Camelot designer Jackie McFee talks about the inspiration for her collection My Gray or the Highway (in stores now!) and offers up a tip for creative expression.

Camelot Fabrics:  Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.

Jackie Mc Fee: Hello! I’m Jackie McFee, a surface pattern designer and a busy working mom of 3! You can read more about my story on my website.

CF: What inspired you to design the My Gray or the Highway collection?

JM: I am obsessed with color and how it permeates every aspect of our lives: from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to the paint on our walls. My current color crush (and has been for a while) is gray. It is simply the best neutral with so many shades that can translate across multiple ages, products and designs.

CF: Can you tell us a bit about your creative process? What do you most enjoy?

JM: The spark. That moment when you get inspired from just one thing. The idea begins to form, then you start to sketch, then patterns start to take shape, then colorways, then you can feel it in your bones that a collection has been born. I love that feeling!

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CF: What is your creative work space / studio like?

JM: My husband and I built my studio as an addition to our home in Charlotte, NC back in 2009. It is a large, beautiful space filled with windows, sunshine, design books, fabrics, ribbon, and inspiration from all over the world! There may be an occasional glass of wine in there too : )

CF: The title of the My Gray collection is cheeky & fun, but it also speaks to the concept of expressing your own creative voice, and being yourself. What are your tips for quilters, aspiring textile designers (and anyone who works creatively with fabric) to find and express their own creative voice?

JM: Ignore everybody. Go with your gut. There is so much “noise” out there that it is hard to literally think sometimes. Don’t listen to it. Do something creative, something, anything. Make progress. Hit road bumps. Make a mess. The magic is always, always in the mess!

  
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CF: If you could be on a road trip anywhere in the world, where would you be driving and in what kind of car?

JM: NO ROAD TRIP FOR ME PLEASE!!! As a busy mom, I am in my car 24/7! I’m basically a glorified über driver! Put me on a beach, with a frozen drink, and a really good book. #heaven

Thanks Jackie! We’d love to hear/see what you are making with My Gray or the Highway. Tell us in the comments below or tag us #camelotfabrics in your social media posts. Follow Camelot’s Facebook page and Cora’s Quilts’ Instagram feed, for TWO (!) chances to win a fat quarter bundle of My Gray and a copy of the Flora quilt pattern by Cora’s Quilts. Giveaway details will be posted starting this Wed, August 2nd.

Happy sewing!

1- Wallet by Lins Handmade
2- Flora Quilt & Pattern by Cora’s Quilts
3-Pom-pom Tote – Camelot Fabrics Free Pattern – designer: Made by Marion