Introducing... Club Havana

I am over the moon excited to introduce you to my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake Designs, called Club Havana.

This line was inspired by a vacation we took with my extended family last Summer to celebrate my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. My mom is Costa Rican and my dad is Puerto Rican, but one of their bucket list items has always been to go to Cuba, so we had to make it happen. I loved Cuba so much that I knew right away I needed to turn those scrumptious colors and vibrant imagery into some wearable art.

Once you step off the boat onto the streets of Havana, one of the most striking and memorable things you'll see is the abundance of American classic cars painted in bright, fun colors that are cruising the streets. These are called "Boteros" and are mostly used as taxi cabs for tourists or more affluent locals. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a few dozen pictures.

As soon as I saw these cars, I knew that I wanted this line to have a rougher, more "hand drawn" look & feel, much less tight and vectorized than all my previous lines. I started doing some rough sketches in Photoshop, and I immediately loved the result...

The "Boteros" print was born, and the rest of the line took shape from that point on.

I drew the rest of the line, including lots of florals, some happy pineapples, a very tropical IKAT print and a rounded cross, using the same loose hand drawn style as I had used for the Boteros print. View the full collection here.

This is truly one of my favorite lines I have ever drawn because it came from a place of happiness and love.

Next, I would like to share with you some sewn samples made with the Club Havana advance yardage. I knew I had to make a Stella Purse, because this is the very first pattern my mother designed for MODKID, many years ago. It's a very structured bag with a modern look and feel. It features a zippered panel closure with one outer pocket and two inner pockets.

I also made a pair of Natalie & Nate rompers because I wanted to showcase the sweetness of the Pineapple and the Boteros prints together...

Our dear friend, Maryanna Powel, of Marvelous Auntie M, sewed up this gorgeous Houndstooth Quilt using the 6 color ways of my Rounded Cross print. How fun is this?!?

And last, but certainly not least, the 3 color ways of my Pineapples print was selected to be printed in a super soft Jersey Knit, and I am beyond thrilled about it because I LOVE sewing with knits!!

Courtney Davis, of Sweeter Than Cupcakes, made the Modkid Malibu Dress for her oldest daughter and a Laguna Summer Top with Spring Break Shorts for the youngest. The result is the perfect sister set!