Kalla Surface Pattern Design Blog

More New Stuff

2012-02-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Please check my new blog site if you are not subscribing it ;)

http://kalladesign.com/blog/

Changing Blog Site

2012-01-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank you all for reading my blog posts and today I want to let you know that I have recently renewed my website and a new blog page is now within the site.
The latest blog post is this.
(http://kalladesign.com/2012/01/20/experiment-with-paper-ink-and-coloured-pencils/)

I hope you continue to enjoy my posts and any comment is appreciated as always!

All the best,
Hitomi

Something To Carry With You

2012-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

Around the end of last year, I received those iPhone cases carrying my pattern designs. I am very happy with the way they turned out and love those little extras - each set consists of coordinated buttons, protective film, designers introduction brochure and multi-purpose tray.

They were made as part of LAB.C's +D Project led by rapidly growing Korean company Plus X. There are many other great designs available here (in Korean) by talented artists from around the world.

Back in Class

2011-11-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

I was so happy when I received these images. A graphic design student from America kindly sent me this work, developed as part of her editorial design project. I really like the neat way of presenting my pictures (the cover is not mine), thank Emily for picking me and keep up the great work!

Colour Like Warp And Weft

2011-10-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

Another colour combination sample.

Lemon And Ash

2011-10-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I started colouring the circle pattern but don't really like the colourway...

Cutting out and getting rid of the colour I don't want in it.

Stuck pieces of yellow paper underneath.

I used several different shades of yellow and grey instead.

- and the mess!

Journey And The View

2011-10-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Creating
= Experimenting
= Sampling
= Designing

“The journey is the reward.”

Happy experimenting!

Designing with Numbers

2011-09-29T01:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not a weaver. But I always admire weavers for their intricate job and creativity to produce such beautiful fabrics with tight restrictions compared to printed textiles.

And I purchased this book "Designing Woven Fabrics" by Janet Phillips from UK last month. The book is full of colour pictures of gorgeous fabrics which were designed and hand woven by the author.

The most interesting part for me so far (maybe because I cannot weave) is in the section "Design Criteria" and on "Designing Stripes and Checks". I found the author uses Fibonacci number sequence when designing stripes and checks! Does every designer use this as one of those golden rules? I didn't know how you could apply this mathematical formula to designing because I didn't take official design course? Anyway, this small discovery made me happy because I don't want to trust my sense all the time. Now I have another guideline to follow :)

Rich in Colour

2011-09-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting colourways and it's always one of the best parts of having this job.

Attractive Infinity

2011-07-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

I've been fascinated by beautiful checks/plaids recently, and tried designing one myself. I liked the soft and delicate colourway and hope you like it too.

Check is such a simple and classic pattern and yet the possibility of colour combination and line arrangement is unlimited. I sometimes feel overwhelmed and stuck when I have too many options available (generally) but it's a good fun if I have a colour palette on a certain theme.

Anniversary on Stamps

2011-07-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

I got some stamps at post office today and found the graphic design interesting.

Looking for Mr. Red

2011-07-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from when I was looking for the right “Red” for one of my customers. But I have been so lazy recently, if I'm allowed to make any excuse, because it's boiling hot in this studio... maybe Japan is becoming a tropical island... what should I do. I cannot survive.

Collecton of Colours

2011-07-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Don't Miss The Idea

2011-06-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

These doodles will be my resource for pattern design. What I like about this unique notebook (from MUJI) is that it already has frames. So it makes the sketches look a little organised and easier to be used for reference.

Happy Flowers

2011-06-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

Today's experimentation - pieces of paper then added a black spot in the centre of each.

Something in Common

2011-06-01T02:20:00.000-07:00

After the owner of Etsy shop Vitamini sent me a note to say hi, as a fellow screenprinter, I was delighted to browse her lovely shop!

(As some of you might know, I drive the old classic Mini, too)

You can find the lovely Mini Coopers on a variety of items!

In such a stylish way!

Also, check her fantastic blog (with all the nice retro stuff, too) here.

Thank you Casey for sharing your talent and love for MINI!! :)

Beautiful Sewing Tool

2011-05-28T02:18:00.001-07:00

I found this book a couple of weeks ago and instantly fell in love with these exquisite Japanese thimbles! They are made of paper, floss and colourful silk yarn. If I make one, I doubt if I actually “use” it because it’s so beautiful.

Flags of Creativity

2011-05-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased by this picture one of my customer sent me!!

