Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Monaluna Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!


Yeap, you read it right, I am hosting a giveaway for monaluna today!! Not only that, she agreed to do an interview with me for my readers. I know she is one busy person, thank you so much for your generosity Jennifer!

Before we start, let me tell you a little bit about her and her design...

Back in May I was at an International Quilt Market and met so many designers that I admire... Can you picture me being so happy and overwhelmed at the same time? Anyways, back in to the main subject... all of them that I talk to are so nice. One of the people that left an impression on me is Jennifer.


She is the talented designer and owner of monaluna. After the market we did some emailing back and forth and she has been so nice and sweet, I have this feeling anyone who meets her will want to become friends with her.

Her design is modern and fresh. I love her color pallet and hint of nature in the design. My favorite collections are;
marin

and monaco


I wish I had a little baby boy at home, so I can use fabrics from Monaco to make a special quilt for him. They are just so adorable!

Are you ready to get to know Jennifer? Here is the fun part!

1. Have you been sewing and designing for a long time? When did you decide to become a textile designer?

I have been sewing for a long time, though I had a bit of a rough start with it. I loved hand sewing as a kid, but my first few attempts at machine sewing were really frustrating and I swore off it for years. Then, I decided to sew some pillows for my apartment, and I fell in love with being able to create unique designs for myself. After that, I tried all kinds of things, with varying levels of success. A couple years ago, I even sewed my own wedding dress, using 26 yards of dupioni silk – quite a project!

As for textile design, that happened almost by accident. I had worked in various aspects of design, including surface design for children’s clothing, and I’d also done a fair amount of artwork for print houses, which supply the artwork for apparel and accessories companies. In 2007 I was working as a freelance designer when things really started to slow down. With time on my hands and a number of sewing projects in my head, I started to think about using some of my prints for textiles. I got in touch with a number of fabric companies, and was able to license a number of my designs to Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

After designing several successful collections for Robert Kaufman, I felt determined to pursue my long-time goal of printing my designs on organic cotton. I had missed being involved in the whole product development process, and after a lot of thought and consideration, I decided to branch out on my own and start my organic fabric business.

2. Work and family life, how do you manage them all? Is there any secret you would like to share?

Ah, it’s a constant struggle! Some days, it doesn’t seem like I’m managing at all. My first collection of fabrics arrived about 3 weeks after my daughter was born, so the last year has been full of some steep learning curves. There was this beautiful time until she was 7 months old where she wasn’t moving around much, and I actually felt like I could really work and watch her at the same time. Now that she’s crawling and walking, all bets are off. It’s probably time to get childcare and really focus on the business, but I’ve been enjoying getting to spend this time with her. If there’s one secret, I would say it’s to do work that you really enjoy. That way, you resent it less when you’re up at midnight finishing something you didn’t get to that afternoon. I almost always look forward to my work, and that’s a wonderful feeling.

3. Where do you get inspirations for your design?

All over! I feel most inspired by nature, and my favorite way of inspiring myself is to go for a long walk or hike and really LOOK at things. There’s so much that we don’t see in our everyday life, and I like to be able to really focus and notice the patterns and beauty around me. One of the best ways for me to do this is to travel to new places. When I’m out of my usual environment, whether it’s another country, another city or just a new hiking trail, I notice my surroundings more keenly and clearly than I do at home. Even the smells and the light and sounds of a new place are clearer and special.

4. What is the most exciting thing that has happened to you since you started your company?

Well, it’s always very exciting when new shipments of fabric come in, but I think my favorite thing is seeing how the fabric is used by other designers and sewists. I love seeing the things that etsy designers have made, or when people send me photos of things they’ve sewn with the fabric. I also really love shipping it out to other countries. Last Friday, I shipped fabric to Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Australia, and I prepared fabric swatches to send to Chile. If I can’t travel to those places right now, at least my fabric can!

5. Where do you think you and your business will be 10 years from now?

That’s a very good question! The usual idea is that you want to grow and expand, but I really love the size of my business right now. I am able to have a connection with my customers, and it feels really personal. I know it needs to grow, but I think it will be gradual. I would love to use my prints on different products, like stationery or wall art, but for now I’m still getting the hang of fabric. It will be very interesting to see where the organic market is in 10 years – I hope by that time it’s more the norm than the exception!

