Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Designer Spotlight - Barb Tourtillotte


A few weeks back we had the privilege of interviewing Henry Glass & Co. Designer, Barb Tourtillotte. Scroll down to learn more about Barb and hear about her upcoming collection.

Designer Background
Barb’s first collection released back in 1992 when she worked for a company called Cloth Works for 25 years. She worked there until she switched over to Henry Glass and Co. about a year and a half ago. She had studied Graphic Design and Illustration in college and was also a graphic designer at “That Patchwork Place” which is known today as “Martingale Press.” There, Barb illustrated books for them, and at that time, everything was hand drawn since the technology we have today was not available back then.

                   Inspiration
Barb's home state of Washington greatly inspires her, from the woods and mountains to the lakes. She also draws inspiration from the east coast. She captures her work through sketching based on everything that she sees in her daily life and throughout her travels.

About Barb
Barb is married, has three children (28, 31, and 34) and two cats. Her work is her hobby, but she also does watercolor paintings for fun, hikes, walks, travels, visits with friends, and is involved with her church, small group, and bible study.

Interesting Facts and a Heart for Philanthropy
Barb used to be a quilter about 20 years ago but hasn’t had time lately because she is so busy doing design work. She is amazed at how the industry has changed and believes quilters are true artists.

Barb likes to speak at quilting guilds to share what a licensed artist does, to discuss how to design fabric and to share how the process works. She also educates her audience on what it is like to work with fabric companies. Additionally, she discusses what comprises a full fabric collection and what the production process entails.

Best of all, all the money made at Barb’s speaking engagements, as well as fabric bundles sold there, go directly towards purchasing homes for families in Africa. Usually, she makes enough money from each presentation to buy a house. It costs $650.00 to buy a house for these families in Africa who have nothing.


Upcoming Releases
Barb’s latest collection, "Coastal Paradise" ships in March 2019. It is a 12-SKU, coastal-inspired collection featuring sand dollars, seagulls, sea glass, shells, bicycles and so much more! This line also includes a gorgeous 24” panel, a novelty stripe pattern, and two FREE quilt projects that are available for download.





"Jolly Ole Soul" ships in May 2019 and is sure to be the latest rage for the upcoming holiday season. With it's classic Christmas feel, this 13-SKU collection features Santa letters and cookies, vintage toys, retro ornaments, candy canes, and more. This line also includes a gorgeous 36” Santa panel and a FREE quilt project.

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for more on Barb with an exclusive video made by her!



1 comment:

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

Love Coastal Paradise! What a fun collection!