Robyn Pandolph
Isn’t it Romantic?
The quintessential creator of sophisticated floral romance
By: Cynthia Van Hazinga
Just back from a trip to Australia, Singapore and Thailand, Robyn Pandolph raves about the vibrant colors Thais love, proving herself a devoted colorist. “Even the men wear bright pink and orange,” she reports, “but Thais don’t make many quilts.” At this stage of her life, Robyn is enjoying traveling, as well as exercising her creativity designing her lovely, largely pastel, fabrics and quilts.
“Travel has been very good to me,” she says. “Wherever I am, I enjoy talking to the women. We’re all the same, really, interested in kids, husbands and all the rest. I think I get more out of it than they do, but everyone benefits from new people, new sites, new ideas.”
Following her Bliss
“Sewing has always been a huge part of my life,” Robyn says, “though I never imagined I’d design fabric lines.” Like many quilters, she grew up with a mother and grandmother who quilted and sewed, but she majored in architecture at the University of Houston. Come to think of it, quilting and architecture have a lot in common. Both disciplines are rooted in the same design principles of shape, composition, ordering systems, color, texture, and pattern. It was only a matter of time before Robyn would merge the two with beautiful results
Along the way, Robyn decided to have a family, and brought up three sons and a daughter—all grown now. She always loved home decorating, and started quilting as a creative outlet in 1993. Enjoying it, she particularly excelled at needle-turn appliqué and developed techniques that she now teaches internationally.
The Turning Point
It was a lucky day when Robyn took a quilt she’d made, her Folk Art Wedding Quilt, to the International Quilt Market in Houston in 1997. Its soft pastel colors and original folk art hand-appliqué stood out from the darker palettes popular at the time. To achieve the romantic look, Robyn over-dyed and bleached every single fabric she used, creating a distinctly soft vintage look, which became her signature style.
Almost immediately, Robyn’s talent and original design principles were recognized by the fabric industry, and she has worked for several fabric companies. She’s currently doing a block of the month, plus three collections a year for RJR, as well as a holiday line. Her newest collection, Beach House, features soft, gorgeously romantic prints, as well as 108″ quilt backs.
Style and Standards
“All my fabrics are printed in Japan,” Robyn explains. She’s very particular about checking color on strike-offs and having a certain silky finish on her fabrics. “The [Japanese mills] are the best.” The mill she works with gave her a competitive price because the mill owner’s wife, a fan of Robyn’s work, demanded it.
To find inspirational vintage fabrics, Robyn searches far and wide. She likes to shop at the huge antiques festival at Round Top, Texas. “I have a collection of 19th-century fabrics, mostly American but some French. The newest I have are from the 1920s and 30s. It has to look a certain way: soft and romantic, very French,” she says, and her new traveling lifestyle has allowed her to pick up some treasures in Europe. “I love European fabrics,” she says.
What’s Next?
More design and more travel, for sure. Robyn’s partner and fellow traveler, Martin Saxty, is British, and they’re scheming to buy a Dutch barge to cruise the rivers in France. “I’d like to add fabrics woven in India—I really like them,” Robyn says, looking ahead, “and I want to add a line of basics: solids, checks and polka dots. I think they’d go well with my romantic colors and florals.” Chances are good that quilters will think so, too.
“Fabric and quilt design are a much better career for me than architecture might have been,” Robyn reflects. “I like the feminine environment and working with women. It comes naturally.”
To find out more:
Robyn Pandolph and her Fabrics visit www.robynpandolph.com and www.rjrfabrics.com
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