ai3’s approach to their latest collection for Pallas Textiles was multi-faceted, asking very concentrated questions of the design team: “What is important to our Specifier? Where is the line drawn between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ in the current market offerings? Where can we push the envelope? How can we deliver an unexpected solution? What will be the next Smart Collection from Pallas?”

The “Lemonade Stand” Collection of (4) textile patterns is inspired by our childhood memories, memories of patterns developed during our creative past times, the same we now develop with our OWN children. Whether creating artwork or our own personalized game, the graphic quality created from building, folding, braiding, or painting something of our own, these games were worthy of repeated efforts and various outcomes. We find them inspiring even today.

“Spin Art”
Just as exciting as when we were kids, our team spun drips of paint on paper discs to create the original artwork of layered colors and a radiating graphic pattern used for the “Spin Art” design. The game itself was a wonderful exploration of what happens when colors combine to make new colors, and how colors recede and advance.

“Fortune Teller”
Questions, answers, colors, and numbers written within the origami folds of the Paper Fortune Tellers would suggest our futures. We waited anxiously as our best friend pinched her thumbs and pointer fingers back and forth, determining our fate as she lifted the flap to reveal the answer. We remember how effortlessly we folded paper into the pattern of the Fortune Teller and how endless was the entertainment.

“Friendship Bracelet”
A right of passage in every craft art class or summer camp, we remember our first efforts to creatively combine colors through the weaving of thread into friendship bracelets. Knotting and braiding strings together, we created detailed bracelets for our best friends.

“Marbles”
The beauty alone of these glass balls was reason enough to have a collection of marbles. Different sizes, translucencies, and swirls of colors, they were simply fun to hold or roll around in the cusp of our hands. Used to jump in Chinese checkers or knock out our opponents in Ringer, marbles were a treasured commodity.