6. What are your favorite activities when you have any free time (if you have any at all!)?

Lately, I haven’t had much of what I think of as “free time”, but when I’m not working, I’ve been landscaping the yard of the 100-year-old house that my husband and I bought a year and a half ago. I love to garden, and have always wanted a big yard to work on, but now I’m realizing just how much work it can be! I’m hoping to build a chicken coop in the next couple of weeks – I’ve been wanting to get chickens for years, and now I finally can! I also really love to hike, dance, cook, entertain… but admittedly haven’t been doing as much of that as I’d like this past year.

7. Do you have a favorite quote to live by?

I have a friend who uses the Gandhi quote “You must be the change you wish to see in this world” as her signature. This one always rings true to me, and I really like the sentiment.

As I read the interview answers, I became a bigger fan of her and her creations. Again, thank you so much for your inspirations Jennifer. I hope you enjoy the interview too. :)

Here are the giveaway rules;

1. Visit her shop first and come back here to let me know which one was your most favorite collection. (1st entry)

2. Become a follower on my main page. (2nd entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway, tweet, become fan on Facebook. (3rd entry)

I will run the giveaway until midnight of the 30th and post the winner on 31st.
Good luck!

317 comments :

  1. I follow your blog, and have for some time! :o)

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  2. i love entwined. ma-03 ! scg00387 at yahoo dot com

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  3. I love Monaco! Such fun colors, they're just happy!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    -Janelle
    homemadethisandthat.blogspot.com
    mdpntemp (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  4. I'm a follower!

    -Janelle
    homemadethisandthat.blogspot.com
    mdpntemp (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  5. Love the Flower Bed - mc4 but they are all cute!!

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  6. I have been a follower for a while now! Love your ideas!!

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  7. I love the Taali! and Marin. Awesome contemporary designs with a retro charm!

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  8. I'm a follower of your blog! beckage(at)gmail(d0t)com

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  9. I'm a FB fan! beckage(at)gmail(d0t)com

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  10. Didn't get to see the last one... now I've forgotten the name... but her stuff is nice...
    I really like the Anika the best... so versatile... and so many different pieces.

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  11. So hard to choose but I love the Anika collection! SOO cute!
    ashleyburritt@hotmail.com

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  12. I am a follower!
    ashleyburritt@hotmail.com

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  13. I LOVE the Marin collection, so cute! http://www.monaluna.com/marin.html

    - Hannah

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  14. I started following your blog via bloglovin!
    Thanks,
    Hannah

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  15. I just tweeted this!
    http://twitter.com/#!/HDarph1

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  16. Like all but the colors in monaco pink best.

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  17. I love the marin and the monaco pink. I would love to win whatever though!
    janicetwitchell@hotmail.com

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  18. I am a follower!
    janicetwitchell@hotmail.com

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  19. I am a follower already. I love those prints and love your blog. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  20. I love the monaco pink. The pinks and greens are so cute together. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  21. Marin, Monaco, Anika...it's too much. I love them all.

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  22. If I wasn't an official follower before, I am now. Thank you for a great site.

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  23. I LOVE the Monaco, the original and the pink!

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  24. I love marin---soar makes my breath catch a bit in my throat, I love it. Really would like to touch these organic fabrics and feel the difference!

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  25. i love love love the monaco pink!

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  26. i finally followed (i've just been reading through my bookmarks!)

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  27. My favorite is anika - love the animals!

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  28. I love the Monaco collection, so many possibilities!

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  29. The Monaco collection is so sweet!

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  30. I have been a happy follower of yours!

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  31. Definitely Marin, but that Monaco..

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  32. Anika is my favourite - I would love to have a summer skirt or a blouse made from "hens".

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  33. I love the Monaco Pink collection!!

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  34. I would love the Monaco pink!

    Alissa

    alissaschade@hotmail.com

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  35. I love the Monaco Pink collection...but it was a hard choice to pick a favorite. I am drooling over them all:)

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  36. I have followed your blog for a while:)

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  37. I am a fan on fb!

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  38. I love the Monaco pink! :-) my daughter would love this stuff!

