C-21456a Blossoming Daphne

#KatarinaRoccella

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

I was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, where I live with my Italian husband and our three children—who are a constant source of inspiration for my work. I hold a Master’s degree and a PhD in Applied Arts and Design, which allowed me to dive deeply into the fields of painting, graphic, and textile design.

Growing up in an artistic family, creativity has always been an integral part of my life. My father is a painter, my mother a ceramic pottery artist, and my sister a production designer. Surrounded by such a rich, creative environment, I was encouraged from an early age to make, design, and explore. Over the years, I’ve worked with many mediums—drawing, illustration, calligraphy, graphic design, linoleum printing, photography, and more recently, sewing. When I became a mother, I found I had limited time to dedicate to art in the traditional sense. Spending more time at home, with a deep desire to keep creating, I discovered the world of fabric. After repairing my mother’s vintage sewing machine, I began sewing and soon upgraded to a serger.

The early results were encouraging and pushed me to explore more complex techniques and garments. With practice—and a lot of joy—I started drawing and developing my own patterns, initially inspired by the clothes I made for my daughter. My pattern label, Like Flowers and Butterflies, was born in 2006.

Since I started designing for Art Gallery Fabrics, I’ve become completely obsessed with quilting. Creating quilt patterns that beautifully highlight my fabric collections has become a new passion—an exciting way to blend my love for illustration, color, and storytelling through stitches and shapes. Each collection feels like a new chapter, and designing quilts that bring them to life is one of the most fulfilling parts of my creative journey.