Meet Tara Faughnan

I am a professional textile designer and quilter living and working in Oakland, CA. I started to quilt around 2001 or so, using a reprint of the 1931 edition of 101 Patchwork Patterns by Ruby Short McKim as my guide. I had no idea such things as rotary cutters, rulers or plastic templates existed, and spent many happy weeks tracing around cardboard templates and cutting out pieces with a pair of scissors.

Somewhere along the way, my love of quilting led to school and on to a career in textile design, with clients including Michael Miller Fabrics, Riley Blake and Pottery Barn Kids.
I find inspiration in forms, shapes and the place where 2 seams meet. Color interaction is the key inspiration that drives me. It's that intuitive moment when you put two colors together, and then two more, and two more after that that I focus on. The explorations are endless and I strive to try to walk the line of discomfort and still make everything work together as a whole.

I draw a lot of inspiration from the simple bold geometry of antique quilts, the gorgeous bright colors from textiles around the world, and freedom and spontaneity found in unconventional and improvisational quilts.

When I look at my current work, I see all 3 of these aspects represented. I like to use simple geometry, complex color interaction and find the line the exists somewhere between harmony and discord.