Q1: Hi Karen, it’s wonderful to meet you! Can you tell our community a little bit about yourself? What or who brought you into quilting?
Karen: “I started quilting when I was working for a clothing manufacturer, as a designer, in Philadelphia. I walked into my first quilt shop and was thrilled with all the color and infinite possibilities. As a clothing designer (mainly sweaters--think of those holiday sweaters, someone had to design them!) we would get headers of swatches of tons of different textiles to possibly use in upcoming collections; the knits and wovens that support those sweaters. Instead of throwing those samples out each season, I would start playing with those and creating quilt tops. Mixing all different kinds of fabric--printed velvets, wool flannels, cotton flannels, etc. I had no concept of quilting rules or guidelines, and as a result a lot of heartache (washing wool flannels mixed with cotton flannels causes a disaster) until I joined a quilt guild when I moved to Upstate, NY. My kids were quite young when I joined a guild, a Saturday guild. Once a month, I would take the entire day, enjoy every aspect of the guild, the camaraderie, the Blocks of the Month, the speakers, the lunch afterward, the visit to the local quilt shop....everything. Even found out what retreats were, and that changed everything! I was hooked!”
Q2: As a designer, what inspires you the most to create?
Karen: “My inspiration is always my kids. I love the differences in each of the 3 of them, the interests they have, and how those interests evolve, disappear only to resurface later.”
Q3: What’s a project that you’re currently working on?
Karen: “Summer's at the Dig is actually a way to showcase the Dinosaurus Collection I designed with one of those inspirations in mind, my son Jack. I'm a Design Director for Batiks at a fabric company, so I'm blessed to be able to create lots of collections of batiks each year. The timing of this one was perfect. Jack was able to work with me in the Studio, in between semesters of grad school. It was lots of fun showing him my thoughts on the collection, what I was thinking for color combinations. Because he had worked at the Studio for a few releases, he was understanding the process of creating batiks, and was super thrilled with the idea of not creating a kids' version of dinosaurs but more of a nod to the artifacts he's always been so fascinated by. We also live in Colorado, where there's plenty of inspiration being found!”
Q4: Can you give us a sneak peek into your upcoming projects?
Karen: “Thinking about upcoming collections and projects is always fun! As a Design Director, I'm working pretty far in advance and have recently wrapped up all of the new batiks for the January 2024 release--which stores will see then, but consumers will see in those stores beginning in August and September. And to name a favorite collection is like saying you have a favorite child!! I'm excited to see what projects designers do with Warm Rain as well as Neon Pop though:) Attached is a lifestyle shot for Warm Rain.”
Thanks so much to Karen Gibbs of Riley Blake Designs for giving us an inside glimpse into her world. Check out her fabric collection Dinosaurus (available at NQC). Summer's at the Dig Quilt Kit coming soon!