The Pattern Base: Over 550 Contemporary Textile and Surface Designs

A strikingly beautiful sourcebook of inspiration from the founder of one of the most influential textile and fabric design websites

Textile design has been liberated and democratized by digital media. With new technology allowing for more precise manipulation and larger variation of materials and patterns, textile designers have found new ways to create ambitiously, experiment, and be inspired. At the same time, the rise of digital processes has led to a renewed appreciation of traditional craftsmanship and the handmade, and of the tactility and construction of textiles and surfaces.

In The Pattern Base, Kristi O’Meara and Audrey Victoria Keiffer, cofounders of the Chicago-based design studio and online archive The Patternbase, showcase more than 550 textile, surface, fashion, and print designs from over 150 designers working around the world. Part One is a sourcebook of these designs, organized by type of pattern: Geometric, Floral, Representational, Digital Abstract, Illustrative, and Fabric Swatches. Part Two presents profiles of fifteen artists, constituting the hottest up-and-comers in the field, including Lorenzo Nanni, whose delicate beadwork conjures the natural world’s flora and fauna; Anita Hirlekar, whose felt, velvet, and lace work create luscious variations of texture; and Kayla Mattes, mistress of kitsch aesthetics and material experimentations. 697 illustrations

Kristi O’Meara is a painter, graphic designer, and the Founder and Creative Director of The Patternbase, a Chicago-based design studio with an online archive and blog dedicated to profiling the latest, most exciting work in textile and surface design. She has worked with institutions and designers including Porter Teleo, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the fiber artist Nick Cave.

Audrey Victoria Keiffer is an interdisciplinary artist and writer who resides in Chicago. She's the Co-Founder of the influential textile design studio and gallery, The Patternbase. She is also a freelance writer and designer for various design studios and magazines such as hunt+gather, Aaryn West, Newcity, and VAM Magazine.