Moda Fabrics

Meet Ceri Staziker, Fabric8 Finalist and Walker of the Welsh Countryside

September 29, 2015

We are in the home stretch of this year's Fabric8 Contest! Over the past few weeks, our 8 finalists have been busily working on their botanical sketchbook-inspired collections for a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics, and we've been getting to know each of them a bit more in a series of interviews (head here to see them all!). To close out the series, we're catching up with Ceri Staziker (Cerigwen on Spoonflower), the Fabric8 veteran behind the beautiful Edith's Garden entry.

CERI: I’m a home bird — born and brought up in Wales. Even though I love travelling and have lived abroad, I’m happiest here in this beautiful little country with its rugged coastline and mountainous scenery. I live with my husband and ten-year-old daughter in a rural village just outside our capital city of Cardiff. I get the best of both worlds!

Meet Robin Pickens, Fabric8 Finalist and Lover of all things Design (including graphics for the news!)

September 24, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning design, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! Today we meet Robin Pickens, the designer behind the beautiful Romance Poppies Botanical Sketchbook entry!

How did you get started in design? Is this your full-time gig?

ROBIN: I had two very creative parents so I grew up with a lot of influence towards art and design. My father was an automotive designer and had a degree in design. My mom was very artistic and creative, and did silk screen printing, painting, and a large variety of crafts, needlework, quilting and sewing. In midwestern suburbs where colonial style reigned, we were the "different" house with classic modern Scandinavian designed furniture. I always wanted to be an artist or designer from a very young age. I got my BFA from the University of Michigan School of Art in graphic design and industrial design. Through a summer internship at a television station I stumbled into broadcast design and learned computer graphics for creating images for the news. I moved to Chicago and worked for the ABC, CBS and FOX stations, then moved to Los Angeles to be the Art Director at KCBS. I then worked for a division of Time Warner where I oversaw the graphics department for Telepictures Productions. Although there were great things about being a manager and executive, I knew in my heart that my true love is being a designer…a creator. So, I went back to what I love. I still do design freelance within the broadcast industry and I like to keep up my skills in animation (After Effects). But I took a new direction for my "chapter two".

One day my mother was visiting me in California and we took a quilting workshop at a shop that has lots of modern fabrics (Quilters Studio in Newbury Park, CA). I loved the fabrics there! Of course I had to buy lots of them, as any good fabric hoarder does. And that started me wondering WHO designs these fabrics and where can I learn this? I already had a lot of experience in design, but in a completely different area and media. I started taking surface design classes at Otis College of Art and Design in LA, and I loved the classes which covered textiles, creating repeats and other surface design categories like tabletop and home decor. I started exhibiting at Surtex and licensing artwork to companies for calendars, greeting cards, rugs, dishware, giftware, and other categories. This work is now my main career and is my personal creative journey. It is often woven into my life as a wife and mom and daughter and friend. A lot of my designs and illustrations are reflections of parts of my daily life.

Meet Christine Witte, Fabric8 Finalist and Weekly Contest Superstar

September 23, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning design, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! Today we meet Christine Witte, a fixture in our weekly top ten and the creator a lovely Fabric8 entry titled A Field Guide to Wildflowers.

CHRISTINE: Hello! I grew up in Germany, where I recently moved back to after having lived in Canada for almost half my life. I currently live on the beautiful rural outskirts of Frankfurt, surrounded by fields and mountainous forests.

Meet Gaia Marfurt, Fabric8 Finalist and Children’s Book Illustrator

September 17, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning design, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! Today we meet Gaia Marfurt, the illustrator behind the incredible and detailed Botanical-Sketch entry.

GAIA: Hi! I was born in Rome, Italy, and I'm living in Belluno, at the foot of Dolomites. I love drawing and sewing. I'm a Gemini, and I haven't a favorite color…I love them all!

Meet Fizah Malik, Fabric8 Finalist and lover of flowers

September 16, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning design, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! Up today is Fizah Malik, the textile design pro behind the colorful Botanical Bloom entry.

FIZAH: Hi! I am a freelance textile/pattern designer working from home and loving every bit of it. I am originally from Pakistan and am now living in Sydney for almost 4 years with my husband and daughter. I have a Masters degree in Textile Design, and I'm currently doing my second Masters degree in Design from University of New South Wales. I am an expert at juggling time as a typical day includes designing, studying and taking care of a toddler at the same time. I am a leo and turquoise is my favourite colour.

Meet Jennifer Geldard, Fabric8 finalist and glass artist turned illustrator extraordinaire

September 15, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning design, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! Today, we meet Jennifer Geldard, the artist behind the oh so lovely and intricate Botanical Sketchbook design.

JENNIFER: Hi! I live in a lovely historical small town in the middle of Massachusetts with my husband and son. I have a little gallery and gift shop attached to my studio here, which is open whenever I am in there working, which is pretty much all the time.

Meet Catalina Kim, Fabric 8 Finalist and Nature Lover

September 9, 2015

This year's Fabric8 Contest is well under way, and our community has chosen the 8 finalists who will have a shot at signing with Moda Fabrics to release a beautiful, botanical collection! As finalists work on completing collections based around their winning designs, we're getting to know the top 8 a bit better in a series of interviews with each of our finalists! First up we have Catalina Kim, the designer behind the oh so lush and colorful Botanical Dreamscape entry.

Hi! My name is Catalina Kim, my nickname is Cata, and I'm an enthusiastic designer. Nice to meet you!

Announcing Fabric8 2015!

July 9, 2015

We are so delighted to announce that we have teamed up with Moda Fabrics to bring you this year's Fabric8 Contest! Fabric8 is an annual contest to discover eight bold and modern fabric collections from new and emerging designers. The winner of the contest will be offered a contract to design a fabric collection for Moda Fabrics, a $1000 advance against royalties, and a Wacom professional digital drawing tablet. Each of the eight finalists will receive $150 in Spoonflower credit.

The 2015 Fabric8 Contest theme is Botanical Sketchbook. Grab your sketchbook and take some time to stop and smell–-and draw––the flowers! In this year’s Fabric8 Contest, we are seeking designs reminiscent of those found in a botanical sketchbook. Whether you celebrate the lush botanicals of the tropical forest of your dream vacation or the dandelions peeking through your sidewalk, show us a page from your book with your entry in this year’s Fabric8 Contest! For more botanical sketchbook inspiration, follow our Botanical Sketchbook Pinterest board.

There’s no right or wrong approach to creating subject matter for this contest, but in the end the judges from Moda Fabrics and Spoonflower will select, from all of the entries submitted, 100 designs for the semifinal round of voting, which will be open to the public. The top eight designers, determined by popular vote, will be asked to develop three more designs to round out their collections, and then the public will choose the winner from the eight collections. Please head over to the Fabric8 website for the official rules and FAQs! We can't wait to see what you create!