Hi all! I'm happy to share this Photo Friday about creating the cover image for one of C&T's newly released patterns.

I LOVE shooting pattern covers. They are the ultimate challenge for me - I want them to look amazing, like something you'd want to pick up and touch - but also, they need to sell the pattern as well which means you really need to see the project. It's a mix of one part delicious photo, one part technical slant.

When we started the conversation about this quilt, called "Braque" (by Melissa Lin), we discussed how Melissa's inspiration (leading to the quilt's name) was the art of Georges Braque, a 20th Century French Cubist painter.

Cubist work, in my opinion, reads best when you view it standing a distance away. You've got to stand back and see the whole thing at once. "Braque" is the same way - the quilt is most impressive when you can take it in with your whole field of view at once.

I immediately had a vision of a cover that played off the idea of an art gallery. Now, we know that quilts are art, but I wanted to work with the idea that "Braque" was a beautiful Cubist quilt that was being viewed, as it should, from a distance.

I toyed with trying to contact a local art gallery, but our deadline for this cover was quick and we weren't going to have the time to make it work. Instead, we pulled together a few things and turned the upper staircase area in our studio's building in to an impromptu gallery. It had a few things - white wall, wood floor and tall ceilings - so I knew I'd have to be creative with the rest.

I shot the original image with help from Kristy and our photo assistant, Mary Peyton, and took it back to the office for the rest. Here's the image, before + after digital processing:

It came out exactly as I had in my vision. Exactly! I had to hold my breath, though, when Kristy took the design in for approval from the powers that be. It was dark, it was different - but I knew it was right and was just hoping that they'd think the same.

I love this pattern cover! Every time I see it, I feel so excited that the vision came together to create a beautiful final product. They're even more beautiful in person.

-Nissa