Fabric Friday {Spoonflower Feature & giveaway (CLOSED)} Holli Zollinger

Holli Zollinger is one of my new favorite fabric designers.

Seriously.
(and definitely not because of the giveaway, lol :)

This girl rocks.

She is one of the hottest sellers on Spoonflower, and I am so excited ecstatic {no word could describe it} that Holli was gracious enough to give me a little of her time.

Read on to get to know her a little better, check out some of her patterns below, and then enter yourself in the giveaway to receive any 2 yards of quilting weight cotton.  
a-w-e-s-o-m-e



Tell us a little about yourself. 
I am a single mother of an amazing 3 1/2 year old. We live on the historical farm my mother was born and raised on in Northern Utah.  The setting  provides ample space to play and plenty of  time to work. I spend most of my day juggling between the inspiration of being a designer, the
day to day schedule of motherhood, and the duties of living on a rural farm.

When did you know that you wanted to be a Fabric Designer? 
Actually, I didn’t set out to be a Fabric Designer.  An acquaintance of mine told me about Spoonflower when it was still Beta, in the beginning phases.  I decided to try it out, and after the first year I couldn’t stop.  I was hooked. 
It was like a missing piece of the puzzle.  I realized it was a large part of my passion as an artist and a unique way of expressing myself.  In fact, when I was 5 years old, my sister and I were lying in bed trying to fall asleep.  We asked each other what we think about before we fall asleep, and  I replied “I think of material.”  Little did I know how much that would become my reality and how much my family would tease me because of it!


Were there any challenging obstacles you had to overcome to get to where you are now? 
I had to teach myself Photoshop and learn how to structure a repeat…
both of which can be exasperating! 
And I would say the challenges of being a single mother AND an artist can be difficult as well.

You like to paint on wood.  Do you paint ladies you know, or are they characters of your imagination?
 I usually begin with a reference photo, one of someone I know or something cut out of a magazine.  This gives me a starting point to begin my sketch.  I tend to use the photo for a guide rather than for accuracy.  It helps me generate the setting and mood for the overall picture.

Where does your inspiration come from? 
I LOVE to look through magazines.  In fact, the sheer volume of inspirations I can achieve by looking through a design magazine makes me go a bit loopy.  I usually have to catalyze my inspiration right away.  I also love to follow design blogs.  They are a great way to stay current.

Deceased or living, whose studio would you raid? 
Rodin.  I secretly have always wanted to stand on his model platform.  Georgia O’Keefe to witness her quiet solitude, and Shepard Fairey to see his unique process. 
For me, a studio is the place where things are transformed, where Alchemy takes place.  So truly, it would be a pleasure to visit any studio at any time.

What is success to you? 
This is a good question for me, because when I started out twenty years ago as an artist, I wanted success right away.  I didn’t realize how much I needed to evolve as a person and as an artist to achieve a measure of this.
Now, I would define success as being able to do what I love, everyday.  Oh and yes, maybe a swimming pool.

Where will you be in the next decade? 
Well, hopefully I’ll be poolside sipping something cold and fruity.  And after my morning and afternoon swim, you’ll find me in my large lofty studio creating magic. :}




{all photos taken from Spoonflower}

Reminder:  You can select ANY pattern on Spoonflower. 
You do not have to choose from the items below, though you can if you like.

You thought that was a lot?


Holli has a few hundred (yes,  several hundred) more designs to offer.


Okay, so you wanna enter the giveaway?  (I'm totally jealous, btw)

 Short and sweet rules:  (Updated 9/10)
Follow me, if you are not doing so already, and leave a comment below telling me which fabric pattern you would love to win.  You can visit Spoonflower  for this or choose one of the patterns above.  Make sure to leave your email address or else I cannot contact you to let you know you have won. :)


Additional entries: (separate comment for each entry)


1. Leave a comment on Holli's blog, and comment below telling me you did so.
2. Spread the word through another social media like Twitter, FB, or blogging, and comment below telling me you did so. 

Giveaway will close 12:00 PM EST on Thursday, Sept. 15th.  I will announce the winner sometime later that day.   Winner will be selected by random.org.  Good luck!