally on board with that.

Rashida: Thanks. Yeah, I really, I love our, our canvas, too. It’s so, so soft and flowy, and I was working on my book, and I realized, I was like, “Okay, I really have to try.” And every time I would reach for something for a project, it ended up being canvas, and I was like, “Okay, I need to stop pulling the canvases out. I can’t, no, no no canvas in this quilt.” Yeah, so, yeah, those are my favourite, favourite substrates.

Caroline: Oh, that’s great. And you mentioned your book. We definitely want to talk about that in a sec, but before we move on, can you share some advice for our listeners, for anyone who’s interested in getting into surface design or becoming a surface pattern designer?

Rashida: I think one of the biggest things is to discover your style. I think that’s so important in surface design. You know, you really should just experiment and play with motifs and colours and different mediums and find what’s truly your own design style, you know? Sometimes I feel like it’s important to find your own style just because you want to set yourself apart from everyone else a little bit and, you know, I think it’s really important to stay in tune to what’s trending as well, but kind of…let it inspire you, but, but still stay true to your own voice as well. Yeah, I think those things are so important, getting into the industry. You know, I was saying that sometimes I, even, I guess it’s harder to see it as you’re an artist. You know, I’m like, I had a conversation with, with the RSS team and I’m like, “You guys, I don’t…do I have a style?” Like, “Do I need to, I feel like I should switch it up and try and just stick to the certain colours and, you know.” And they’re like, “Yeah, you definitely have a style.” But, you know, sometimes you don’t see it yourself and other people can recognize that. You know, but sometimes I question if I need to really hone it in and just stick to, like, designing this certain way. But, you know, I feel like I’m fine.

Caroline: You’re like, “Actually, no, I’m good. I don’t need to do that.”

Rashida: I’m good. Yeah, like, I, you know, I admire artists who, and the other designers who, like, stick with a limited palette or something like that. You know, that totally works for them. And I wish I could be that kind of artist, but that’s just not how my brain works. And, you know, and that’s okay.

Helen: Yeah, it keeps it interesting for sure. And I think a little bit of doubt is totally normal in the creative process. It’s really hard to avoid. But it’s great advice to our listeners to find a personal style. And you have to practice in order to do that because you’re not going to come out the gate knowing what that is. So it’s just a matter of giving it a go and iterating and seeing where you end up.

Rashida: Yes. Yeah, and staying open minded while you’re doing it, you know? You’ll never know what you’re going to discover when you’re playing and experimenting and stuff like that. You’ll find a design sensibility that you didn’t think you loved. And suddenly, here you are, you know.

Helen: It’s so true.

Rashida: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Well, you mentioned your book that’s coming out. You have a new book coming out next year called Zakka Sewn: Stitch, Quilt, Share, and Love. We’ve seen the cover. It looks so good. It’s got colourful print pillows on a linen couch and a really cool patchwork wall hanging on the wall. And you have two other books focused on zakka projects. So can you describe what zakka is, for our listeners who aren’t familiar?

Rashida: Yeah, zakka is kind of just miscellaneous things. So things you have around the home and, and you know, little tchotchkes and stuff like that, that just make you happy.

Helen: It’s perfect for textile lovers.

Rashida: Yes, exactly. So yes, my first book was I Love Patchwork. And the second was Zakka Style, which is more of a collective. So, it was, the concept originally was, I wanted it to be We Love Patchwork for my second book, ‘cause, at the time, Flickr was super popular and I loved seeing what other people were making and being inspired by their work and design. So, that’s where Zakka Style came into play. So I, I just went around and collected other designers’ zakka, kind of, inspired works. And then Zakka Sewn, my new book, which, gosh, I, I can’t believe I’m writing a third book. And it’s just, this has been a year, you know? So it’s funny. When I pitched the book, I had just moved into my own place ‘cause I was in the middle of a divorce and I felt like I needed to write this book. Just, you know, it was kind of like my rebirth, you know what I mean? And I felt like it was so important for me to do that and, and in retrospect, I’m like, “Oh my god, why did you decide to write a book and you’re a single mom with four kids? Like, what’s wrong with you?” That was a dumb idea. And it was so hard and complicated. But I did it, so yay.

Helen: Yay!

Caroline: Yeah, congrats!

Rashida: Yeah. But, thank you. But the projects are really just lovely and simple projects. I tried to make things beginners would be, maybe an advanced beginner would be drawn to. And I like to think of them as a launchpad, like, projects you could take and turn into patchwork and kind of make them your own, you know what I mean? So, yeah, I’m excited for its release and I hope people love it.

Helen: That’s really cool. So this one is focused on, is it more focused on sewing than the last ones? How is it different from your previous zakka books?

Rashida: They don’t have a ton of patchwork and they’re a little more simplistic. I feel like my first books had a lot of embellishments and, and those kinds of things, but this one is just a lot simpler.