As I always said or thought, I am impressed by

how people use my fabrics in their own creative ways

that I never think of!

Thank you so much, Stacy! :)

YAAAYYY!!!

2011-04-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

My newly born nephew!!
In Patapri blanket!!

Simple Shapes

2011-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

These patterns were designed based on the mood sheets/sketches showed in the previous post. I really like the colour combination and more experimentation using those colours are coming later.

Exploring In The Woods

2011-02-06T01:14:00.001-08:00

These are my mood sheet and drawings based on the theme "Wonderland"! I didn't really know where I was going though, but enjoyed working on it at least. Hopefully they make some good designs at some point in the future...

Keeping My Hands Busy

2011-02-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

I've been enjoying some experiment of colours and different surfaces. I'm using bits and pieces of magazine cut-outs, used gift wraps/bags, fabric scraps and so on.
It's usually a real mess at first but hopefully I find some nice combinations along the way...

Riding The Wave Of Colours And Texture

2011-01-29T06:41:00.001-08:00

About a month ago I bought this card from Modern Optic on Etsy. I'm in love with the texture of the paper and the surface of letterpress printing... so lovely. The colours are gorgeous too, it makes me feel I want to keep it for myself!

Anyway, this post is the first one this year, and here's my belated greetings - I wish you all a happy and creative new year and thank you so much for reading/following my blog! Will be back more often!! :)

Which One Is Your Colour?

2010-12-07T00:45:00.001-08:00

I finally listed the new Frog cushion covers on Etsy. And this time I added the colour samples on the listings for custom order, because I thought it might be easier for people to find what they want instead of me saying "I can print almost any colour of your choice" without samples.

Do You Like Frogs?

2010-11-28T05:22:00.001-08:00

New design "Frog" has been done and I'll make some cushion covers out of those fabrics tomorrow.

Each frog was cut out by hand so they are all unique! I just hope there are many frog lovers out there... :)

New Dark Room (or just a box)

2010-11-18T05:20:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've refurbished my studio and there's still a lot more to be done!

Today, I made a small new "dark/drying room" using a shelf. It is very small and just contains one screen to dry. I will see how it works tomorrow.

Bunnies!!

2010-11-12T18:41:00.001-08:00

Meredith of munaluna sent me these photos the other day! Sooo cute!! :)

New Look and I'm So Happy

2010-10-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

I've done some painting recently - all white in my studio! It feels so fresh and clean :) I have loads to organise now and want to make it look better!!

SHIN SHIN - From Her Honest Heart

2010-09-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

The other day I found a beautiful blog which is written by one of the followers of this blog.
It's called SHIN SHIN and a pottery instructor Maki is introducing her lovely sketches, tools, works, creative process and daily life from England.
Please have a look and I'm sure it inspires you all !

It's Going To Be A Long Way (sometimes)

2010-09-10T23:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am working on all those designs at the moment. I want to print them all onto fabric (well, of course not all at once though). I need to refine each design now to get what I want to see... I usually have so many ideas but don't finish each one, just stop drawing and move onto another idea. I sometimes think that I'm avoiding the further process, maybe because I know it might become a long journey...

New Range of Fabrics

2010-08-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

I have listed some new fabrics on my Etsy shop today. Those are light/quilting weight fabrics and I have printed 15 colours the other day.

The colours are from my normal colour palette but now I'm looking forward to adding more with new design!

One Of My Happiest Moment

2010-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

When I have a lot of remnants, I sort them out by colours and make some remnant packs for sale. I always enjoy thinking about combinations of colours :)

Colours on Canvas

2010-08-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

I have recently started using new base fabric to print on. It is heavy weight cotton canvas and I love the texture!

Elephant Magazine

2010-07-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since this art & visual Culture magazine called "Elephant issue 3" was published but here is the pages in which my work was featured.

AND it was really nice to be in this feature along with the popular designer maker Yuko of Patapri!

This feature represents 7 textile designers around the world. I really enjoyed reading other artists' history, background, idea, process, style and so on.

Special thanks to Anna, an editor of this Elephant magazine as well!

Playing Around With Real Things

2010-07-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

I've done some experiment the other day with watercolours and then paper cutting.

When I try to develop my idea, doing it on computer doesn't really work for me, especially when the computer is so old and super-slow...!

Work In Progress

2010-07-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

These are some "making-of" at different stages of preparation for printing new tea towels. The last photo shows sketches for more of new designs.

