In the vibrant world of fabric design, Lizzy House stands as a luminary, known for her adorable characters, captivating aesthetics, and boundless creativity. With an impressive repertoire of work behind her, Lizzy has now embarked on an exciting new chapter in her career with her return to surface pattern design in collaboration with Moda Fabrics.

As someone relatively new to quilting, I missed out on Lizzy Fever 1.0 but I am fully here for Lizzy 2.0: The Return. I had the greatest gift, before writing this article, to hear an interview with Lizzy on Ange Wilson’s Podcast, Fussy Cutters Club. While listening I got to know Lizzy House much better and I think we might be kindred spirits. I highly recommend listening to this episode and having a laugh with Ange and Lizzy. I have a deep admiration for her, her business, her art and all she has accomplished.

“So I am sitting there, doing [that] work, and then just get this impression ‘you need to design fabric and it should be with Moda.' ” -Lizzy, Fussy Cutters Club Podcast

Love Letter feels perfectly whimsy while also being timeless, sophisticated and unique. I can imagine this collection in so many different and gorgeous applications–a fussy cut quilt, an adorable headband, curtains for a nursery, matching mommy-daugther dresses. I think it's safe to say I have fallen in love with Love Letter.

I had the opportunity myself to chat with Lizzy via email for this article. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Love Letter and hear more from Lizzy about her process, her art and her muses. 

LIZZY HOUSE: THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND THE COLLECTION

There is no denying Lizzy is a creative powerhouse. She grew up in the home of a quilter, and though she didn’t get the quilting bug until shortly before her first surface pattern collection was released. Its safe to say after releasing multiple collections and teaching quilting techniques around the globe, she has caught the bug.

She spent many years designing collections that were eclectic and unique, novelty and adorable while also teaching quilting around the world and she got burnt out. Around this time she also learned she would be welcoming a new little bundle of joy, her most wonderful creation yet, Magnolia, into the world. 

Many of us can understand how the addition of a new little human can alter your world completely. Almost nothing looks the same after, for the entire family. Lizzy knew she needed a break from surface pattern design or at the very least to evaluate the way she was approaching it up to that point. The past few years she has taken her art and ventured into paper goods and other finished products.

"I was just really burnt out. I had been running my design business solo, while traveling and teaching all over the world for nearly a decade, and I was exhausted. Also, I’m a Gemini. I have a natural tendency toward overdoing it and burnout and I just needed a really long break.”

I tend to burn out too so I feel akin to Lizzy’s words. I also know the burn out fades and that's usually when the best inspiration strikes and I think that is also what happened for Lizzy. One day while sitting at her desk working on her print design work, inspiration struck. She had a notion she needed to design fabric again, and that this go round it should be with Moda. I asked Lizzy: Why Moda? What was it that was appealing about partnering with us to return to fabric design? I love her response:

“Do you know who Edward Gorey is? He was an author/illustrator who made very cryptic children’s books. He was really prolific, and he had people around him who saw his vision and he’d hand them something new, and they’d run with it. If I were to start doing this again, I wanted a partner that wanted to run with me. Moda is a great fit in that way.”

From our side here at Moda–thrilled would be an understatement. We are honored to collaborate and partner with Lizzy to bring this beautifully crafted fabric group to life. We are excited for the future with Lizzy as well, we feel the magic force behind her work and we are thankful she has chosen us to be a part of it. 

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND LOVE LETTER

Aptly titled "Love Letter," this collection is a testament to House's remarkable talent. Her inspiration was the love for her daughter, Magnolia, and also her younger self, the Lizzy that worked so hard to get herself where she is now. 

For this portion I’d like to use Lizzy’s own words, because who can explain the inspiration better than the artist?

“The inspiration for Love Letter is threefold. 

