We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katarina Roccella. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katarina below.

Hi Katarina, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

Taking a break from work is not just a luxury—it’s a necessity for both creativity and well-being. Vacations offer a much-needed pause to recharge, refocus, and reconnect. For me, they are an incredible source of inspiration for my fabric collections, as new surroundings, colors, textures, and cultures always spark fresh ideas. More importantly, time away allows me to be fully present with my family, creating cherished memories together while exploring new places. These experiences not only enrich my personal life but also infuse my creative work with meaning, depth, and joy.

Katarina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia (Europe) where I live with my husband and 3 kids that are true inspiration for my work.
I have a Masters degree in illustration and printing and in 2021 I finished my PhD thesis in the field of Applied Arts and Design from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Belgrade (SRB).
I have always being inspired with many different fields of art, having the desire to try myself in different mediums, working with different materials. I find inspiration everywhere: in different forms and materials, but also in plants, travels, books, illustrations, exhibitions, fabrics, design blogs, catalogs, photographs, vintage patterns, buttons and laces.

I always loved fabrics and funky patterns, giving them the important roles in my graphic compositions and assemblages, but now I really wanted to learn to sew. I have repaired my mother’s vintage sewing machine, bought some Burda magazines and the first results were very encouraging, pushing me always more, giving me the goal to try more complicated techniques and garment pieces. I have always been more visual sewer, as the sewing explanations were sometimes like another unknown language for me, so with a lot of practice, I have achieved good sewing skills after a few years.I was trying always to figure by myself how to do something and I think that experience, beside talent is one of the most important factors in sewing. Drawing and making my own patterns now is something that I am really proud of. After creating some really unique and fun pieces of clothes for my daughter, I was asked by some friends to sew some things for theirs kids too, so step by step, my label name was born in 2006. -“Like flowers and butterflies”.

Regarding the field of the surface design, my designs are available as wallpapers through Spoonflower and my fabric designs are licensed for Art Gallery fabrics and can be found in the fabric shops worldwide.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

What began as a creative side-hustle has gradually blossomed into my full-time career, though I never quite imagined it would take me this far when I first started.
With a background in illustration, lettering, printmaking, and graphic design—along with years of experience in Photoshop—transitioning into textile design felt like a natural evolution. Exploring the principles of scale, repeat, and surface pattern came intuitively, allowing me to blend artistic expression with functional design. I began uploading designs to Spoonflower in 2008, which opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Not long after, I set my sights on licensing and started pitching to fabric companies. In 2013, my dream came true when Art Gallery Fabrics licensed my very first collection, Indelible. That was a huge milestone, and the beginning of my journey as a licensed fabric designer.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Working as a fabric designer for a company in the quilting industry, I quickly realized the importance of learning how to make quilts and design quilt patterns myself. That experience marked a significant turning point in my career, as it deepened my understanding of how to create fabrics with quilters in mind—balancing scale, color, and repeat to serve both beauty and functionality in the quilting process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katarinaroccella.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katarinaroccella/

Image Credits

Katarina Roccella