One to Watch

Quirky quiltings from See You Soon Studio put a twist on traditional textiles.

Itching for more creative freedom, Nicole Jang took a gamble last summer by leaving her job as a product prototype designer at Vancouver's Herschel Supply Company to start her own textile-based design atelier, See You Soon Studio. “I love the possibility of fabric and the process of creating something tangible,” explains the Emily Carr University grad, “and the puzzle-like aspect of creating a pattern and breaking down the steps.”

At See You Soon, Jang crafts quilted wall hangings and zippered pouches using natural fibres like cotton and linen. Inspired by animation, film and the playful illustrations in children's books, the pieces feature colourful, at times abstract-like patterns that Jang dreams up in her

Riley Park apartment. “I've spent a defining portion of my life either working with children or in a bookstore,” she says. “This has helped inform my love of narrative, and my leanings toward vibrant hues.”

Cartoonish shapes resembling feathers and leaves decorate one set of pointed banners, for example, while another series of wall hangings—aptly named Another Planet—is influenced by the futuristic red- and bluedominated palettes of science-fiction films like Total Recall and Blade Runner 2049. “For those wall hangings, I was trying to home in on this idea of daydreaming and wanting to be in another space,” notes Jang.

Not Your Grandma’s

“I like how the craft of quilting can have so many applications beyond just what we traditionally assume it to be,” says Jang. Her quilted wall hangings and zippered pouches prove there’s a world beyond blankets.