Helen: Well, we know that the word “zakka” comes from Japan. So can you tell us a little bit more about your connection to Japan? ‘Cause we’ve noticed that you’ve referred to yourself as a Japanophile in a few places.

Rashida: So, my mother was a model in Japan. And she started doing that when I was three. So we lived overseas there and I went to school there for a little while and then moved back to the States, but I continued spending my summers there with my mother all the way until my early twenties. So it just became a huge part of my life and I’ve been there so many times, like. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been there at this point. And my dream is to retire there. I’m thinking Okinawa, because it’s the beach, which I love, and Japan, which I also love. So, best of both worlds. So yeah, I, I really, I love it so much. And just the country and the culture and the language and their design sensibility and all of those things. It’s just, I love it so much and I feel like it’s just become a part of me

Caroline: And what is it that you love about the zakka aesthetic and ethos?

Rashida: I think what I love, especially when I see other people sew it, is that you can do so many things that are unexpected. You know what I mean?

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Rashida: With not just the patchwork, but the embellishments and those kinds of things, you know, like, “Oh, why is there a pom pom coming out of that part? That’s adorable! I love that! I didn’t think to do that.” You know what I mean? That’s what I love about it so much. And you can really just take it and make it your own and there’s no wrong way to do it.

Helen: Right. Well, that’s very exciting. I’m sure our listeners are going to be stoked to check out the new book. When can they expect it to hit the shelves?

Rashida: It should be, um, this time next year?

Helen: Amazing.

Caroline: Ooh, Exciting.

Rashida: Yeah, but it’s already up on, for pre-order, so, yeah, you can go check it out.

Caroline: Oh, well, that’s so exciting. And yeah, like Helen said, we’ll link it up in the show notes and I’m sure our listeners will be really excited to pre-order and check out this book that’s coming out soon. But we’ve mostly been talking about surface design and sewing so far. We also wanted to talk about a couple of other kinds of projects that you’ve done over the years. And one of those is that we’ve seen some really cool punch needle projects on your Instagram. You have some beautiful graphic flower wall hangings and little pin cushions that look almost like little quilt block designs. They’re so, so cute. And I know Helen and I both love punch needle and want to try it out. So can you tell our listeners a little bit more about that and how you learned to do punch needle?

Rashida: Yeah, so I got initially inspired by my fabric pal Kim Kight. She was doing punch needle with her strawberry, she had punch needle kit at QuiltCon a couple years ago, and she taught a class and I was like, “Oh, I want to go to your class and learn how to do it.” And she actually showed me how to do it when we were on a different retreat, ‘cause I couldn’t make it to her little class ‘cause I had to be in the booth. Anyway, but she gifted us all punch needle kits for Christmas and showed us how to do it. And I just fell in love with it. I think it’s because, especially my art style, I think it’s so graphic and you can really translate it into this fiber art. And it’s fun and easy to do and can be relatively quick. And sometimes it can be portable. But I, yeah, I really just fell in love with it because I feel like I, I really, at that time, I just wanted to try something that wasn’t sewing-related, that wasn’t necessarily knitting, but I, you know, I love fiber arts. I’m really intrigued by weaving and embroidery and all of those things. Kind of, like, the best of all of that, in a way, you know.

Helen: It’s true. You get to use yarn, you get to, like, work on a surface, but it’s maybe not as finicky as detailed embroidery. It’s a little chunkier.

Rashida: Yeah, I love the chunky part about that, too. I was just going to say, “It’s chunky!”

Helen: Yeah, it’s chunky. Satisfying, too, like, punching through the fabric. Yeah, it’s a bit cathartic, in a way.

Rashida: Yes, it is very, very satisfying. And so I got a whole bunch of books and also just went on online and looked at YouTube videos and things like that. And I just went for it, you know. I did one little, her little strawberry, and then I kind of went, dove in headfirst. I went to the art supply store and I made myself these big frames and I stretched that fabric over it and I was like, “Alright. Let’s try and make stuff.” So, you know, whenever I’m intrigued by something, I totally go all in, you know. So I got all the tools and all the supplies and I kind of just went for it. And it felt natural, like I had already been doing it for years, you know. Like, it just felt right. You know, you pick something up and you’re like, “Yeah, I need to be doing this.”

Helen: I’m sure all your illustrating skills really come in handy when it comes to making a successful punch needle design, for sure.

Rashida: Yes, I think that definitely, definitely helps. So, you know, I’ve been experimenting a little bit with other designs and stuff, like the ladies that I like to draw. So I’ve done a couple of those. I haven’t shown them yet, but maybe soon. But I’ve been punch needling…

Helen: Well, we’ll look forward to it.

Rashida: Some ladies, and yeah, I think I just really love the graphic nature of it, and it’s kind of almost like working in Procreate, but with yarn and, and linen, you know, and things that I love.

Helen: Oh, that’s awesome. You’re making me want to go do punch needle right now.