The initial inspiration comes from my four year old daughter Magnolia. She is the light of my life. Each pattern is about something that she loves or speaks to who she is. It’s also about who I was before, loving that younger Lizzy where she was, and what she accomplished. She had big dreams and she managed to see lots of them come true. There are several nods to old work throughout the collection. The last part of the inspiration is for the people who have come with me. Family, best friends, Aunties to Magnolia, dear long time supporters and friends. They were a huge driving force for moving forward with this.”

A CLOSER LOOK AT LOVE LETTER

We have discussed the powerhouse that is Lizzy, we have talked about the inspiration. Now let's dive into this absolutely stunning collection. For die-hard Lizzy fans this collection might feel a bit different from her previous work. 

The novelty feel of the art is absolutely still there but it’s more subtle. The characters and creatures are worked in more delicately to the all-over prints. Little Easter Eggs waiting to be discovered and a fussy cutter’s dream.

Lizzy lovers will notice many of the same signature color combinations that make Lizzy, well Lizzy. We love that. As one member of our team, a Lizzy super fan, says “she [Lizzy] has a super power of combining colors that you wouldn’t think would work together.” 

“It [Love Letter] kind of references things that I’ve done–like prints from the past–but they’re so much more sophisticated. I just think that, myself as an artist, that I’ve changed. As a woman, as a mother, all of these things have changed so much since I started.” -Lizzy House on Fussy Cutters Club

Even with the subtle differences that reflect the metamorphosis of Lizzy, she has made sure to bring back the fan favorite PEARL BRACELETS! We have them in a smaller scale with a beautiful range of colors to compliment the rest of the collections and also at a larger scale on our 108” wide back offering. I know the fanbase must be beaming with excitement!

LIZZY’S PROCESS

Every artist has their own process and Lizzy is no different. 

“I’m the kind of artist/designer that it might look like I’m procrastinating on the outside, but I’m working hard on the inside. You know the Music Man? With Robert Preston? I’m a master at the “Think System”. I like to mull things over for a bit, then I like to get all my ideas out on paper. I’ll typically give the most time to this, and then I pull the best from these ideas and design the collection from there, and start fine tuning. I’m pretty old school and will actually draw things out, copy and print them, so I can cut them out and move them around. {I’ve included a pic below} That’s how I’ve always done it…. But things are pretty different now time wise, and big stretches of time are few and far between; I try to make the most of the pockets I get. So it’s a similar process, just in many tiny sprints.”

 Isn't that just the coolest thing? The work she is doing on paper to bring these prints to life.

This discussion of the process begs the question: What is next for Lizzy’s fabric. While she didn’t spill all the bean–I do have a little bit of scoop!

"I’d love to re-introduce some of my basics (Jewels, Asterisks). They are just so great in quilts. They add so much depth/richness, but almost never register in the initial read of a quilt. Which I really love for designing and making quilts. BUT as far as bringing back old patterns, I mean if something is screaming to come back I’ll find a way to rework it, but I think I’m pretty keen to just move forward. You’ll likely see thematic overlaps, because I just like what I like."

WHERE TO FIND LOVE LETTER AND LIZZY’S NEW PATTERNS

If you are a shop, landing on this article, you already know you can reach out to your Moda rep and get your order in! If your shop isn’t currently stocking Moda Fabrics, please call our customer service and we would be happy to get you set up with an account and a sales representative for your region.

If you are a quilter, all you need to do is call your local quilt shop of choice and make sure they know you want, nay, NEED, this fabric! It will ship to stores in January of 2025!

With "Love Letter," Lizzy House invites us to immerse ourselves in a world of beauty, where every fabric tells a story and every detail is a testament to the love of her daughter and the women who inspire her. So, let us embrace the joy of creation, and celebrate the debut of "Love Letter" as it finds its place in the hearts and hands of quilters and sewists around the world. Lizzy is back y’all, and we are so happy to have her as part of our incredible roster of artists. 

You can find Lizzy on Instagram @lizzyhousestudio and also be sure to bookmark/visit her blog where she will be posting weekly updates!