2025 Artist Tea Towel Designers
The 2025 Artist Tea Towel designers all share one thing in common: they are inspired by the beauty of Maine. Each designer uses the tea towel as a canvas, but in very different ways. One of this year's designers is a weaver (the Cultivated Thread), a few choose to hand print their designs, and a few screen print theirs. Each design is an Eat Drink Lucky exclusive, and I am honored to share their designs with you.
This year's designers are by:
Pretty Flours, Molly Thompson. Molly's designs are inspired by nature and a passion for color. Each of her hand printed textiles is unique – individually printed, one at a time, using a process that begins with carving her drawings onto a pliable rubber surface which is mounted on wood to create a stamp. Once her design is finalized, she hand paints and prints the stamp again and again to create impressions. She is the designer of the first tea towel of 2025. Molly has been part of the series since the first year.
Tröskö Design, Solvejg Makaretz. A trained architect, after designing houses and buildings for 25 years she started her own product line, Tröskö. She turns to her native Scandinavia, life in the beautiful state of Maine, folklore, childrenʼs books, and small moments of everyday life for inspiration. Her mission is to fill homes with uplifting designs full of color and humor. In 2015 she was chosen as one of the design finalists in Martha Stewartʼs American Made competition. Solvejg has been part of the series since the first year.
Zaz and Moe, Susan Delsandro Hellier. Susan is based in South Portland and is a surface pattern designer, fiber/mixed media artist and teacher. A maker by nature, she works in many mediums. She is obsessed with reusing and repurposing whenever possible in work and life and loves the perfect imperfections of handmade. She has been designing and selling in shops, boutiques and juried craft shows since the early 1990's under Zaz + Moe (named after her children). Her work reflects the objects and locations she captures in her photography.
Louisa Wickard. Louisa starts her design process for the tea towels by carving a linoleum block. She grew up on a Maine island and often turns to her garden in Cumberland and the ocean for inspiration, finding beauty in natural objects like vegetables and mussel shells. Her designs are hand-pressed and each resulting print is unique. She likes thinking of her artwork in people's homes, being used daily. Louisa has been part of the series since the first year.
Allison McKeen is an interdisciplinary artist currently focused on printmaking, illustration, and design. She enjoys the exploratory adventure of shape, color and pattern - all mixed in with a bit of humor and nostalgia. Allison is based in Gardiner, Maine.
Angela Adams. Maine designer Angela Adams is best known for her gorgeous rugs but has also created bedding, home accessories and much more, including furniture with her husband Sherwood Hamill. Her global design company, angela adams design, is dedicated to the principle that one’s lifestyle should provide a constant source of inspiration. Angela Adams Design is dedicated to craftsmanship, modernism and a unique interpretation of the natural world, transforming interior environments into inspiring places to live, work and play. She grew up on the island of North Haven, Maine, and is inspired by the natural surroundings of Coastal Maine.
The Cultivated Thread, Hilary Crowell. Hilary is a weaver, and for September is planning a new color combination for her design for us. Her handwoven towels are soft, absorbent and long lasting in addition to being beautiful. She is the designer for September.
Dippermouth, Rose Normann. Rose is a seamstress and textile designer. Each meticulously made small collection features hand screen-printed fabrics, often dyed using homegrown plant materials. Dippermouth named after Dippermouth Farm, Rose’s childhood home in Frankfort, Maine, where she learned the beauty of handmade things.
Jennie Blue, Jennifer Connor. Jennie shares: "I have always been drawn to graphite and pen and ink sketches, those quick studies that precede finished work. It is those sketches that are the inspiration for my images. I am an illustrator, my canvas, earthenware and porcelain. I strive for a sense of humor
in my work ... all intended to bring smiles. Alas I could not paint enough to fill the demand for my imagery so they migrated on to my tea towels." She is based in Belfast, Maine.
Reclaimed Maine, Mary Zambello. Reclaimed Maine Co. is a woman-owned and operated lifestyle brand built on a love for the Maine outdoors. Using lakes, pines, and coastlines as inspiration, they have a collection of home goods, apparel, gift items and more that promote outdoor adventure, and give back to Maine's environment. She is based in Windham, Maine.
Erin Flett. Erin is a passionate, prolific designer who started her company in her basement, hand-printing home goods with her husband, Maslen. She then moved her growing business into an old, Maine cotton mill, with a growing number of employees who help print, sew and ship her ever-growing collections. Her line includes pillows, bags, glassware, wall art, limited edition paper products, rugs, and wallpaper and wall art. All of her printing is done by hand in Maine. Erin’s vision is to continue to create highly designed and crafted home goods that are mindfully made and encompass all the subtle details that make her unique, hand-drawn, graphic patterns sought-after and collected. Her edgy and joyful designs combine the “traditional” with the “modern,” breathing new life into the world of textiles. Her goal is to make her customers smile, and bring a fresh, new style into their homes. She is based in Gorham, Maine.