WHAT’S TRENDING: PAINTERLY PRINTS
Watercolor paint has been an artistic staple for hundreds of years, and with good reason—the resulting artwork is wonderfully fluid, textural, and imperfect.
One of the most popular design trends in recent years takes watercolors well beyond the canvas and into home décor, apparel, and web, print, and packaging design. And that includes a variety of gorgeous—and versatile—watercolor fabric collections.
For this edition of “What’s Trending,” we’ve focused on new and recent collections that feature either watercolor-inspired or painterly design elements.
FIELD AND SKY FROM CLOUD9 FABRICS
This new collection from designer Yao Cheng includes watercolor florals, foliage, “scribbles,” and fluid geometrics in a soft-yet-modern color palette. Field and Sky prints are available on cotton sateen.
The upcoming collection from August Wren features a mix of watercolor prints—florals, cottages, cats, birds, bunnies, and stripes—all in varying shades of blue.
NATURE WALK: INDIGO FROM STUDIOE FABRICS
For this new collection, designer Grace Popp used a watercolor technique to create beautiful, nature-inspired designs—florals, feathers, birds, and coordinating geometrics—in calming shades of blue. The collection also includes a 24-inch landscape panel print.
New from designer Barbarian, this “groovy” collection features free-flowing watercolor designs—starbursts, swirls, ikats, zig-zags, and paint strokes—in three vibrant colorways: blues, orange, and multi.
For her first collection for P&B, designer Kristine Ballard created pastel-hued, nature-inspired abstract prints in a fluid watercolor style. Naturesong also includes two landscape panel prints.
NIGHT RIVIERA FROM MARCUS FABRICS
This new collection from designer Nancy Rink features lush, watercolor-inspired flowers in addition to butterfly, stripe, and geometric prints in saturated shades of purple and green.
YOU, ME AND THE TREES FROM CLOTHWORKS
This recent collection from designer Colleen Overman offers a more playful take on the painterly theme with sweet watercolor trees, hearts, clouds, and coordinating dot and textural prints. The collection also includes a 24-inch panel print featuring the phrase “Never Stop Growing.”
STAR WARS WATERCOLOR COLLECTION FROM CAMELOT FABRICS
Featuring prints that appeal to both fans of “Star Wars” and watercolor designs, this new collection includes well-known imagery from the movie series presented in unexpected ways—floral R2-D2, Princess Leia, and X-wings, a toile featuring the Millennium Falcon, and even a metallic Rebel Alliance logo.
ART EXCURSION FROM FREESPIRIT FABRICS
This collection from new FreeSpirit designer Denise Burkitt captures both her love of nature and hand-painted textiles. Art Excursion is an eclectic mix of Burkitt’s hand-painted organic designs, including leaves, petals, seeds, vines, and marbled abstract prints.
STRATA FROM MICHAEL MILLER FABRICS
Strata offers 15 jewel-and-earth-toned prints, including Marbleized swirls, ink blots, painterly stripes, and woven textures that are graphic, yet subtle and versatile enough to be used in a variety of projects.
This vibrant and playful collection from Whistler Studios is as much an homage to Jackson Pollock as it is to the 1980s. Splotch features rainbow-hued paint splatters against six different background colors.
ARTSY BRIGHTS FROM FABRIC EDITIONS/3 WISHES FABRIC
This gorgeous collection from designer EttaVee perfectly captures her vivid artwork—brushstrokes included. The layered, painterly designs include abstracted shapes, lines, and city/landscapes, plus brushwork and textured prints.
GUSTAV KLIMT FROM ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRICS
As far as paintings go, artist Gustav Klimt’s works are among some of the most iconic in art history. This collection includes several of those paintings, including his famous The Kiss, in the form of panel prints. Other prints capture and repeat details from Klimt’s works in various color stories.
UPCOMING SHOWS
2019
International Quilt Market/Kansas City
May 17-19
Classes and events begin May 16
Kansas City Convention Center
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
International Quilt Market/Houston
October 26-28
Events begin October 24
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas, USA
International Quilt Market/Pittsburgh
May 15-17
Events begin May 13
Classes begin May 14
David L. Lawrence Convention center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
International Quilt Market/Houston
October 24-26
Events begin Oct. 23
Classes begin Oct. 24
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas
NOTE: Quilt Market is a credentialed
trade show only, and not open to
the public.
For information on these or any other Quilts, Inc. shows, visit Quilts.com.
2020
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