Bottles of Healing

2010-06-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

It was an organising day yesterday and I put those pretty ink bottles in order.
I need to work on something new...!

Love for Colour

2010-06-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I've been working on new silkscreen prints on fabric. They are quite small as A4 size it's easier to experiment colour schemes. Now available on my Etsy shop.

A Perfect Match

2010-06-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

© Elizabeth Tritsch / Photos by Marianne Wille

I was so excited when I received those pictures of cushions with my Mari fabrics!
One of my customers Elizabeth, is a talented crafter and you can see how creative she is to integrate my design into her lovely cushion covers.
I really hope that she would start selling her creations on Etsy or anywhere else :)

The photographs were taken by Marianne, a friend of Elizabeth and she sells her beautiful felt works here!

Beautiful and Quiet Assistant

2010-06-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have been working on small prints on fabric recently for hanging on the wall and I thought of putting some flower when I take photographs for listing an item.
I am so lucky to have an avid gardener who happened to be my mother.

Colour Scheme

2010-05-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

My new way of experimenting various colourways - water colour!

Cobalt Blue

2010-05-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

I got a new acrylic colour which is astonishingly beautiful...!
I can be easily pleased by this sort of small things :)

Another Studio Pics

2010-05-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

I have installed a dryer (originally for drying clothes though) to dry emulsion on the screen more quickly and efficiently. Hope it works...!

My Studio Pics

2010-04-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

As I did some photo shooting the other day, I'll share some of them here.

Kate Schutz The Talented Painter & Illustrator

2010-04-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

One of my customers Kate Schutz showed me these pictures of her renovated bedroom on her blog.

The gifted artist (you can see some of her paintings on the wall) ordered some cushion covers and fabric from me to suit the new headboard and wall paint. And you can see it all went perfect :)

What she's done with her room is very inspiring to me and I'm very pleased to have become a part of her refurbishing project!

Please visit her blog and website to find out more about her work.

Woven Colours

2010-04-02T07:45:00.001-07:00

I've tried some weaving today (well, if I'm allowed to call it "weaving" though) as part of my experiment on colours, materials and texture.

I used magazine shreds, fabric shroud by hand and rope made of paper.

It was a real fun, those only found objects could become a casual piece of art when it's properly framed and hung on the wall :)

Burda Style Magazine

2010-03-30T07:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I received a copy of Burda Style magazine 2010 March issue, which featured kalla Design along with other two textile designers.
They used a photo of my studio on the first page for this feature and it doesn't look bad at all ! :)

Well, the only problem for me is that it's German edition, so I cannot really understand what the article says but I'll try to translate it somehow later...

And I was so surprised to find myself next to the Marimekko designer Maija Louekari...!

Special thanks to Talea and Ulinka of Burda Style!

My Colours

2010-03-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

I just happened to find one of my favourite colour combination :)

Pattern Crazy

2010-03-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have been (still) working on some digitally manipulated patterns and I'll try to upload more designs here. You can also check my portfolio and Flickr.

Volksfaden

2010-03-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to announce that now "Volksfaden" stocks kalla's fabric!

The Mari fabric available on this popular on-line fabric store was printed in Indea on 100% organic cotton poplin, using herbal dyes. And it comes with the standard width of 140cm/53"!
As my hand printed fabrics are 50cm/20" wide max., this difference makes it possible for many crafters to go for bigger projects :)

Also, Volksfaden sells a range of beautiful fabrics around the world and they will be shipped from Berlin, Germany.

Thank you, Linda! (The owner of Velksfaden)

I'm in Love

2010-03-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

The other day I found those exquisite pieces of jewellery, made by a Japanese jewellery designer Keiko Okamoto.

I just LOVE the colours, delicate lines and sophisticated use of materials.

Her label is called "knap" and you can find her cute shop on Etsy here.

It's Professionally Done!

2010-02-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

I have a customer who is a bag designer/crafter and this bag was made by her.
I printed the canvas fabric and she turned it into this beautiful bag using leather.
The fabric board on the right is her own design.

My Lucky Day

2010-02-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

Today I found this photo unexpectedly on Apartment Therapy and it made me so happy!
Because... I saw my "Mari" Plum cushion cover right beside the dog...! What a nice surprise :)

New and Old Designs

2010-02-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my portfolio recently and you can see some of my surface designs here. I'd like to add more stuff to it and print some of the designs, that'll be my latest project.

