My name is Juli Irene Smith. When I asked my grandmother what the word for “puzzle” was in Czech, she said “Zahada”. Zahada Mod designs are inspired by my love of color, architecture, photography and travel. I am constantly searching for that next idea through observing my surroundings - seeking patterns and inspiring color palates. My designs incorporate vibrant colors (often gradations), negative space, and frequently reflect my background in architecture. My process starts with photography and travel, followed by sketching and collaging in my sketch book. I move to refinement of my vision using AutoCad or improvisation and working with my fabric stash to find the just the right design. I spent 20 years working as an architect and now manage construction projects for a major University, but my passion is modern quilting. I want to share both my process and my designs with you in the hopes that you will find inspiration in my work, or perhaps inspiration to design your own quilts.
About
In my youth, I had a passion for three particular things: Rainbows, jigsaw puzzles and geometry/patterns. After completing my architecture degree in 1991, I found myself in a recession with no architecture jobs to be had. I passed the time by working in an Art and Architecture bookstore where I happened upon a few books on Japanese art quilts. With that discovery, my life changed forever. Those 3 things that I loved so much quickly coalesced into my first quilt pattern. But “Modern Quilting” had not yet emerged and it was clear that my designs did not fit in the world of traditional quilting. For many years I felt like a fish out of water, searching not only for my voice, but also my people. I got wind of this new “modern quilt guild” in Los Angeles (where I happened to live) and finally found like-minded souls searching for a community to belong to. The MQG gave me a reason to expand my skills as both a designer and quilter. With this new community and the incredible excitement around the Modern Quilt movement, I found fresh energy to push my creations in new directions allowing my design aesthetic to mature and grow in ways I never thought possible.
