As part of our Anniversary were having designer interviews! We were so excited to interview Patty Young! Thank you So much Patty for giving us your time!!
Biography: Patty Young, Modkid
We know you're Patty Young the designer of very vibrant, colorful, versatile, and fun fabrics and that you creating some DARLING and very fun patterns for girlies as well, but…
Tell us a little about yourself what makes you, you! I think what makes me "ME" is a combination of that Latin flair in my blood (having grown up in Central America in a purely Hispanic family), that entrepreneurial spirit (which I also inherited from my hard-working and always-creative parents) and that need to be unique and different (which I have no idea where it came from, but believe me it's there! LOL!) You take all of these personality traits and throw in some chronic insomnia, addiction to caffeine and some OCD behavior and you have Patty Young. :)
What inspired you to start designing fabric? I have always loved creating repeated patterns, whether it was doodling on my notebook in school or creating a background texture for one of my many advertising and marketing jobs. I went to school for design and received my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in 1993. I worked at a number of design-related jobs creating mostly artwork for print media. In 2005 I left my corporate job to stay at home with my children and pursue my own creative endeavors. Sewing clothes for them led to designing my own sewing patterns which led to wanting to design my own fabric to accompany these patterns. All the basic knowledge was there... I just had to apply it to a different medium: textiles!
How do you design your fabric; some designers paint, draw, design on the computer etc..? My designs are about 99% computer-generated. Every now & then I do sketch out an idea on paper if I happen to be away from my computer, but my next step is usually to scan it, bring it into Adobe Illustrator and redraw it. I make my repeated patterns using Illustrator and Photoshop depending on the complexity of the design. I prefer Photoshop for playing with color because I can have each design on a different layer and play with the opacity to create new looks and combinations.
Is there a design that you're particularly most proud of whether it be a pattern or fabric and why? Oooh, that is a hard question. It's like asking me to pick a favorite offspring... haha. Since each of my designs is original, they all were dreamt up in my head, born onto paper or computer then sculpted and tweaked to perfection. Each one goes through this process of development and sometimes even a metamorphosis of sorts. Many designs end up looking absolutely nothing like what they started out as (I can't believe how many parallels there are between my fabric designs and my kids!) I don't know if I can pick a favorite but I can tell you that my current obsession is with this design that is not currently out. It will be part of my next fabric collection, due out in May, 2010. I can't really say much about it at this point because it is still so premature but I can tell you that I have a full size print-out of it tacked to my wall above my laptop and I swear I stare at that thing all day long... it's like I'm hypnotized by it! Hopefully it'll have that effect on everyone else. ;)
Tell us a little about Flora and Fauna, your newest collection for Michael Miller? Flora & Fauna is like what I would want my dream world to look like: bright, colorful, fun and filled with beautiful flowers and whimsical creatures frolicking among a backdrop of perfectly designed geometric textures. Like I said in my first answer, I grew up in a place that I can only describe as a lush tropical paradise. Now, I live in the Midwest where it's Winter about 6 out of 12 months of the year and these colors don't naturally occur in nature... only in my head! And now in my fabric.
We know you have some new, darling Modkid patterns just released as well; tell us a little about those and how you got your inspiration for them? Yes, we have 6 new patterns that are a bit different from my previous sets. At the insistence of various people, I promised to do some fun home dec items, so now we have a Hummingbird Quilt and a Pillow Trio pattern. Also, this time I worked with a good friend of mine, Valerie Haberer, to launch a line of clothing patterns for 18" and 15" dolls. The collection comes complete with a set of garment bags for child & doll. How fun is that?! So far, all our new patterns have been very well received so you can expect to see more of this from us!
What is one piece of advice you would give to those who dream of becoming a fabric designer? I'd say first impressions are key. Have confidence in your work. Be prepared to answer any questions about your designs, your inspiration, your background, your future plans (like you're at a job interview). Show a variety of designs to prove your versatility but also make sure your unique style shows through in all of them. And last, but certainly not least, PRESENTATION. Present your designs in a unique and creative way that is also clean and organized. Have a proposed name and even a logo for your collection... this shows that you've thought this through and are serious and confident about it.
Thank you!
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