Ever since I became a quilter, I have dreamed of designing my own fabric. So when I learned about Bonnie Christine’s Immersion course in 2019, I immediately signed up. I was so excited to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator to create fabric patterns ! Unfortunately, the demands of my full-time job left me feeling overwhelmed, and I struggled to keep pace with the weekly modules. Illustrator is an intense program! Feeling discouraged because I was only able to complete two out of the eight modules, I gave up on completing the course and focused on mastering the very basic skills I learned. These skills weren’t enough to create patterns for fabric, but I was able to easily create professional looking templates for my patterns, so I counted that as a win and moved on.
Patterns where templates were designed in Illustrator
I still dreamed of designing fabric, so over the following years, I embraced Bonnie’s advice to immerse myself in creativity. I spent countless hours doodling, drawing, and taking photos. I was uniquely inspired by the places I traveled: the opulence of the cities along the Rhine River, the scenic beauty of the Outer Banks, or the majestic landscapes of Yellowstone. I also found inspiration at home; from the parks in my town to the tranquility of my own backyard. The allure of leaves, flowers, and landscapes fueled my creative fire.
Colmar, France
During the summer of 2023, I resolved to complete the remaining modules of my immersion course. To my delight, I discovered newfound ease with Adobe Illustrator due to my template work and achieved a personal milestone by creating my first repeating pattern. I was so proud of my simple cobblestone path.
When enrollment opened for the 2024 class, I knew I couldn’t resist the chance to experience the journey once more in real time. I was determined to extract every drop of knowledge and inspiration and keep pace with the course modules. Knowing my artistic preferences has allowed me to have a renewed focus on the skills that I need to master the collections I dream about. I decided to use my inspiration photos from the Rhine River cruise to guide my first collection. It has been so fun to see my ideas come to life.
These flowers...
...turned into this pattern.
We have two weeks left in the course and I am looking forward to seeing all that I can accomplish by the time the course finishes at the end of April. Bonnie and her team have been an unwavering source of support and guidance and I just can’t say enough positive things about her and this course. While it has taken me a while to get it done, I’m glad I stuck with it! I'm really looking forward to creating more fun patterns inspired by the world around me.