Abby Gilchrist - Modern Fabric: Twenty-Five Designers on Their Inspiration and Craft

Published by
Princeton Architectural Press
202 Warren Street, Hudson, New York 12534
www.papress.com

2021 Abigail Gilchrist and Amelia Poole
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher, except in the context of reviews.

Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify owners of copyright. Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions.

Editors: Jan Hartman and Sara Stemen
Designers: Paul Wagner, Natalie Snodgrass

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Gilchrist, Abby, author. | Poole, Amelia, author.
Title: Modern fabric : twenty-five designers on their inspiration and craft / Abby Gilchrist, Amelia Poole.
Description: New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2020. | Summary: The first collection of modern fabric designers and their work a colorful and inspiring selection featuring fresh, bold patterns from an international group of todays up-and-coming and established textile stars Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020005884 (print) | LCCN 2020005885 (ebook) | ISBN 9781616898373 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781616899677 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Textile designersInterviews. | Textile fabrics. | Textile design.
Classification: LCC NK9502 .G55 2020 (print) | LCC NK9502 (ebook) | DDC 746.092dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020005884
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020005885

MELODY MILLER
(RUBY STAR SOCIETY)

ALEXIA MARCELLE ABEGG
(RUBY STAR SOCIETY)

RASHIDA COLEMAN-HALE
(RUBY STAR SOCIETY)

KIMBERLY KIGHT
(RUBY STAR SOCIETY)

SARAH WATTS
(RUBY STAR SOCIETY)

Fabric designed by Holli Zollinger, Ruby Star Society, Lara Cameron and Caitlin Klooger, Sally Kelly, Mili Suleman, and Cecilia Mok

The journey that culminated in Modern F]abric began with a small fabric and art supply store in Belfast, on the coast of Maine. Fiddlehead Artisan Supply is owned and operated by coauthor Abby Gilchrist. Several years ago, our editor, Jan Hartman, walked into Fiddlehead and asked Abby about the fabric that fills the store. Abby replied that she stocks modern fabric.

As Abby guided her through the shop, Jan pulled bolts from the shelves. Who designed this fabric? Alexia Abegg. And this? Alison Glass. And this? Jen Hewett. The fabrics tell the story of the aesthetic Abby curates for Fiddleheadwhat people in the quilting industry call modern fabric. Solids and textured woven fabrics support the prints. The printed cottons at the front of the shop guide the eye to apparel fabric at the back, including double gauze designed by Naomi Ito of nani IRO and Liberty lawns from Sally Kelly.

After Jan suggested that Abby write a book about these designers, Abby approached Amelia, a textile designer and frequent Fiddlehead customer, to collaborate on the project. While wishing that we (Abby and Amelia) could write about the hundreds of designers whose work we find exciting and inspirational, we had to choose. We wanted to present a diverse group of designers, not just the most established ones or representatives of only one element of the wider fabric industry. In addition, we wanted to feature a range of modern design styles and methods and types of production. We found a broad array: designers who work with fabric companies and those designing independently, those who design for large-scale production, and those who screen print or block print their own designs. But the primary criterion in selecting designers was aesthetic: Would this fabric fit well into Abbys store?