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  39. I follow you! :-) thanks for your ruffle tee-shirt ideas!

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  40. I blogged about you!

    http://www.EarlyMorningMama.com/

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  41. Anika is definitely my favorite!

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  42. I like Monaco the best...it's so cheery! Thanks!

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  43. My pick is Marin, but they are all gorgeous.

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  44. I am a follower of your very inspirational blog.

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  45. Discovered this site recently and it would be such an honour to win ANYTHING

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  46. Discovered this site only recently and I am so impressed. Would be an honour to win ANYTHING!!

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  47. Monaco Is my fave, I can see some gorgeous gifts made from those fabrics. I am a follower of your blog.

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  48. I LOVED every single print in the Anika Collection!
    They're so wonderful!

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  49. Marin would look so nice as pillows on my sofa. Love it!
    Thanks for the chance.

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  50. All are lovely but I think I like Monaco Pink.

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  51. The Marin is my fave collection!

    sarah at yesteachercrafts dot com

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  52. tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/yes_teacher/status/107791319774134273

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  53. I love the Marin fabrics. So pretty!

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  54. Marin fat quarter bundles are fabulous! Thanks for giveaway.

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  55. Hi Sachiko, I have several relatives having babies soon...the annika collection would make beautiful baby gifts! Keep on blogging.....

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  56. Hi Sachiko, I love the annika collection. I have several friends having babies soon and it would be perfect for gifts!

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  57. Hi Sachiko, I've been following your blog for over a year now and I love it.

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  58. I like the fat quarter bundles. This may sound like a cop out, but the combinations and contrasts make the individual fabrics even prettier! ~Kari

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  59. I like Monaluna's Fat Bundle Collection! I don't want this to sound like a cop out, but I love the combination of contrasts! I also really liked your interview with her. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  60. I like them all.
    Monaluna, thanks for sharing your talent with the world.

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  61. waoo..just amazing :) love the awesome collection ,,hmmm, i m your follower dear

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  62. Marin is my favorite but I do like Anika as well. Love the little critters.

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  63. I love Marin but really like the Anika prints as well. I love the little critters.

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  64. I really like Anika. Especially the foxes! so cute!

    (kristiannasharma@yahoo.com)

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  65. Would love to win the Monaco Pink!

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  66. I like Marin best but anything would be fabulous!

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  67. I am a follower of your blog

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  68. I shared you on FB! whoo!

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  69. I would have to choose Anika. I love the foxes, so cute.

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  70. thanks for introducing me to a new designer! I've been a follower of your blog for quite awhile - you have such wonderful ideas!

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  71. Love Anika. Those foxes are too cute!

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  72. Marin, but like someone else said, I would be happy to win anything:)

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  73. I love the Wobbly fabric from Marin collection. Thanks for this giveaway

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  74. Thanks for the giveaway! They're honestly all fabulous, but I especially love the Anika line--how cute is that woodland print???

    eemoody77 at gmail dot com

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  75. I follow your blog!

    eemoody77 at gmail dot com

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  76. I tweeted!

    http://twitter.com/FakeGradSchool/status/108395435370102784

    eemoody77 at gmail dot com

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  77. Monaco is beautiful! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  78. I also follow your blog. Thanks!

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  79. Monaco Pink! Those scooters are so cute! (Plus, I used to be called "Monoco" in college!)

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  80. I stumbled onto your blog from pinterest (one of your darling tutorials). Being a brand new newly-wed family, (we just hit our one month anniversary!) we could use all the help of saving those pennies. All your tutorials are so helpful! This give-away is exactly what we are looking for. Our pillows are needing some big revamping, so out comes the sewing machine! The darling Monaco Pink would look perfect in our living room, with the accents of green! I'll tell yah, this fabric won't get to waste ;-)

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  81. My favorite is Monaco!
    skklemm at gmail dot com

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  82. Follow your blog
    skklemm at gmail dot com

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  83. All are great, but I'm partial to the Marin line.

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  84. I love the Anika fabric. You should pick me. I'm the luckiest person. I LOVE winning and I want to make a quilt. :)

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  85. There you go.. posted a Facebook link and on my very own blog. Those fabrics are just to cute to pass by!

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  86. Tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/birdie00000/status/108361749832540160

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