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Meet Frances Newcombe, New Designer for Art Gallery Fabrics!

I am very excited to have you meet Frances Newcombe, the newest fabric designer for Art Gallery Fabrics! Her first line, ‘Safari Moon’, will be available starting December 2013. I will definitely be asking Santa for a half-yard bundle of this one!

I met Frances in May at Quilt Market in Portland. She came to my Schoolhouse presentation for Pellon (Schoolhouse is the first day of Quilt Market, in which companies/designers make presentations about new fabrics/products). I showed some of the bags from my book and made a presentation about Pellon interfacings to the quilt shop owners. Frances is warm and bubbly and she just caught my attention. Being as quiet as I am, she didn’t make me feel like I was being awkward or shy, and I felt at ease with her. She came to Chicago this summer, and we got to have lunch and go fabric shopping. We talked a lot about fabric design, which I am fascinated with because I know so little about the process.

I decided to conduct an interview with Frances to introduce my readers to ‘Safari Moon’!

Hi Frances! I am so excited to have you on my blog today. Would you please tell my readers a little bit about your art/designing background?
I studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1989. I am a motion graphics designer for television and have been in the business for over 20 years. I worked at most of the television networks do promos, and main-titles.

I think it is fascinating how every fabric designer designs their fabric using different methods. When you sat down to create this line, what was your process like getting it from your head into the finished line that we see?
Watch the video! I am really excited about it!!!! It shows a little bit of my design process.

Out of all the fabric manufacturers out there, what made you decide to submit your designs to Art Gallery Fabrics?
HA!!! Great question!!!!! well, I have been a huge fan of Pat Bravo. Her designs jump off the shelves when you see them in the stores. I couldn’t beleeve one day I read on her blog that she was from Argentina and I jumped out of my chair. That is where my parents are from. My father is a famous composer and jazz musician named Lalo Schifrin who grew up in Argentina. I immediately wrote to Pat and told her I was a graphic designer and who my father was. She wrote back and wanted to see my work… Talk about jumping out of my chair again! You have no idea how nervous I was. I had to give myself a week to prepare a presentation to her. I was sick to my stomach with nerves!

How did you come about designing this African-themed line? Why did you choose this subject matter?
Well that is also a good question. I worked with Pat for seven months before finally launching. I had created some beautiful designs but she was really trying to pull out of me something that was unique and different. There is so much design out there and she was pushing me to go farther. So I decided to do a lot of research online and found that I love exotic places and illustrating them. When I looked at some African fashions and all the patterns and noticed how colorful and bold they are, I gravitated toward that style. I decided to tell a story with my fabrics. I sent them to Pat after International Quilt Market Portland 2013 and she flipped over them! I was thrilled.

When you create the scale and graphics of a particular fabric, do you see that fabric being used in any particular projects (i.e. a quilt, dress, etc.?) while you are designing?
Thank God Pat is a genius at scale, I had help there from her. I was a little green when it came to sizing the designs. The greatest excitement for me, and all the payoff for the hard work, will be to see people make things with my fabric. I truly can’t wait for that!!!!!

Color is always the first thing that draws me to fabrics. How did you choose your color palette?
I submitted 3 colorways and we had to decide on just two. I love warm colors but seeing all the African designs out there, there were so many emerald, blues, and green strong colors that seem to fit and pop with these designs.

A lot of the fabric designers that I see also sew or quilt. What are your favorite types of projects to work on?
I love sewing, quilting and any kind of hand work. I am an applique lover, maybe because of my illustration background. But with this modern quilt movement I am loving seeing all the fresh look of blocks these days… On my blog I have mainly focused on smaller, easy projects because of my busy life style. Being mom to a toddler, working full time and pursuing a career as Fabric Designer. OK, I just fainted from exhaustion, just kidding.

What else are you inspired by, and what can we expect to see from you in future?
I love people and laughing and I am inspired by them. I love drawing painting and creating. I am inspired by bloggers such as yourself and love seeing all the beautiful hand made quilting going on. It is hard not to be intimidated by all that but I just want to be part of this wonderful world of all you creators out there. From me I hope that my designs will capture your heart. I want to tell stories with my designs and create illustrative whimsical adventures for the quilter to escape to.

I hope you liked ‘Safari Moon’! When I first saw the print with the zebra, I about fainted! This line is just my thing, and the colors are spectacular! All the colors that I would normally gravitate toward. Please look for ‘Safari Moon’ in your local quilt shop starting in December!

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7 thoughts on “Meet Frances Newcombe, New Designer for Art Gallery Fabrics!

  1. Donna Phelps says:

    I always enjoy hearing about designers and what motivates them. I am really looking forward to seeing the entire line when it reaches the shops. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Beth says:

    Great interview. And the fabrics are just my colors. I really love that her inspiration was African but it is not ‘African fabric’. I will be looking for that fabric for sure.

  3. Thank you so so much Sarah for this and all your support!!!!!!!!!
    You are such a doll and it is an honor to be here on your blog.
    Thank you a thousand times I cant wait to see you at quilt market : )
    xo
    Frances

  4. Vera says:

    Some of these prints looks really cool.

  5. Wonderful interview! It’s always great getting to know a bit about the designers behind the fabric lines!

  6. I love Frances and her new designs, especially the zebra fabric, are awesome.

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