Caroline: Yeah, me too. We also wanted to touch on a project that you did with Ruby Star designing some really cool zipper pulls to go with your collections, which are so cute. That’s one of the things I love about Ruby Star, is y’all do like other kinds of products to go along with the collections and they’re always really interesting and cool. Are there any other little extras you think would be fun to make along with your collections? Anything else you guys have in the works that you can talk about?

Rashida: Oh yeah, we’ve got a couple of things. We produce tins for holding the zipper pulls.

Caroline: Cool.

Rashida: And those are fun. They’re, they’re small little bite-sized tins. They’re probably like, maybe three by four inches, maybe even a little smaller than that. And those are, those always are super popular.

Caroline: Cute.

Rashida: Right now we’ve got stuff coming out with Renaissance Ribbons. We just made a ribbon with them, which is so fun and exciting. That process has been really amazing to see because the ribbons are woven. And they get so much detail on them. I have one that has my pop bottles on them, and it’s a thin ribbon, but they were able to get the writing…

Helen: Wow.

Rashida: On the pop bottles, onto that ribbon. Like, it’s mind-blowing.

Helen: That’s so cool. Oh, I love the idea of, like, a woven ribbon with the Ruby Star prints. That’s amazing.

Rashida: Yeah, it’s so fun. So you have a couple of those coming out. Everyone’s got a set. And so we just debuted those at Quilt Market. And then we also have webbing coming out soon with Stitch Supply Company.

Caroline: Ooh, webbing will be cool, like for bags? Oh, that’s awesome.

Rashida: Yeah, for bags.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s hard to find, like, cool webbing that isn’t just like cream or black.

Rashida: Yeah, Alexia has some with her Starry that’s coming out that are, that are so fun. Yeah, and I, I saw Anne at Market and she had a bag with the starry ribbing. I was like, “I need that.” Sometimes we do tea towels. Those are also fun to do. They’re produced in India, so it’s a little bit of a different process when we get the strike offs for those, because we have to submit them earlier than the other products, because it takes a little longer. But yeah, yeah, we have tote bags and stuff, and just, yeah, a number of items.

Helen: Ooh, very exciting. Well, I’m going to QuiltCon this February. So I look forward to seeing some of these lovely products in person.

Rashida: Yeah, yeah. It’s so exciting to be able to do those extra goodies and things, too. So that’s always been one of my dreams is to see my art on other things other than fabric, so it’s so exciting to be able to do that along with the collections.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah. So smart.

Rashida: Yeah.

Helen: Well, we know that you’ve recently finished writing your book, or I think you finished it. Right?

Rashida: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Helen: So, what’s next on the horizon? I mean, it sounds like you’re not going to be signing up for another book immediately, but…

Rashida: No, thank you.

Helen: Do you have something in mind for the next little while that you want to start working on or a collection that you’re really excited about?

Rashida: Yeah, I do have a collection I just submitted. I think that’s the one I said that I couldn’t talk about yet.

Helen: Yeah, right.

Rashida: I haven’t even gotten strike offs for that one yet. So, you know, I’ve got a couple of collections already in the pipeline. There’s a lot of other projects, you know, the webbing and, and the ribbon that’s coming out. And there’s a couple other things that I can’t talk about yet. But I think, you know, this year has just been so packed with deadlines and things, so I get to take December off, that’s how we planned our scheduling. But I think I want to, I bought a tufting gun, yeah, and I think I want to kind of start designing with them. You know, like I said, I mentioned, you know, we mentioned punch needle. I really love that so much and I love it in the small scale, but I really want to try some larger designs that I think maybe punch needle is not going to allow me to do. So I’m really excited to try the tufting gun.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. That sounds incredible. I’ve seen videos of people using tufting guns and I’m just in awe, like, and it looks like it’s so fun to use, too.

Rashida: It really does. And it’s sitting here staring at me and I told myself, I was like, “You can’t touch that until you’re done with all these other things for the year.”

Caroline: Oh, it’s your little treat.

Rashida: Yes, that’s my reward, so. And now I’ve really put it out there, so I have to do it.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, that’s so, I’m excited for you. That sounds so fun.

Rashida: Thank you! Yeah, I can’t wait.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, well, if our listeners want to follow along and see your future, your future projects, where can our listeners find you online?

Rashida: I’m on Instagram, it’s @iamrashidacolemanhale. And you can find my website at rashidacolemanhale.com.

Caroline: Amazing. And we’ll link all of that up in the show notes. We had such a great time chatting with you today, Rashida. Thank you so much for taking the time…

Rashida: Thank you, it was so good to be here. Thank you, thank you for having me, this has been great.

Helen: It was a real pleasure.

Caroline: Alright. Take care.

Rashida: Thanks, you too!

Helen: Bye.

Rashida: Bye!

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Helen, at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co, and Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Helen: You can head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening! We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Buh bye!

Caroline: Buh bye!

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