Carolyn Friedlander has been an Aurifil Designer for over a decade and she is a fresh, modern voice that we’ve turned to again and again. She was one of the first to experiment with our Cotton 80wt when it was released back in 2016 AND one of the first collection designers to incorporate that weight into a curated set. We’ve always admired her eye for color and how she views it in relation to pattern and we’ve fallen fully in love with her designs that often carry architectural undertones.
Carolyn’s last few years have been quieter on the fabric side, but never quiet. She released new patterns, took up longarm quilting on a new machine, and— as she puts it— never really stopped thinking about fabric, even without a new line to show for it. Now she’s back, and she’s brought us somewhere new: Memento, her debut collection as a guest designer for Ruby Star Society. It’s a line built around bright, encouraging color and a philosophy Carolyn has held onto since her earliest days in the industry: move toward what makes you excited, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
To meet it, she built Color Pop, 6 large spools of Aurifil Cotton 50wt, selected to complement Memento‘s full range of cottons and cotton/linen canvases with the same warmth and intention. It’s a bit of a departure, too… after several collections built around her beloved Cotton 80wt, this one leans into 50wt, the “workhorse” she’s turned to from the very beginning for piecing, quilting, and basting alike.
We sat down with Carolyn to talk about the two decades since she first fell for quilting, the quilts she still can’t stop revisiting, her instincts around color, and what this new chapter at Ruby Star Society means for her. Huge thanks for Carolyn for always meeting us for a chat!!
It’s been a few years since your last fabric release— what have you been up to creatively in that time, and what pulled you back to fabric design now?
It’s been great being able to take a little bit of a break from designing fabric. In that time, I switched manufacturers and am now with Ruby Star Society. It feels great being in a new place, and I’m excited about my new collection, Memento.
During my break, I still thought about and designed fabric, which you’ll see in my newest collection. I released some new patterns, and I got a BERNINA longarm quilting machine. It’s felt great learning a new machine, challenging my skills, and taking my quilting in a new direction.
Even without a new line in the mix, your patterns have kept you constantly present with makers. How do patterns and fabric collections intertwine for you? Do you design one to complement the other, or do they really develop in tandem?
It’s hard to design fabric without thinking of the quilts that I want to make with the fabric! In the very beginning, my goal was to design fabrics that I most wanted to use in the quilts that I wanted to make. At the time, it felt like there was a gap in useful fabrics that could work in different ways but that also had their own personality. It’s an approach that is still important to me today.
Take us back to the start…how did you first get into this industry, and how do you feel your career has evolved since then?
I became obsessed with quilting almost 20 years ago, which feels absolutely wild now that I think about it. Time flies so fast! Around that time I was working in architecture, but was laid off after a few years. I always thought I’d go back to architecture, but I became interested in the business of quilting and decided to make my way into the industry and haven’t look back since.
I exhibited my pattern line for the first time at Quilt Market in 2011, and my first fabric collection came out in 2012. So much has changed since then, but the heart of what I do is really the same. I see quilting as this beautiful creative outlet. My goal is to design fabrics and patterns for quilters to use to make the things that they most want to make.
Was there a particular moment early on that helped shape the trajectory you’ve been on ever since?
Exhibiting at Quilt Market helped me introduce myself to the industry, and make contacts with manufacturers, shop owners, distributors and other contacts. Then when my first fabric line came out, it really helped get my work out in the world. Blogs were a big deal back then, but social media wasn’t what it is now, so it was all very different.
You move across quilting, bag-making, and apparel with real ease— is there one of those that brings you the most joy, or is the joy really in the variety of it all?
It’s nice having so many options! Sometimes I’m in the mood to make a quilt, sometimes it’s a bag and other times it’s clothes. I think that many of us get pulled in different creative directions, and I like having all of the different choices.
Do you have a favorite quilt to make? We know there are a few quilt patterns you’ll return to again and again using different fabrics. Do you have a favorite or favorites and what keeps pulling you back to them?