YOKOMONO STUDIO

2010-01-27T06:57:00.001-08:00

New products from YOKOMONO STUDIO are on sale and the California based desiger/crafter used kalla's "Tatami" fabric for her new line!
I just admire the way she uses her fabrics and choice of colours.

Please visit her Etsy store or Supermarket store for more information.

I Know, I Cannot Avoid This

2010-01-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

This is my messy table as usual, working on some old pattern and trying to figure out how the half-step repeating works... it's really confusing to me sometimes...!

Playing Around With Colour

2010-01-24T02:01:00.001-08:00

I did a little embroidery today and made it into a covered button. I didn't plan the colour scheme beforehand and just picked up each colour on the way.

Over The Pacific Ocean

2010-01-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

The other day, I sold this journal and another one to someone in California and she let me know what she got those notebooks for.

She is originally from Hawaii and she would exchange them monthly with her two best friends in Hawaii, "writing down things they would normally say if they were together".

I thought it was so sweet...! And the story actually moved me and made me try to keep up the good work :)

Cosy Corner

2010-01-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

I have found an old kettle in the storage last week and made "a cup of tea" space in the studio :)

London Rubbish Bin

2009-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Digitally manipulated image was photocopied on a sheet of film, then placed on top of oil pastel drawing on paper.

Cans of Inks

2009-12-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Collage
Oil pastel, magazine cutout, coffee filter and charcoal pencil

Cells

2009-11-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

From "Body" experiment series.
Used watercolour and ink.

Coral

2009-11-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

This experiment was made based on a theme "body" at first but it looks like "coral" as the title shows :)
I painted acrylic gouache with painting knife on papers then cut it out and made some holes, put it on top of another.

London Street

2009-11-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

Collage based on a photo taken in London.
I used pencil, pen, photocopy and oil pastel.

Trial and Error

2009-11-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

I made a white background for photo shooting of some of my small products. It is made out of cardboard, white paper and parcel tape. The white wall should reflect the light around the object better and catch more details. I need to improve my photo skill now :)

Beautiful Brooches from Kimba

2009-11-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

The other day, a really nice follower of this blog called "Kimba" sent me this photo. These beautiful and exquisite brooches were made by her ! She 's been recently thinking of setting up an Etsy store of her own , so when she does, let me introduce the shop on this blog :) Thank you so much for your useful information and the picture!

The Outcome

2009-11-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

I'm really happy with the design!

The Process

2009-11-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

Exposing the screen. Watch out for the UV light. Not really good for your eyes.

Developed screens for the two-colour pattern.

Printing the first colour... a bit worried!

After printing the second colour... a best bit!

The Birds

2009-10-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the dog has nothing to do with this but the new pattern design will be coming soon...!

Tedious Part of My Job

2009-10-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not really good at stretching screen on the frame... maybe it just needs years of practice for me...
At least my dog takes away my stress :)

Moodboard

2009-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of moodboard. And I love seeing other people's moodboards because it can be such an inspiration.

An old ELLE DECO UK article says,
"At its simplest, a moodboard is a collection of pictures or things you like. It just helps you make sense of all the ideas floating through your head. The trick is not to over-think it. Let your intuition guide you and, as your board (of wall, or scrapbook, or vignette) takes form, so the unconscious threads that weave together your personal taste will come to the fore."

Exploring Colour

2009-10-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

I just can't stop thinking of colourways for my new pattern design. Always fun and exciting to find colours I like but exhausting at the end...

Playing with Colours

2009-10-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

I just don't like throwing away those fabric remnants...
so today I decided to make another cushion cover out of remnants of making cushion covers...

Cutting the fabrics and making slips.

This is on the back after sewing, reinforced with another piece of light weight fabric on top later.

Here's the result! Not bad? I will take some proper photograghs tomorrow and list it up on my Etsy shop :)

Planning, Preparing and Printing

2009-10-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

More printing for some custom orders. It's the screen for "Tatami" design.

This is a sort of my "mood board" as of today. You could probably find some original hand drawn sketches for previously posted digital designs. Now I'm really eager to print multi-colour patterns!! It is technically a bit difficult in my studio but I am preparing for it. So hopefully you could see some new stuff soon :)

Full of Roses

2009-09-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

These are not perfectly manipulated and/or repeated patterns but I like the bold design :)

Being Playful

2009-09-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much digitally manipulated patterns but here's one.

Wish she worked for me...!

2009-08-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

My friend made a bag out of my "Tatami" design fabric and sent me these pictures. Lovely, isn't it?

