Rachel Rossi designs quilt patterns and fabric lines, blending creativity, family, and purpose. From early sewing adventures to launching her own design business, she’s built a life centered on making and inspiring others.
Tell us more about how you first discovered your love for design and making.
I’ve loved creating since I was just a little girl. I used to sew my mom’s fabric scraps under the dining room table whenever she’d pull out her sewing machine.
I vividly remember snatching two big scraps of this dark floral print and hand stitching them together to make a “skirt” (more of a tube if we’re being honest). I remember racing upstairs and looking into the mirror, thinking Wow! I really can make ANYTHING!
What inspired you to turn that into a business?
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
I was not only blessed enough to have parents that fanned my creative flame from a young age but also to get to watch my mom open her own business while I was in Jr High…and yes, it happened to be a quilt shop! I was so proud of her taking that leap into the unknown. I watched her shop grow from just 2-3 collections to a massive store packed with fabric and patterns and customers!
I know that if I didn’t have her example and the encouragement of both of my parents (and husband!) I wouldn’t have ever been brave enough to jump in.
The catalyst in starting the business was getting married and planning out our future together. We wanted to have kids and I wanted to be home with them as much as I could. My husband wanted to be in full time ministry.
So, before we started our family, we set ourselves up for the life we wanted. I wanted to create a business that would allow for him to do what he felt called to do and something that would allow for us to create the family culture we longed for.
How did you choose your business name? How does it reflect your creative identity?
Ha! My business name is the least creative thing about me! I hemmed and hawed about finding a perfectly adorable name for far too long and decided that I just needed to get started, so “Rachel Rossi Design” it was.
I also felt like I really married up in the name department – the alliteration makes it a pretty cute name!
Are there particular moods, colors, or emotions you return to again and again in your work?
This is such a fun question.
I took a long time to find my style…and it seemed like everyone could spot one of my designs from a mile away, but I couldn’t describe to you what it was. People would walk into my booth at quilt shows and say “Wow, it’s so calm in here,” or “You must like aqua” (guilty as charged).
I think I lean heavily toward cool blues and greens and calm scenes or flowing designs. I also am a sucker for the little details, so any chance that I get to include a little detail that you’ll only see if you’re really looking for it really gets me going.
If you look through my work, you’ll also notice that I have very few patterns with repeating blocks. I like to push the envelope and see just what I can do. I like to think of my patterns as “approachable art quilts” – something different, but not so difficult that you need a seasoned quilter to make it happen.
How do you manage the business side, like marketing and administrative tasks, while still preserving your creative energy?
This is such a great question – I have struggled with this in the past – enough that I had to take several months off at one point just to get back to 0 in the creativity department.
I think that I’ve found a solution that works for me: Initially, I thought that a better planner or a more strict schedule would keep me on track, but THAT is what drained me. So, I do my best to do whatever feels right for the day. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but I’ve found that when I force myself to do the thing that I’m just not in the mood for, it takes me hours longer.
Some days I’m an artist and can draw some great pieces – others I’m just not and it’s a total waste of time to force it.
Describe your creative space.
In three words: A hot mess. I love seeing everyone’s studio tours with their shiny white shelves of color coded fabric…and mine looks like that too…under the mess!
Walk us through a typical day in your studio. How do you like to begin?
There are two types of studio days for me. As I said, my husband and I dreamed of having a family and we were blessed with THREE sweet daughters. So, there are nap time studio days (I get to work about 2 hours in the afternoon) and then mornings where I have childcare. Both look very different!
And if you read carefully, you’ll remember that I try to go with the flow – if I show up with a square peg, then I put it in the square hole. So, every day looks very different from the next.
My longer studio days always start with a quick look at the inbox. I put out any fires or answer any important questions first. This will often evolve into another project or task, but I try to get back on track within 1/2 hour of getting started. (I try to save email or quicker tasks for my nap time studio days).
Then, it could be anything! If there isn’t a huge deadline coming up I hop into whatever brings me joy at the moment: fabric design, a new pattern, a new tutorial, a new class…the world is my oyster!
What does the spark of an idea come about? Does it come in a flash, or evolve gradually?
Every project is so different. Sometimes I will sit on a project for YEARS and then BOOM! It suddenly makes sense. Other times, it comes together so quickly that I’m not sure what happened.
How do you move from concept to final piece? Do you follow a routine or is each project different?
All of my quilts are very different from one another. Even the techniques vary, so the way it comes about is usually pretty unique (this is part of why I love my job- every day is different!).
There are a few things that are consistent though: I almost always start by designing on my computer. This allows me to get the drawings out, create lots of different versions of it, and have a whole lot of play time.
Then I get the pattern written out, make my prototype, tweak and polish it, then I send it off to my testers who put it through the wringer. The number of hours put into each pattern is actually quite remarkable!
Have you ever abandoned a project? If so, did it teach you something about perseverance or direction? (Or, anything else?)
I have definitely abandoned projects in the past, but I never bury them. They always have a file in my “ideas” folder and I always plan to come back and conquer them eventually!
How do you push beyond creative blocks? Do you let yourself rest? Or consciously pivot?
In the past, I’ve just pushed through until I had nothing left. I’ve learned that a rhythm of rest in your life overall is a huge part of the balancing act that creatives deal with.
We practice Sabbath each week and until we really started taking that practice seriously, life was just too much. Now that we take it seriously and purpose to rest hard once a week (and I mean HARD. Like 3 hour naps in the sunshine sort of rest), we’ve found ourselves so much more whole in every part of life, but in the creative department as well.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger creative self, what would it be?
Don’t get the degree that you think will make the most money – go for what brings you joy! Also, degrees are way overrated!
I went to school for interior design when I really wanted to go for textile design…and look at me now! While I think a degree in textile design would have given me a leg up on things, I’m figuring it out as I go.
Don’t let a piece of paper (or lack thereof) stop you, and if you have the chance to get the degree, get it in something that you want to do for the rest of your life.
What’s the most rewarding part of life as a maker? What’s something you didn’t expect?
I think the reward is in seeing your work through other people’s eyes. Whether it’s writing a pattern and seeing how others take it and make it their own, or even personalize it for a loved one – I just love that I get to be a part of their process!
And now with my fabric lines, I get to see what they create with my fabrics, which is even more exciting because it could be ANYTHING!
Where can people see your work?
People can see my work at www.rachelrossi.design or on Instagram @DesignsbyRR
Interview posted October 2025
Browse through more inspiring quilt projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy.