This February, our QuiltInk interview features Radha, a textile artist passionate about upcycling and sustainability. As QuiltInk celebrates its 4th anniversary, we’re more mindful than ever of how fabric choices impact our craft and the planet. Radha’s work proves that stunning quilts can be made with secondhand and repurposed materials.
With a background in textiles and years in the denim industry, quilting became her way to reconnect with creativity and align her work with her values. Now, she focuses on upcycling, design, and education, recently taking on a new role at FeelGood Fibers.
Radha has also curated the palette for our February Challenge, inspiring you to explore upcycled denim in your quilting. Join the challenge and discover how creative sustainable quilting can be! Don’t miss her full interview to learn more about her journey and mission.
Personal Background
Radha, as we dive into your story, could you provide a snapshot of who you are and take us on the journey that led you to where you are today?
Hi, I’m Radha, a Textile Artist and quilter based in San Francisco. Textiles were my first love and led me to study costume design in college, and the business of textiles – specifically denim – took over my life for 15 years with a corporate job at Levi’s. I loved my job but working in the apparel industry during the rise of fast fashion, visiting huge denim mills and factories in China and Bangladesh, seeing the impact of producing new textiles, it was a constant struggle with my values. I finally left the industry in 2021 with severe burnout. And on my first free day, I turned my second bedroom (i.e. pandemic home office) back into a sewing room and started making my first quilt with fabric from my stash.
Quilting Journey
When and how did you start quilting? What drew you to quilting as a form of expression?
I knew nothing about quilting, when I set out to make my first quilt in 2021, but I had shelves of fabric I’d collected through my travels. I’d been sewing since I could walk (skills passed down from my great grandma who was a seamstress in NY), and I knew if it was made of fabric then I could make it.
Quilting was meant to be a six-month project while I figured out what to do with my life after corporate. But once I started, I couldn’t stop. It was a revelation, like painting but with fabric. And reconnecting with my creativity helped me work through my burnout.
Pattern Designing
What inspired you to start designing quilt patterns?How do you approach the creative process of designing a new pattern?
I love to teach and share my ideas, and that’s what started me down the path of creating patterns. Now I do it as a way to make upcycling easier and more accessible to quilters. The goal of each pattern is to teach people how to quilt with denim, not necessarily to recreate a design I’ve made. Sewing with new textiles can be intimidating and I see the pattern as another tool to help educate and inspire.
Style and Aesthetics
How would you define your pattern style? Are there specific themes or elements that consistently appear in your designs?
My style is helping you find your style. I like simple, clean lines, and playing with value – everything I do is about light and dark. But the way my patterns are written, I give lots of options and encourage you to experiment. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone take one of my patterns and alter it, put their own spin on it and make it uniquely theirs.
Color
How does color play a role in your pattern designing? Do you have a favorite color? Are there certain color combinations you find particularly appealing?
My favorite color is chartreuse, but you aren’t going to see it in my quilts. I only work with upcycled or secondhand materials, mostly denim. So, 95% of what I make is blue. But because denim has so many variations, levels of texture, wear patterns, it’s never the same and I never get bored with it.
Business Activities
Apart from designing patterns, what other activities are integral to your quilting business?
(Membership, notions, courses, etc)
Everything I do is with the goal of inspiring quilters and sewists to use upcycled or secondhand materials (always in a positive and uplifting way, never with judgement or shame). So, when I found out last year that FeelGood Fibers was closing, I bought it to continue the founder’s mission of creating a positive and accessible space for quilters to destash their fabric. Taking over this business just a month ago has been such a fun adventure I’m excited to continue!
Online Presence
Where can people find your work online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?
I’m at www.sewingthroughfog.com and @sewingthroughfog on almost every platform out there, but I spend the most time on instagram.
FeelGood Fibers is at www.feelgoodfibers.com and @feelgoodfibers on most platforms.
Upcoming Projects
Can you provide a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or designs you’re working on? Any exciting collaborations or events?
My focus this year is growing FeelGood Fibers into a resource for the greater crafting community. I plan to add new categories like yarn and embroidery and add local resources where people can find secondhand fabric near them. I already have a site that maps secondhand fabric stores across the globe (www.sewingthroughfog.com/thriftyourfabric) and I will be moving that site to FeelGood Fibers and expanding it.
QuiltInk Experience
How has QuiltInk contributed to your quilt pattern design business? Could you share your experience with the platform and how it has influenced your creative process and connected you with fellow quilters?
QuiltInk and Catalina have been amazing partners on a very special project over the last two months. It’s my goal to help quilters make denim quilts, whether it’s my pattern or someone else’s, and Catalina has made that a reality by letting me build a denim palette in QuiltInk. With her support and enthusiasm, we are making upcycling more accessible in quilting.