Week 20: The Next Big Thing

    Through serendipitous circumstances (and by that I mean me cruising Facebook to kill time a couple of weeks ago) I was asked by the talented Rachele Alpine to participate in The Next Big Thing: a game of blog-tag for writerly type bloggers with manuscripts-in-progress. Rachele's contemporary YA, Canary, debuts next fall, so that makes her a real-live author which, by extension, includes her in a group of people I'd like to be in someday. So, of course, I jumped on the word-nerd bandwagon.
      The rules are simple: Last week, Rachele wrote a post on her blog answering the interview questions below about her work in progress and linking the post to the writer who tagged her and five (plus a couple) others for this week. I play the same game. You get to read my enthralling answers and then hold on to your hats until next Wednesday to check out the thought processes of five other aspiring authors, and, in one case, amazing author-illustrator. 
     I know I've mentioned my love of books, writing, and all things etymological here before, but I haven't maintained this as strictly a "writing" blog, so here's a whole new side of this Mamma for some of you blogland beauties to see. :-) Here we go:

      

Q1. What is the working title of your book?

     The working title of my novel is THE CHRONICLES OF GIDEON HOLBROOK: BOOK 1. I've been through a few titles...The Taffy Family Chronicles, Gideon Holbrook and the Legend of the Black Lake...but I think I like what I'm working with now best.

Q2. Where did the idea for the book originate?

     I have loved writing for...well, ever. I've written hundreds of poems, scads of essays and short stories, dozens of children's picture book manuscripts, but I had never even thought about writing a novel until one day when my daughter was four years old. She has always been very articulate and advanced in her vocabulary and we were playing a story-telling game we call Fortunately/Unfortunately. I would start a story with one sentence, beginning with either the word 'fortunately' or 'unfortunately,' and she would continue with the next sentence, starting with the opposite word. For example: "Fortunately, the alligator was on a leash." "Unfortunately, the leash was plastic." And then chaotic storytelling ensues. This particular day, however, I started the story, "Fortunately for the little girl standing on the rocky shore, she had remembered to wear her raincoat and hat." Then Laurelei continued, "Unfortunately, her brother standing next to her had not." 

      And then I had a vision. I know that sounds very purple-prosish and melodramatic but I kid you not. The little girl in the rain on the rocky shore and her brother, soaked to the skin next to her became, suddenly, full-fledged characters in my mind. We exchanged a few more sentences and I told Laurelei I loved this story and I needed to write it down. I asked her what else she wanted to have happen and she answered, "Hmmm...the boy and the girl visit their grandparents...and there are pirates." Okay! I spent the next two days writing what would eventually, after much poking and prodding and molding and shaping, become the first five chapters of THE CHRONICLES OF GIDEON HOLBROOK (a.k.a.: the boy without a raincoat). 

Q3. What genre does your book fall under?*

*Alright, this game's 20 weeks old so I hope I'm not offending the creator of  these questions by unleashing my inner grammarian and rephrasing them a bit (the last one originally said "Where did the idea come from for your book?" Not incorrect, technically, but clunky). In my not-so-humble opinion, this one should say: What genre does your book fall into? 

     Why, thanks for asking. My WIP ("work in progress" for you non-writerly types) features main characters of middle school age and would most likely be publisher-classified as an Upper Middle Grade Fantasy/Adventure. I hope, however, that it has cross-over appeal to both the YA and Adult markets. 

Q4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

     I won't pretend I haven't thought about it. I'm a very visual person and an imagery-loving writer. Sometimes, the only way I can work through a scene is by "seeing" the movie in my head. That said, the only one of my characters for whom I have selected a definite, perfect-fit actor counterpart is my villain. I would loooove to see Helena Bonham-Carter in that role.

Q5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Ugh! That's a hard question. Okay, one shot, off the top of my head, here goes:

     

     When Gideon Holbrook's parents receive a mysterious letter and set off on a secret ocean journey leaving Gid and his sister with their grandmother on an island off the coast of Oregon, Gideon discovers a secret about his family's ancestry that has him wondering who he really is, and racing to save his parents' lives. 

