Fun fact: I don’t fangirl. Except when I met my favorite astronaut, Captain Jim Lovell. And probably if I ever met Tom Hanks or Ira Glass. But really, I don’t usually fangirl.

If I did, however, I probably would have the first time I met Alison Glass (no relation to my boo Ira). She’s an incredibly talented fabric and sewing pattern designer whose work is often inspired by nature, yet very colorful and cheerful.

We first met earlier last year at a Bernina event held at Finch Sewing Studio, which I was photographing. Through that event, she reached back out to me this past fall to hire me to photograph her new line of fabric and quilt patterns. This would be an opportune time to freak out (okay, which I kind of did when I got the email on our Scotland trip) because one thing I love to do is work with creatives, especially ones whose products I already use and love.

Alison and I spent an early October day in Winchester at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Their gardens are extensive with such variety that we shot on Asian-style gates in a Japanese garden just before shooting in an ivy-covered English garden, and then on wrought-iron gates which opened up to an old family cemetery plot.

With such quirky patterns and bright color choices, you would expect Alison Glass to be overly peppy, perhaps talkative and interested in overly styled scenery. In actuality, Alison’s demeanor is quiet and very calming; her presence makes me slow down and appreciate my surroundings. Her love of the quirky and different came through as we wandered around the gardens and she pointed out random statues that she wanted her quilts to be displayed on. Photographing thread on a sundial or a quilt on the statue of a ram’s head wasn’t the vision I expected her to have, but I loved it. It opened my own eyes to a new way of seeing product styling that isn’t the same-old. One of my favorite images from this shoot is the colorful thread lined up along the base of a pedestal with a gargoyle-esque creature looking down upon them.

You can check out Alison’s work on her website, and purchase her fabric and patterns (featuring some of these photos!) on her online shop. Thanks to Alison Glass for bringing me on this adventure with her, and I look forward to working together again soon!