Although they
are called Basic Grey, their fabrics are anything but basic. This company, which works with Moda fabrics, puts out modern and fun prints. I was able to chat with Jen Williamson, a member of the Basic Grey team, to find out more about how Basic Grey works. Read on to find more about Basic Grey, but don’t forget to leave a comment about what you think. One lucky reader who leaves a comment will win a Basic Grey Origins Charm Pack. Come back on Thursday Morning to see if you are the winner!
It seems as though you are a group of women who design fabrics under one name. Tell me how this started.
We actually began in the scrapbook industry. Our Creative Principal, Rachel Brenchley, was our one and only artist for many years. She is a fine artist with an amazing eye for what will be popular and trend setting. A few years into the scrapbooking business, we brought on a team of four other designers and now each collection is a collaborative effort with everyone adding their own special nuances.
Is there a common theme in the Basic Grey fabrics? Is there any specific goal that you all try to keep in mind 
when designing your fabrics?
We just try to do patterns we love and that we feel will resonate with others. We try to do things that will be fresh and new and not like anything else.
Do you design as a group or separately?
Everything has become a collaborative effort. It really helps us create a cohesive and fine-tuned collection to have everyone add pieces of themselves and some of their distinct individuality.
How many lines of fabric do you come out with each year?
We usually do about thre
e, but it really depends on what Moda wants to do.
Any advice for someone who wants to design their own fabrics?
Since this arena wasn’t our original area of expertise, we feel like we are still learning. Our advice to anyone designing anything is always to try and be different and offer up your own uniqueness.
Basic Grey is more than just a fabric designing group, what other projects do you specialize in?
We have a large following and product offering in the scrapbook markets and we are about to launch something fun and new in 2011, so watch for that as well.
Thanks so much!
To learn more about Basic Grey fabric visit their Moda webpage or their website.