Visit the New Shop!

Another big announcement today, everyone: my online shop has moved! I've moved from KathPrints to ShopKatharineWatson, so come on over and take a look!

As a special incentive, I will be adding a free single card to every purchase made before May 1st, so head over to the shop and take a look!

New Store: Paper Source!

I have some very exciting news to share today: on Friday, I shipped out a big order to Paper Source for their stores around the country! They should be hitting the shelves soon, so stop by your local Paper Source and pick up a card! I thought I would share a few pictures of the process:

The IOU Project

Take a look at this great video from The IOU Project. The company plans to offer clothes that are made from fabric that is hand-woven in India, supporting independent weavers rather than mass-produced textiles.



They haven't launched their line yet, but from the few preview images I've seen, it looks very promising. I really hope they can find the right balance between style and price, since all of the sustainable or fair trade clothes available right now seem to be designed without a sense of style (I am picturing a long hemp skirt and vest combo).

I really hope the idea works, because there is such a huge potential market of people who want to buy stylish clothes that support independent artisans. If it catches on, this could be huge for textile weavers around the world. So look out for the full line, I know I will be!

Photo from here

The Weekend In Review

This was an interesting weekend. There's nothing like a terrible show to send you looking in a new direction. I went into into it with very high hopes: the November show I did in Gaithersburg was one of my best experiences, so I was expecting this to be similar. It's not Christmas, so I knew sales would be down, but I was not expecting it to bomb.

One thing I've always noticed at the "Fine Art" shows I do is the way people talk to me. There is always a handful of amazing people, who are genuinely interested in talking about my work or anything related to it, and I love these conversations. But this weekend I got a lot of pity comments. One woman walked by and said "This is that thing that little kids do when they scratch colors on to a board and make pictures."

I'm not saying I never hear negative comments; people have different opinions at every show. But I've never been to a show where people seemed so concerned for my well-being, and were trying to offer me advice even though they have no experience to speak from. One woman, who had never heard of block printing, told me I would definitely have to expand my line in order to sell anything. One man asked me if I could afford to buy food.

So when I found this TED talk on Girls Can Tell this morning, it really spoke to me. In the beginning of her talk, Elizabeth Gilbert describes the way people reacted when she told them she wanted to be a writer, and it seemed incredibly similar to some of the comments I heard this weekend.

I really enjoyed her insights on creative careers and the way people respond to them, and it seemed like an incredibly fitting way to start the week. I especially liked the line: "Is it rational that anyone is expected to be afraid of the work that they feel that they were put on this earth to do?"

It can be easy to hear negative comments and take them to heart, but I came home last night and got straight to work on researching new projects. To some extent, criticism is great for creating better work, but when that is all you hear, it's time to move on. I know there are plenty of people and venues that do appreciate what I do, and I will be working harder to find those from now on!

Colorblock Quilts

I love quilts, but it is rare to see something that goes beyond the fabric-store-floral look. When I found these quilts by Kim Eichler-Messmer, I was amazed at the way she uses dyes and shibori techniques to create these amazing patterns and colors. The gradients are inspired by paint chips, and she pulls off the designs beautifully. I think it's the simplicity that makes them stand out from other quilts, although you can tell that this kind of simplicity takes hundreds of hours to pull off.

I love the way the patterns and solids are coordinated in the quilt below, and the design seems effortless and complicated at the same time. Even the quilt stitching is based on the shibori pattern.

You can see Kim's full line of beautiful quilts right here. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

All photos via kimem on Etsy

Cherry Blossom Season

The cherry blossoms are blooming in DC, and the crowds of tourists are everywhere. I didn't venture down to the tidal basin to be squished in with the thousands of other people having a serene moment looking at the blossoms, but the trees in my neighborhood are just as spectacular, so I did a little local tourism instead.

There are lots of exciting projects happening around here that I can't wait to share, so look out for some exciting announcements in the coming weeks!

Gaithersburg this Weekend!

This weekend I will be heading out to Gaithersburg, MD for another Sugarloaf Craft Festival. I had an amazing time in Gaithersburg in November, and if this weekend is half as busy as that, I'll be very happy.

The regular entrance fee is $10, but if you would like a free ticket to visit all the amazing food and craft vendors, I will be giving away five free tickets! Just send an email to katharinegwatson [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address, and if you are one of the first five, I will get one in the mail to you!

All photos via thriftypyg on Etsy