I was lucky enough to catch up
with Jessi and Lauren Jung, a mother – daughter fabric designing team. Their second line of fabric, Hideaway,
is brand new and a must have collection from Moda Fabrics. Throughout the interview it is clear
that Lauren and Jessi are a winning team, they have complimentary talents and
interests. Read the interview
below to see their take on the fabric design process!
As an aside, Jessi and Lauren were nice enough to donate a fat quarter
bundle of Hideaway to be given to a Quilting Arts Community member! Post a
comment and let us know what you think at the end of this entry for the chance
to win a fat quarter bundle of the n
ew Hideaway fabric!
The Winner will be announced on Tuesday November 9th!
How did you get into fabric design?
Jessi: Being a quilt maker myself, my love for fabrics goes hand-in-hand.
The more I collect, the more I want! Today
the variety of themes is endless, color combinations are daring, and the
graphics are more sophisticated. This is where Lauren entered the scene.
Two years ago, she graduated from the Portfolio Center, an art school in
Atlanta, GA, where she studied graphic design. She was having difficulty
finding employment. While visiting home, she suddenly became interested
in my “fabric stash”, and curious about various designers.
You are a mother/daughter team, how did this come
about?
Jessi: As Lauren studied my fabric collections, she had a brainstorm…”Let’s
design our own fabric!” she said. After all, she had plenty of time on
her hands! She thought it would be a breeze. Without her, this venture
never would have happened, because I tend to hesitate, where she sees no
limitations!
Lauren: From a graphic designer’s point of view, I liked “clean, white
space”. Knowing nothing about the art of quilt making myself, my mom
explained that quilters do not like blank space… So it took a little
while to get “in sync”. We each have separate and different skills, so we need
each other. We have a great time working together. And since we’re
mother and daughter, we can be frank with each other, and not worry about hurt
feelings when we disagree.
Do you split up the work or are you both involved
with all the processes of the designing?
Jessi: We don’t live near each other, so splitting up the responsibilities
is a must. When we begin a new line, I do the initial
sketching…. anything and everything that may be relevant to the subject matter.
I draw all of my designs in a gridded sketchbook. Then
we get together and Lauren enters the designs into the computer. We
work side-by-side, and non-stop for at least a week to revise, add to, delete
things, and bounce ideas around. We find that we can’t work on this stage
separately, because one thought from one of us leads to another idea from the
other one, and so on. After we finalize design patterns, Lauren works on
color – combinations, blends, shading. Finally we send
our prototype off
to Moda Fabrics for review.
Your new line Hideaway is adorable. Where
did the inspiration come from?
Jessi: Cuckoo clocks…. we both have a fascination for them. I
love their whimsical little dioramas of Swiss and German life. We tried
to capture cuckoo clocks many features, like pinecone weights, clock faces,
tiny people, pendulums, and of course the main attraction – the cuckoo bird!
Lauren: The cuckoo clock. There is so much material to work with.
I am intrigued by Dutch hex signs and folk art. And using that as
my jumping off point I wanted to merge that feel with a more modern flair.
Hideaway’s design is more intricate, tight and symmetrical than the
artwork in Botany (our previous line).
What is it about the fabric design process that
you love the most?
Jessi: I love the concept of “complete fabric lines”, rather
than separate or individual designs. Once a theme is decided, it takes
all kinds of patterns to create a line. You have to consider print sizes,
color combinations, simple as well as detailed graphics, and how the various
designs relate to one another…. the big picture.
Lauren: My favorite part is actually the exact opposite from my
mom's. Whereas she likes to be the idea person and get all of the initial
brainstorms down onto paper… I like to take her pencil sketches and
really bring them to life. I'm able to really fine tune the designs down
to the tiniest detail, the perfect job for someone that is as meticulous
as I am. I've always felt that the difference between something good and
something great is that extra 20% of effort that comes at the end of a project and
that's the part I love.
I hear that you have other projects besides Fabric
designing that you work on. I particularly loved the mini quilt that you
put on your blog. How did you guys come up with these ideas and patterns?
Jessi: We produce quilt patterns. We design at least 4 patterns to
compliment and promote each new line. But the patterns obviously work
with any fabric choices. You’ll find 6 free patterns from our Botany line
posted on our website, http://LaurenAndJessiJung.com/. Lauren also designs the header
image for Moda Fabrics' homepage
every two weeks, which she loves doing. She designs wedding invitation sets and our blog features the invitations
she created for her sister, Carrie’s, wedding. Finally, we have added
Scrapbooking paper design to our list. Carrie heads the scrapbooking
section of our website (currently under construction). Carrie is our
brand manager. (Dad handles the financial books…making it a family
affair)! Oh, and Lauren also has
full-time employment as an Art Director for a web design firm in Princeton,
NJ!!!! (We're all especially excited because she was just promoted last
week!)
Are there any humorous/interesting facts or
stories that have come out of designing your fabric lines?
Lauren: We love to mention our “Easter Eggs”…. a term referring to unexpected
surprises. If you examine our fabric, you will see a spider web included
somewhere in the artwork of every line – current and future! We feel like
they bring us luck.
Where is your fabric sold? What about your
patterns?
Jessi: Moda Fabrics manufacture our fabric designs. Our lines can be
found in quilt shops and on-line wherever Moda is represented. Currently, United
Notions (www.unitednotions.com) distributes
all of our quilt patterns. But we are in the process of submitting them
to additional distributors.
Thanks Lauren and Jessi!
Don't forget to leave a comment below for your chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Lauren and Jessi's new line "Hideaway"!