2015...a review

2015 was a hellava year...it was the year I became a fabric designer. 

To be fair, or accurate, I already was a fabric designer, small scale, nothing fancy, designing and printing my fabric panels for my own use and lots of you lovelies out there. But 2015 was the year that I officially became a fabric designer with my launch collection, Blueberry Park with Robert Kaufman.

That really set the tone for the whole year since it was back in January 2015 that I started to design the collection and almost a whole year later in November when it was released for you all to buy. 2015 will forever be remembered as a memorable year. A year on living this process on a daily basis I am honoured, flattered, humbled and beyond excited about quite where I am and what I am doing. I am pretty sure professionally it can't get much better than this. 

2015 wasn't just about the fabric, I had such highs in other areas too. I had an amazing year with countless magazine quilt projects. That is one thing I will also never tire of or become immune to. Seeing my work in glossy print is such a buzz every single time. I think at one time I had about 5 projects one after the other after the other, and all in and amongst the bubble of the collection getting ready, but the pressure of that still made it all nothing short of a joy...

...and there was more! Back to my love of screen printing and running workshops, 2015 was a wonderful year. I had some really great workshops at my home with some amazing enthusiastic printers and I also travelled near and far to teach, which was such a buzz. I was welcomed in Huddersfield...twice...Scotland...twice...Wales...once and even over in Copenhagen. Every group was just fantastic...so much fun.

On a personal level we had the high of moving house at the end of 2015 and discovering that we all love living in the country. We moved for the house. We fancied a change and it just so happened that we fell in love with where it was too and I can't wait for 2016 to unfold and see what adventures we get up to here.

It has been an unbelievable year. Professionally the best...personally some deep lows thrown in to test our resilience. But it isn't about that here other than it was a big part of what 2015 was and can't be missed out.

2015 was amazing...January is a time for reflection and planning and if I am going to stand any chance of 2016 being half as good I need to do just that...reflect and plan. I hope you will be with me on my journey and let's see where it takes us. I couldn't and can't do it without you.

xox

a little history...

 I first started to design my own fabrics so I could use them in my work, to make it more identifiable as mine. 

[Jo @frankieandray]

My business was taking off and I was beginning to sell my work to shops and galleries. I was using some beautiful fabrics but I felt they were recognised as the work of the fabric designer rather than as me.

[Caroline @nightingalequilts]]

I also felt that by designing my own fabrics it gave my products a cohesive feel to my whole collection of work.

[Gretchen @simplygeometric]

It wasn't long after I started designing and printing my own fabrics that I started to get enquiries from people wanting to buy my fabrics to use in their own projects. This was a complete shocker to me as this wasn't initially why I started designing. People wanted my fabrics? Weird!

[Victoria Holder @sewgoclimbing]

And then this side of my business grew and grew...and grew...and grew! 

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

It has become the thing I love most about designing fabric...seeing the amazing work that all of you do with it. It gives me the biggest buzz of all to see such beautiful work with my fabric.

[Donna @themodernmaker]

The fact that you wanted to buy it in the first place, spending your fabric budget on my fabric when there are so many Must Have collections about, and then making truly remarkable things, honestly it blows me away.

[Rebecca @greenandbell]

It is funny how things turn out, where our journey goes. I am not one for planning. I work fairly organically moving on from one thing and seeing how it develops and I certainly didn't envisage this!

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

Thank you each and every one of you for buying and using my fabric in such interesting and original ways. Whether it is a little addition to other fabrics you are using or a full on Karen Lewis Textiles product, it makes me very happy! I will keep designing if you keep making and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

If you want to see more makes out there check out the hashtag #karenlewistextiles on Instagram and also go back to check the old hashtag #blueberryparkmakes

Quilting...and a giveaway...

One of the reasons for the change of name with my business is due to my actual name being in print.

If you have followed me from Blueberry Park you will be well aware of my book, Screen Printing at Home, that came out in the summer and also seen various projects that I have been commissioned for in Love patchwork & Quilting magazine.

Seeing my name in print more and more and seeing Blueberry Park less and less was the start of sewing the seed for me for the need to change.

It is time to hold my head up and embrace being me rather than hiding behind a label.

I have been loving all the commissions I have been lucky enough to score for LP&Q and this latest one, made with Cotton and Steel fabrics, alongside my own, was such a joy to make.

It came home yesterday and I was so pleased to see it!

When it came home 3 copies of Issue 15 that it is in accompanied it and what better way to start my new blog than to offer you a giveaway!

I will post these 3, accompanied by some of my fabrics that I used to make the quilt...and maybe a selection of others...because I have probably run out of most of the ones in the quilt!

I will ship anywhere in the world, all I ask is that you are a follower of my new blog. Just leave a comment, any comment, to enter and I will draw 3 lucky winners on Saturday.

Good luck and thanks for being here!

xxx