Whew!

Q6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

     I am seeking agent representation (hello? any agents reading?).

Q7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

     I started over three or four times before completing a single draft. It's a complicated plot. I think it took me three years to finally come to a draft.

Q8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?*

*or To what other books within your genre would you compare your story?

     Avi's CRISPIN AND THE CROSS OF LEAD comes to mind, and maybe...smack me for my arrogance here...J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN? I don't know. I hate comparing my work to others'. 

Q9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

     After my little girl's spark of magic set a fire under me, my thoughts turned to my ancestors and my love of mythology and folk tales. I am a mixed bag of national heritages, but, for some reason, the vague knowledge of some unnamed Welsh progenitors stood out in my mind. I began to interweave my story with one from traditional Welsh mythology, pulling in historical figures and letting my fictional characters grow around them. My own, semi-romanticized ideas of the old-world Welsh culture and landscapes, combined with the newness of a turn-of-the-century, melting-pot-of-cultures, North-Western American town inspired me to push and develop the story.  

Q10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

     Pirates. As requested by Laurelei, the villains of the tale are of the seafaring variety, and they come with their own back stories, side stories, and surprises. Making up pirates may have been the most entertaining part of writing this story for me. A couple of my favorites: Birdie, a Jamaican with dread-locked hair and a sinsister-sweet voice, and Dead Danby, a Cockney Brit whose skin hangs loose on his frame like melted wax and who has died at least nine times. 

     And there you have it! I hope to share it with all of you--via your local bookseller, of course--one day very soon. You can check out Rachele Alpine's Q&A on her current WIP here, and don't forget to look for more authorial ramblings of the fabulous variety from these bloggers next Wednesday:

J. Larkin
Erin Shakespeare
Liesel Bendio Potter
Jessica Lorene
Madison LaFond
( I'll post the links to those last two as soon as I have 'em).

Thanks for stopping in, lovelies, and remember: faithful blog readers get cuts in line at my book signing someday.

xo

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer Part 4

I still have four interviews from Quilt Market that I haven't posted yet! I think I'll get one more in before delving completely into posts on Christmas goodness, craftiness, and general yuletide merrymaking cheer.

How about Mark Cesarik?

Part of an ever-increasing presence of talented men in the traditionally female-dominated sewing/craft and design industry, Mr. Mark Cesarik was showing his second fabric line at fall QM, and was, quite frankly, a refreshingly real person to talk to. (Wait, that sounded like a dis on the other people at QM. It wasn't meant to be, just a compliment to Mark.)
Anyway...

Mark's first line with Free Spirit Fabrics was Calypso Swing (which he used to decorate for his wedding- so pretty!)  and his latest,  Morning Tides is a collection of Zenned-out blues and cheery yellow-oranges with a beachy feel. He and his wife, Cara (also super cool), run a design operative called Sew Bettie over at Spoonflower, and Cara, I hear, is the talented stitcher behind Mark's samples, including this rad (did I just say rad?) embroidery:

Love it.

So, once again, let's enter a world wherein I pretend to be a journalist who has done her research (ha!) and nice people pretend not to notice and talk to me anyway.
Ladies and gents, Five Minutes with Mark Cesarik.

Me: Okay, so I'm talking with Mark Cesarik (am I saying it right?)

Mark: Yup.  Says-uh-rick.

Me: Oh good. Okay and his collection is called  Morning Tides with Free Spirit Fabrics and your first collection was...

Mark: Calypso Swing. A lot of grays and pinks and that was my first at Spring Market in Salt Lake.

Me: Oh, yeah! I know  Calypso Swing. And how was it received?

Mark: Pretty well. I was pretty green...and I'd never done Quilt Market...I didn't know yet a lot of the designers...even the sales reps for Free Spirit didn't even know who I was, so it was just a really good learning experience, but this second time around has been a much better experience, you know...I know people, people know me. I've had a lot more traffic in my booth, it's just...like anything else, I'm getting better at it. I was real green the first time around.