Yes, I love making a quilt multiple times. In fact, I think that’s a testament to it being a good design if it’s one that you want to come back to again and again. A lot of times I’ll get to the end of a project, and just the process of working through it will give me an idea for something else to try. What if I changed these colors or used this type of fabric or quilted it in this way? I love seeing all of the different ways you can take something. Some quilts that I have revisited that come to mind are Eads, my Long Leaf projects, my newest Elate pattern and many more. It also never helps when I teach, because each student brings in their own fabrics that many times make me want to make the project again. It’s very inspiring to see what others make.
Color is so central to your identity as a designer. We love how so many of your collections have a solid neutral base with very intentional pops of color. Can you walk us through how you approach it? What are the key factors that shape your overall palette?
Color is really important. It draws us in and can appeal to us in so many ways. With each fabric collection, I like to cover a few different bases. Yes, we need some good neutrals–white on white, grey, black and other soft choices that can support a variety of creative directions. And then we also need the right colors and tones to set the mood and to give the collection its personality. Many times these pops are my favorite colors that I am drawn to time and time again, as well as colors that suit a certain color mood that I might be feeling. Orangey reds, blues and bright yellows are always favorites for me. Lately I’ve also been loving verdant greens and warm purples.
Memento is described as a collection about hope and finding your own creative light. How did that idea translate into your color choices for this particular set of “happy hues”?
Bright, encouraging color makes me happy and can make a project feel really fun to work on. Sometimes I think it’s as simple as that. When students feel overwhelmed by color, I often tell them to pick something that is your favorite and go from there. Color can have such a beautiful hold on us if we allow it. Some people feel pressure to follow color rules, but I don’t believe in that. Move towards the things that feel right and make you excited.
This is your debut as a guest designer for Ruby Star Society, a new fabric house for you. What does that shift mean for you as a designer, and how does it feel different from your past collections?
It’s felt nice to change things up. I’ve always admired the space Ruby Star Society has carved out for themselves, and I’m proud to be here. One thing that has been special with Memento is that they can print fluorescent, so we have a couple of prints in the collection that include fluorescent yellow–it’s such a bright and fun color! I’m also loving the canvas. The weight is beautiful and perfect for many different things.
Color Pop centers on 50wt rather than the 80wt that’s defined your last several Aurifil collections. Why was that shift important to you, and should makers expect this release to lean heavily into quilting and construction?
The 50wt has been my favorite from the beginning! It’s such a workhorse. I love using it for machine piecing and quilting as well as hand basting. Since I’ve always loved quilting, it felt right for this colorful collection to be a colorful 50wt set. These are colors that are meant to be seen in your projects.
What are your top tips for working with Cotton 50wt, and how do you see Color Pop functioning as a companion tool alongside Memento?
The beautiful thing about the 50wt cotton thread is that you don’t have to think too hard about it at all! It’s an easy go-to. When using it with Memento, I’m loving the possibilities in terms of quilting. The colors complement each other perfectly, so don’t be afraid to pair any spool of Color Pop with any of the pieces in Memento. Use a color (or several) to give extra color and texture to a pouch, your quilt or the topstitching on your garment.
We spotted a new pattern release (Dote) that looks like a beautiful showcase for both Memento and Color Pop together— can you tell us more? Should we expect more projects like it through the rest of the year?
Yes, Dote is a perfect project to play around with Color Pop! It’s a beginner-friendly appliqué project, so you can use Color Pop as your basting thread, which I love, or you can use it in the piecing, or you can use it in the quilting. The basting thread is usually removed after the appliqué is complete, but sometimes it’s just so pretty that I’ll leave it in. The 50wt pop of color in this way is a lovely detail.
Where can everyone find you this year, and what’s next on the horizon?
As Memento and Color Pop are hitting stores now, I’ll continue to share projects that I’ve made on socials (@carolynfriedlander) and my blog (carolynfriedlander.com). I’m buttoning up a new collection that will release later this year/early next, and I’m planning to be at QuiltCon in Atlanta in February 2027.