Issue link: https://robertkaufmanfabrics.uberflip.com/i/1503302
ORBITAL SUNRISE BY KAREN NYBERG 5 Orbital Sunrise is Karen Nyberg's second fabric collection, a gathering of hand-dyed batiks inspired by Karen's own photography through the window of the International Space Station during her time spent in space. Karen explains, "I wanted to play around with the dimensions between Earth and space. I decided to start with a view showing Earth in its place among the stars, then gradually zoom in and get closer and closer to Earth until we see the textures of desert, rivers, mountains, and lakes (like we see from the ISS at ~250 miles above the surface)." In selecting the color palette for this new line of fabrics, Karen used a picture of a sunrise she took from ISS and picked colors directly from that - the brighter reds and oranges, pinks, and purples. She combined those with some warm Earthy tones of blues, greens and browns.… a beautiful combination of the environments of Space and Earth. The name of this collection, Orbital Sunrise, is the term used for a sunrise seen from space when the curvature of the earth is visible. The International Space Station, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 250 miles, completes one revolution of Earth every 90 minutes. During each revolution, astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS have the opportunity to experience the stunning Orbital Sunrise. Karen describes watching a sunrise from the ISS as, "one of the most beautiful and moving things I've ever experienced. It starts as a very thin layer of white and blue illuminating the horizon against a pitch black background. Then it starts to glow with reds and oranges, as it illuminates the space station a rich gold color. As the sun continues to rise, a very defined terminator moves across the earth, revealing the vibrant colors of our planet. The beauty of the moment always awed me, so I loved the idea of naming a line of fabrics after something so beautiful." Karen explains, "I was inspired to design these fabrics based on my love of our planet and my desire to celebrate the beauty of Earth. The earth is fragile, it is finite, and it is changing. I am hopeful that my fabric designs can help people think about that fragility and how we can take actions here on Earth to help sustain our beautiful planet." This also inspired Karen's partnership with Osomtex, a textile recycling company based in the USA, to create a take-back program designed especially for quilters and sewers, Scrap Cycle. "As a quilter and an advocate for sustainable living, I am excited to be a part of Scrap Cycle. This innovative recycling program not only allows me to indulge in my passion for quilting but also ensures that every scrap finds a new purpose. Knowing that my creative endeavors contribute to a zero-waste future brings me immense joy and fulfillment. Join me in embracing Scrap Cycle and let's stitch together a greener tomorrow." This subscription based service allows quilters to send in their scraps in exchange for credits which can be used to purchase socks made from the recycled fabrics. This unique subscription service allows quilters to separate fabrics from batting and recycle it all. Learn more at www.osombrand.com/scrapcycle O R B I TA L S U N R I S E