Me: I've noticed there are a lot more men coming into the design industry...

Mark: There are.Yes, me and David Butler and we've got Jay [McCarroll] and, obviously Kaffe [Fasset],  who's like a champion of the industry...yeah it does seem that, you know, when I tell some of my friends that I grew up with who don't have any idea about anything to do with this industry, I tell them I design fabrics and they're like, "Oh...hmmm...well, we're gonna go watch the football game." And, you know, I like that stuff too. But I think that there's a really growing market, not only for women who like to buy more masculine fabrics for men- and I'm not saying that my fabrics are overtly masculine because they're really not-

Me: No, I think they're really universal...

Mark: Yeah, they're kind of androgynous... but I do feel, well, I don't see why there wouldn't be a market for it. Especially when fabric is not just for quilts, but also for apparel and things like that.

Me: Yeah, I feel like the stereotype of this being a women's industry is starting to fall...

Mark: Yeah, and more than that- the stereotype of it being an older women's industry...there really are some really hip people...and that's the thing about Free Spirit too is I think they're right on the cutting edge with the designs they're putting out...because it's really, well I look at it as art.

Me: Yeah. Now your wife said your background is in fine art.

Mark: Yep.

Me: Do you think fine artists are finding more of a...utilitarian outlet through fabric design? Is that what led you  here? A more accessible format?

Mark: Ummm, well I went to the Art Institute of Chicago, I studied painting and drawing, but I found my way...sort of accidentally into this through design- my day job is as a graphic designer. And, yeah I guess it is a really good outlet...for me, it was really natural because of my design background and because, frankly, I'm good at using the kind of software where I can create digital designs- that's my bread and butter. So it was a really natural transition and frankly, the freedom that it allows you is something that's been really rewarding, I mean I literally -when I go into a new collection- I have no restraints...I have nobody telling me what they'd like to see, they just say give me something that we haven't seen.

Me: They want you-

Mark: Exactly-

Me: -all over your designs.

Mark: So that's the beauty about it. I mean I literally feel like I get to doodle for a living.

Me: That's awesome.

Mark: It's really an incredibly rewarding experience. I just start from scratch and I doodle and I see what I come up with- and, even as a graphic designer it's not the same, I mean I'm working under constraints...certain guidelines...and this- I just get to do whatever the heck I want to do. So it's incredibly rewarding...especially when I get the sample yardage. It's really nice.

Me: Okay, so I like to close up with a couple of non-generic questions...so what is your favorite kind of ice cream?

Mark: Ohhh, hmmm...

Me: Or do you even like ice cream?

Mark: Oh, are you kidding? You know, it's hard for me to say a favorite everything, but if I had to choose my  favorite...it would be Ben and Jerry's Milk and Cookies.

Me: Oh, yeeeeah. Yeah that's good stuff.

Mark: Yeah, it's quality...I'm a traditional vanilla and chocolate guy... I like chocolate chip cookie dough...but the Milk and Cookies Ben and Jerry's...it butters my bread.

Me: Awesome. And last one- what is your favorite movie?

Mark: My favorite movie...hmmm...I can give you...

Me: Or book- we can go movie or book.

Mark: Well, again I have a hard time naming one thing, but I'll say...my three favorite. Empire Strikes Back, because not only is it a great movie, but it just takes me to a place...when I was a kid...uh, gotta put Ghostbusters on there...because who doesn't like Ghostbusters?

Me: Yeah, well, who you gonna call?

Mark: Who are  you going to call? Ghostbusters, right? That's the answer. And then...let's see...third favorite- I'm gonna go ahead and put True Romance on there.

Me: True Romance. Okay.

Mark: Because it's a great story and...

Me: Is it visually inspiring to you?
(why do I love that question so much?)

Mark: Uhhhh...viscerally I would say because it's kind of a violent, fast paced movie, but at the heart of it is a love story and just great acting...have you seen True Romance?

Me: (Drat! Found out!) No,  I have not.

Mark: Oh, okay, it's actually sort of a remake of a movie called Badlands with Martin Sheen and Cissy Spacek...it was written by Quentin Tarantino and it's got an amazing cast... you got Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Christian Slater is the main character...

Me: Oh, I'm a Christian Slater fan.

Mark: Well, who isn't? Slater. He could've been the modern day Jack Nicholson if he hadn't made bad decisions...movie wise. But yeah, I'd put those three on there and on any given day it might be different...but Empire Strikes Back would be on there for sure because it just takes me back to when I was a little kid.

Me: Yeah, you and my husband would get along.

Mark: Well, we're probably...your husband and I are probably around the same age. I used to dress up as Luke Skywalker, although, as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate Han Solo more...as you get older you'd rather be Han Solo.

Me: Well, yeah. Because he's the cool one.

Mark: The super cool one. He gets the girls and all that.



Thanks Mark, for taking the time to interview with me- I had a lot of fun. You, dear readers, can learn more about Mr. Cesarik by visiting his website, markces.com (check out his mixed media gallery- I like the elephant) or his blog, markcesarik.blogspot.com.
You know, for some strange reason, I'm craving bread and butter.

xo

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer Part 3

...with the lovely ladies of Pillow and Maxfield!

Val is the Pillow, Anne is the Maxfield and it only took me three days of QM to keep that straight. I kept wanting to call them Valanne or Anneval just to be on the safe side. And I hope that doesn't sound apathetic because, on the contrary I'd have to say that of all the people I met at market, these were two of my favorite. They both exude a sincere warmth and infectious cheeriness that made me want to stick them in my pockets and take them home with me. I'd keep them in a cookie jar and call them Auntie Val and Auntie Anne and they would make pretty things for me. 

But, fortunately, I resisted the temptation and Mesdemoisselles Pillow and Maxfield remain free to create beauty for all. Such beauty as is found in their fabric collections: Whimsy, Pretty Bird, Gypsy Bandana, and the latest, Ooh La La!

Now I know I started this interview series committed ( in a non-committal sort of way) to not ask standard, generic questions like, "What is the inspiration for this line?" But I realized that sometimes, a question that people expect and are mentally prepared to answer is the best way to loosen their tongues and get 'em talking. (It definitely worked here). And it's a good way for me, as an interviewer, to get a better perspective on who they are as artists. Because, as my track record has shown, I typically went into these interviews knowing all or, more often, nothing.

So, here we go. 5 minutes (okay, technically we took more than 5, but there are two of them) with Pillow and Maxfield.

Me: Alright, I'm talking with Val Pillow and Anne Maxfield and your new line is called Ooh La La.

Both: (with fake French accents) Ooh La la!

Me: Hahaha! And it's a very happy line. Tell me about the inspiration behind this collection.

Val: That's kind of what our passion is- we like happy, bright colors,  with a little energy and a little touch of whimsy and then we also tried to do a line that's easy to coordinate. So that's kind of our...our mantra is Happy. And that's what we go after. And then we found as we were going along with this group that some of it had a little French Provincial look, so that's why we named it Ooh La La. And it comes in three colorways, Citrus and Spice and Sky, and we wanted to continue with something we started with our Gypsy Bandana line- we call them bandana squares, but you can actually do so much more with the squares. We have on our website six free, downloadable tutorials on everything you can do with the squares- everything from a little patio tablecloth to matching dinner napkins...it's really easy to make a quilt out of it by alternating the squares...a tote bag, a little travel cosmetic bag, surfer shorts, a little pillowcase dress...

Me: Cute! And what a fun, easy way to make a quilt if you're not an advanced quilter too.

Val: And we've also continued with our border prints, which make great lounge pants... they just have the border on one end, so you can use the rest of the fabric however you want it...great for curtains, dust ruffles for beds, little girls' skirts or dresses... We try to make it fun and easy for the customer to use.

Me: I love it. And I love the Spice colorway...the Spice to me is, and I hope you take this as a compliment because to me it's a compliment...it feels kind of vintage 70's and I love it.

Both: Thank you!

(Thanks, Fat Quarter Shop, for the image!)

Anne: We'll take that as a compliment! 

Me: Oh good! Some people think "70's?" (nose scrunched in negative connotation sort of way) But I love 70's.

Anne: We hear that a lot, and we hear...people think it's very 70's, but even the styles before that...ummm....

Me: Like, Boho?

Anne: Something like that.

Me: Well, as far as fashion goes, 70's is the big trend so, good job ladies!

(laughing)

Me: Okay, I wanted to ask you some questions you maybe don't get all the time...so what is your favorite kind of ice cream?

Anne: I love that...Bunny Tracks stuff... is it Bunny Tracks? No- Moose Tracks. A little chocolate in it, a little peanut...that's the favorite.

Val: Well, I have several, but actually...this is boring...but vanilla bean because I like to pour a lot of chocolate on top of it and dress it up.

Me: That's what Sandi said too, she likes vanilla because you can dress it up.

Val: And I actually like the vanilla bean because it has a little extra oomph to it...

Me: Yeah. Super-vanilla flavor. Okay. Is there a collection that has come out by another designer that you wish you would have thought of?

Anne:Well...hmmm...they're all so cool, but...no...

Val: Nope.

Me: That's good. You're confident and comfortable in your own art.

Val: Yeah, we kinda got our own style going....

Anne: Yeah, we do and we love, love, love-

Val: And admire-

Anne: Yeah- many of the designers and we kinda see how everybody has their own thing

and there's something wonderful about that, but you know there are a couple of things that, walking around, I saw today and I thought- I'm ordering that fabric. I want that. But not really any that I wish we would have...I feel really proud that we were the ones that came out with the bandana squares...we kind of feel that that's a part of our signature thing. We're thrilled that we did it. So far it's gone really. really well.

Me: Good good good. Okay, last question. If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Val: That's a hard one...

Anne: I would go to the Island of Mystique.

Me: The Island of Mystique? I don't even know where that is.

Anne: I've been there once and I'd like to go back. It's way down by the Grenadines...

Me: Oookay (nodding as if I know where the Grenadines are)...

Anne: I went on bareboating sail trip there and I thought it was the coolest place I had ever been in my entire life and I am dying to go back. So...I'd be going to the Island of Mystique.

Me: Wow. It almost sounds made up. You know, magical.

Anne: Hahaha, yeah. It's where- and this has nothing to do with why I like it- I love it for the island people and it's so simple and tiny, but full of little castles and when we got there and stayed there for a couple of nights on our sailboat we found that is where Mick Jagger has a house, David Bowie has a house...Tommy Hilfiger has a house...when they were building it the construction workers just let us go in...so it has fun things like that, but to me it's just a total paradise.

Me: Cool. Okay, and Val, where would you go?

Val: Well if this is a total relaxation vacation I'd want to go somewhere tropical too like Fiji or something like that, but actually I really want to go back to Paris because it's so inspiring and I love sitting in the little cafes and I find it so romantic. I've only been there once and it was only for -it was part of a European tour- we were only there for a day and a half and it was just enough of a tease...so I'd really like to go back. And, oh, the Paris Flea Market. Oh! I would want to do that. So if it was a vacation where I had energy to do stuff, I'd want to do that, but if not, tropical.

Me: Yeah, I only had three days in Paris and it wasn't enough.

Val: Just enough to tease you.

Me. Yup. Well thank you ladies!

Both: You're welcome! 

Val: Did we talk too much?

Me: Of course not.

Of course not, Anneval and Valanne. You can learn more about Pillow and Maxfield (and see all their fun free tutorials) by visiting their website: pillowandmaxfield.com.

