Quilted by Design: Tula Pink

Your designs are easily recognizable, bursting with bold colors, hidden surprises, and that “more is more” ethos. Can you describe how your creative process begins and how you determine when a design is finally done (if that moment ever truly arrives)?

Yes I am a more is more girl to the core! I want to fill every available space. There is not really such a thing as “traditional” composition in fabric because ther are not any edges to the artwork. So I don’t have to think about a design the way an artist would with a picture on a canvas or in a frame. It’s really about color and texture. There isn’t a concrete moment when I know when something is done. It’s a feeling more than a science. I know it’s done when my eye doesn’t "catch" on anything like an awkward open space or a repeat glitch or a clump of color. Fabric is interesting in that way, every square inch has to be able to stand on its own because I am not the final word on how it will be used. I have to design for an infinite amount of possible uses that I have absolutely no control over.

 

You’ve mentioned that fabric design is your primary calling in life. What is it about fabric that continually inspires you year after year, and how do you maintain fresh ideas across your many collections?

I think there is something that happens when you make your whole life about one specific thing, your whole life does indeed become about that thing. Designing fabric and making quilts is pretty much all I think about. I don’t worry about running out of ideas I just worry about running out of time. To keep things fresh I do have to commit a certain amount of time to doing this as a hobby and not just a business. I have to keep some things for myself and make quilts for no reason other than to enjoy the process. The biggest threat to my career is burnout so I have to keep refilling my creative tank whenever possible.

 

Your humor and storytelling are evident in your work, from playful animals to unexpected details. Do you have a favorite “hidden element” that you’ve designed, or a story behind one of your more surprising design choices?

I derive the most joy in designing fabric from trying to surprise my fans. It has gotten to a point where a lot of them almost know me better than I know myself. They have an uncanny ability to predict what is coming so trying to stay ahead of Them is really fun for both of us I hope! Most of my collections are based on animals so every once in a while I try to throw them a curve ball. Untamed was a collection of all florals which is something that I have often said I would never do, only because I think so many designers already do that so well. The most recent fun I have had was working on Floral Reef. That collection is all underwater plants in the same vein as Untamed. I wanted to do these really alien looking florals and so doing a whole collection in the theme of floral fabrics but using all ocean and deep sea plants was really fun. It reads like florals from a distance but upon closer inspection it is all seaweed and anemones and these really jelly like shapes. It was super fun to draw and even more fun to color.

 

You collaborate with remarkable partners—FreeSpirit, BERNINA, Aurifil, Renaissance Ribbons, and others. How do these collaborations influence or challenge your creative process?

I work with the best partners in the world! I choose them based on product quality of course but more than that I work with people I respect at each company. It is the people that keep us working together. The people I work directly with at each company are so supportive and super capable. Every product category provides a new challenge and I need to work with people who can articulate those challenges and are brave enough to try new things. I am always looking to understand the production process as much as possible. I can’t break the rules unless I know why they exist int he first place. By really diving into a deep understanding of the process then I know where I can push and when I need to pull back. I always tell my working partners that my job is to throw all of the ideas out on the table and their job is to push back until we land on something that satisfies us all creatively without losing quality.

 

You are known for concealing animals within your designs in the most unexpected places. If you could hide anything in a fabric print (no limits—real, imaginary, or outrageous), what would it be and why?

I really strive to create prints that are objectively beautiful and speak to a greater history of fabric design but that push the boundaries by incorporating unexpected things. Any idea that I have I generally put into fabric without holding much of anything back. The trickiest subjects are things that people are not inherently familiar with. I have a list of things that I would like to figure out how to do someday, most of them are mythological. I have done a few like a unicorn but I would like to do more with that. The one animal on my list that I would LOVE to do someday is the axolotl. It is just the happiest and weirdest looking little animal ever. I would love build a collection around that little weirdo someday.