Dancing Colours

2009-08-27T07:52:00.001-07:00

An experiment I did before.
1. Dropped some ink on the paper.
2. Held the edges of the sheet and made the ink run on the paper.
3. Put slips of tracing paper on top.

Beautiful Shoes

2009-08-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

A pair of shoes made in Vietnam.

Favourite Bit

2009-08-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I was looking for a right "red" for order from BUK & NOLA. It's always fun to do this kind of job :)

Something Traditional

2009-08-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

From hallway carpet in a hotel in Tokyo.

New Gallery

2009-07-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

I have renewed the Gallery page of my website, it is now powered by zen PHOTO. It seemed to be a nightmare at first to integrate the script into the website by myself but I did it...! I am also surprised at how amazing this free software (unless you donate) is - managing images is easy, simple and flexible, it's just so beautiful. What I need to do now is to upload as many images as possible!

Big Mistake

2009-07-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

The other day I was packing quite a lot of bags and towels for a gallery shop at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. But what I found about on this shipping date was that I forgot to make one more granny bag...! So I explained it to the buyer and she kindly told me to send it just when I make one...

Fingers Crossed

2009-07-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today I decoated a screen and mended the wooden frame.

I could never get rid of this ghostly mark... annoying...!!!

This is photo-emulsion I use, it's from Germany. Getting a bit old though... 5 months after the pot was opened. Let's see how it works...!

New Tea Towel Design

2009-06-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was designing a pattern for tea towels and first started with pencils (you can see it just by the scissors above). But I soon realised my hand didn't draw the lines I wanted so did it by paper-cutting. I made several layers of circles and the result is...

These are pieces of paper which I keep from magazines, gift wrap, etc. It is very useful for making collage and finding interesting colourways. I also use them when I don't want to be "skilful" and just feel like playing around with colours and shapes using scissors like a child.

Improved? - At Least I Like It Better

2009-06-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Just found the old original papercut for my "Mari" pattern and the below is the new (now old too, though) re-designed "Mari".

Love The Britishness

2009-06-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Now my family own the classic MINI and I like the fabric used for the seats. So I am planning to make matching cushions for the rear seat :)

Because Nobody Else Does It For Me

2009-06-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Before I started today's printing, as I walked into my studio, I felt "something has to be done about it..." and I spent the whole morning just to tidy up the studio. Organising skill seems to be very important and something I definitely need...

Small Pot Of Strings

2009-06-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

I just can't waste anything.

Cushion Covers Traveling To Canada

2009-06-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

I have shipped out some cushion covers to a beautiful shop called "BUK & NOLA" in Montreal, Canada the other day. The shop looks really nice and chic from its website, please check out if you are around the town.

Efficiency For A Change

2009-06-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

I've been searching for a way to make the same colours in less time and recently I've been getting better at it! Although it's a lot more fun to find a beautiful colour by accident, this colour-managing skill should be very important :)

Exploration and Pleasure

2009-06-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

Finding a "right" (to me!) colour combination is the true joy for me. I am planning to apply my multi-coloured pattern onto paper in the near future.

Vibrant Runners

2009-05-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today I shipped out two table runners to my customer in Taiwan. She chose these different tones of yellow for each runner and I found it very interesting.

Around The World Feature

2009-04-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Talented jewellery artist Kristin of {sweeter than me} introduced kalla Design on her blog, with an interview and so many photos! Thank you Kristin!!

Yes, It's Coming!

2009-04-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

As I posted on this blog earlier, the screen for my "Bloom" design had some problems but I've had quite a lot of requests for making items with this pattern, so now I am REALLY re-making the screen!!

It seemed like a long way before I started this but I've been actually enjoying many "happy accidents" as I cannot control all the brush touches.

New Tote

2009-03-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Now this new tote bag is available at my Etsy shop.

Spring Scarves

2009-03-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Scarves with my favourite colours (I love many colours though) are available at my Etsy store.

All The Way From America!!!

2009-03-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

Today I received a package from Cose Dolci who created those cute wool felt bowls for me!
It made my day!!

Nice packaging.

The colours are exactly what I expected from the photos on her shop.

And it's really well made with beautiful details.

They have already found their place in my studio :)

Tedious But Important

2009-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

The photo-emulsion coating of "Tatami" design screen was too thin and I found a lot of pinholes the other day... it is very important to make a good screen, my "trial and error" on this seems to continue...

Happy Time

2009-02-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

One of the best moments of my work, to me, is rolling up fabrics which are newly designed, printed and ironed!