The Ooh La La line of fabric is now available through Michael Miller Fabrics and if anyone knows where I can get a really big, comfy cookie jar, please drop me a line.

xo

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer 2

How is it that every picture I took of David Butler is out of focus?

Okay, let's do some image borrowing (with proper credit given, of course).

Ah, there he is! Thanks City Craft.

I do have a semi-decent shot of one side of his QM booth though.

And, of course, his official QM award:

So, on to the words of the man himself. Please be assured that this 5 minute interview was punctuated with far more sycophantic "yeah"s and "oh right"s and "uh-huh"s from my side of the microphone (cell phone) than I decided to transliterate.  Background info (in case you didn't already know): David is the husband of the fabulous Amy Butler, design extraordinaire, and has recently launched his own design line under the pseudonym brand of "Parson Gray." His debut fabric collection is called Curious Nature and is in tones of grays, gray-blues and mossy greens... Aaaand I was basically ignorant of all this information when I approached him for an interview. 'Cause I do stuff like that.

Actually, if you want to know my little secret...and Mr. Butler, if you're reading, you should totally take this as a compliment...I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I was talking to Amy Butler's husband, but until he said it in the interview, I completely forgot. He was just David Butler, designer guy to me. Which means that this whole Curious Nature/ Parson Gray thing stands on its own. Yeah. That's why it's a good thing.

Okay, here we go.

Me: So, I'm talking with David Butler, and your line is called Parson Gray?
(see the extent of my research?)

David: It is. Well, the actual line is called Curious Nature-

Me: Oh, I'm sorry-

David: No, that's cool. Parson Gray is my new brand I'm just starting.. Because I didn't want to just come out as David Butler- I wanted to have kind of a different identity-because people know me as Mr. Amy Butler.

Me: Right. (I so knew that).

David: I kind of wanted to develop my own brand that I might take, you know, if I wanted to expand and do other things down the road, paper or something, it would have a life of its own.

Me: Well  I love it. It's very manly but sleek and sophisticated at the same time.

David: Thank you.

Me: Well, I like to ask what I hope are some non-generic questions that you don't get asked all the time.
(I say, referring to my vast journalistic experience)

David: Mmmhmm... (slightly wary).

Me: So, can I ask, when did you first realize you were an artist?

David:  (look of relief on his face) When I first realized I was an artist was probably...when I was about five years old. I was always obsessively drawing as a child and I think I had an actual self-realization when I was at that age that this was something I really loved and I was passionate about and I was good at, I could actually do it. So, probably at a very young age.

Me: And did you continually do art from that point?
(Do art? What kind of grammar is that?)

David:  Perpetually. Yeah, from that point. I continued to do it and I continued to be...you know when you're an adolescent it becomes part of your identity. 'Oh, that's Dave Butler- he can draw,' you know, 'Have him draw you something- have him draw you a shark. He's really good at drawing sharks.' And that becomes part of who you are.

Me: Was that your thing? Sharks?

David: Well, Jaws came out. Every kid was drawing sharks, and then we were all drawing the Milenium Falcon, you know. So you develop this thing that becomes inherent to who you are and then you just kind of, keep building on it and building on it and for some kids it becomes a passion, other kids kind of grow out of it, but for me it just kept going and going and by the time I was in high school I knew I was going to go to art school. I just set a path for that and followed it all the way through.

Me: What is your favorite movie?

David: My favorite movie is Raging Bull.

Me: Do you find it visually inspiring?

David: Yeah. Very much so. It's funny, my two favorite movies are probably The Elephant Man, you know, David Lynch, and Raging Bull and they're both black and white movies...

Me:Oh, and your collection is a lot of grays...

David: Yeah, here we are. Parson Gray.

Me: Okay, if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? You probably have traveled quite a bit.

David: Umm...I've traveled a lot, yeah. Umm (thinking)... it used to be Bali, but I've been to Bali, and it's fantastic, but I would probably say... Iceland, now is a place I really want to go because I've heard so many great things about it. And Croatia, also. I've heard great things about Croatia.They seem like kind of weird, fun, fascinating places to go.

