Tula Pink is an icon of the fabric and quilt world. She is an illustrator, a fabric designer, a quilter, an author, and a maker. Known for her cool, innovative style, Tula is the leader in the modern cultural revolution.
Pink graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Calif. She worked briefly as an exhibit designer for museums in Southern California, where she grew up, and then relocated to the music industry. After five years, Pink became dissatisfied and moved east in search of a new home. She got about halfway across the United States, ran out of gas and money, and settled right here in Missouri in a small town outside Kansas City.
Pink’s main focus in life is fabric design. Her signature designs have been adapted to fabrics, woven ribbons, paper products, needlepoint kits, embroidery patterns and sewing machines. Her designs are found in independent fabric shops and retailers all over the world. She is most recognized in her industry for her dark sense of humor, a flair for hiding animals in the strangest places (artistically, not literally), and her boldly unique use of color and pattern.
Today, Tula Pink works closely with Free Spirit Fabrics to develop multiple fabric collections. She is an Ambassador for BERNINA sewing machines, develops collections for Aurifil Threads and Renaissance Ribbons and writes books for R+W Media about quilting and sewing. She works all day every day in her house, which used to be a barn. She gets cranky when asked to leave her studio or whether Tula Pink is her real name.
Pink claims that modern quilters today are guardians of the past, guides to the future. When people think of quilting, they remember that is what their Grandma used to do. Tula says, “Who says I can’t do all of this in a leather jacket with tattooed knuckles and a bit of a potty mouth? I can and I will because I am a maker, a quilter.”
The OPQG Library has two books by Tula Pink for members to check out:
Tula Pink’s City Sampler, 100 Modern Quilt Blocks
In this book, Pink challenges you to design your own quilts using her block patterns to scaffold. These block patterns are not traditional. The blocks are numbered for you to choose, select your colors and fabric to put together a unique design for a quilt that is your very own style. Make a beautiful, modern quilt of your own design with the 100 original quilt blocks or try one of the five city-themed sampler quilts designed by Tula.
Quilt with Tula & Angela
Pink partners with Angela Walters to create a start-to-finish guide to piecing and quilting using color and shape. There are 17 quilt patterns and 47 quilting motifs included. In each chapter, one shape is paired with one color family to make quilts of various sizes from the collaboration between these two mavens of style. Tula motivates you to ignore your color wheel and free yourself to her bold approach to combining colors. Walters creates the complementary finish and surface texture for each design.
For more information on Tula Pink and her designs, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