Me: Very cool. Okay, last question. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

David: My favorite flavor of ice cream is called Salty Caramel, and it's by Jeni's Ice Cream from Columbus, Ohio.

Me: I love salted caramel...

David: I know Jeni, she's very cool. I helped her with her logo and she's very, very cool.

Me: Well thanks for taking 5 minutes with me, and good luck with your line- it's absolutely gorgeous.

David: Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks.


Aaaand, there you have it once more, blogland. Like I said before, pure journalism.
Curious Nature will be available from Westminster Fibers/ Freespirit Fabrics this winter. You can learn more about David by visiting his website: Art of The Midwest.
 Parts 3 & 4 next week: The lovely ladies of Pillow & Maxfield, and the very entertaining Mark Cesarik.

xo

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer

Part One

Okay, kicking off the week with the first in my little series of interviews, we have a woman who makes a killer key lime curd, is often mistaken for my sister, and whose fabric is loved by stitchers everywhere. She also happens to be my dearest friend, Sandi Henderson.

This is her Secret Garden QM booth. Isn't it pretty? 

And here's the two of us doing our little school house thing...do you see the sister thing? I guess I do from this far away...

And here are the two of us amongst a few lovely market attendees... (thanks to April on the far left for the photo-check out her cute blog). 

Now on to the words of the woman herself... heeeeere's Sandi:

Me: Hey.

Sandi: Hey.

Me: Sooo...I want to interview you for my blog.

Sandi: Okay. 

Me: But I already know you really well.

Sandi: You should ask questions that people don't typically ask. Like everyone always asks "What was the inspiration for this line of fabric?" Don't ask that.

Me: Yeah. That's a good idea. Non-generic questions. I can do that. And these are only five minute interviews, so I'm not going super in-depth.

You ready?

Sandi: Yup.

Me: Okay. (Assuming official interviewer mode).

So, Sandi, please tell us...what is your favorite book?

Sandi: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Me: Do you find it visually inspiring?

Sandi: Yes. It's the book that I have...hmmm (pensive pause)...the ending of that book is, I think, the most wonderfully written ending of any book that I have ever read.

Me: Awesome. When did you first realize you were an artist?

Sandi: Creative or an artist?

Me: An artist.

Sandi: An artist? This year.  I don't know if you should say that...

Me: No, that's an honest answer. That's good. What is your favorite ice cream?

Sandi: Probably..vanilla.

Me: Me too!

Sandi: Because I like to put stuff on it.

Me: Yeah, you can dress it up. Ok, if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

Sandi: Portabello Road.

Me: I love Portabello Road!

Sandi: (sad) It doesn't exist anymore.

Me: (emphatic indignation) I know.

Sandi: I named my business after it and it doesn't exist anymore, I never got to see it.

Me: I did. Ha ha.

(laughing)

Me: It was cool, but it had kind of gone...

Sandi: Kind of shady I heard.

Me: Yeah, it was sort of shady but it still had a lot of cool vintage/ antiques stuff going on, but then there were also all these like, cheap importers. 

Sandi: So maybe it's good that I never got to see it.

Me: Yeah, because then you can keep the romanticized version in your mind.

Sandi: (singing) Portabello Road, Portabello Road...

Me: Okay, that's going on the blog.

 (laughing)

Alright, last question. Is there a line that another designer has come out with that you wish you had thought of?

Sandi: Between you and me? Yeah.

Me: Well, not between you and me. Between you and blogland.

Sandi: Ummm. Okay. Amy Butler's Charm.. And actually that is probably my favorite fabric collection. Ever.

Me: Well thanks. (Assuming official friend mode again).

Sandi: Yup.

So, there you have it blogland. Pure journalism right there. You can learn more about Sandi by visiting her blog, portabellopixie.typepad.com or her website, sandihendersondesign.com.

Tune in on Wednesday for 5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer, Part 2, featuring David Butler. 

xo