Heather first gained widespread notoriety as the creator behind the much-celebrated children's apparel brand, Munki Munki, known for its whimsical prints and styling. Heather's conversational prints often celebrate the themes and images from her own young life spent in the dilapidated farmhouses, swimming holes, and thick woods that defined a "back to the land" Vermont childhood in the 1970s.
Inspired by the print designers of that decade (Lily Pulitzer, Marimekko, and the prolific "Vera"), Heather has developed a unique style that has been described as everything from "neo-traditional" to "modern folk," and many things in between. Her bright palette and humorous details continue to draw attention worldwide.
In 2003, Heather introduced a women's pajama line under the Munki Munki label, and also offered her fabric prints to the mothers and women who had been seeking out the brand for their children. In 2004, Heather was approached by an established manufacturer and eventually partnered with the company to offer the Munki Munki PJ line, happily turning over the manufacturing and distribution of her fast-growing pajama line, freeing her to focus on other creative opportunities while continuing to create new designs and fabrics for the Munki Munki brand.
In 2005, Heather's first line of printed fabrics was introduced to wide acclaim. A year later, Heather was approached by The Walt Disney Company and asked to create original interpretations of several iconic Disney characters, including Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, the Jungle Book, and Cinderella, specifically for use in her own high-end line of sleep and loungewear. Heather explained her approach in managing this commission, which she described as "initially overwhelming": "As I began to learn more about Walt Disney and his fascination with and love of the natural world, I was surprised to find that we had much in common. I looked to my own childhood and the relationships I had had to these characters, and began to realize what an honor it was to be asked to re-draw them in my own style."
Heather's eagerly anticipated first book, Weekend Sewing, will be in bookstores in early 2009. A perfect companion to Heather's popular lines of quilting and decor-weight fabrics, Weekend Sewing will include 30 sewing projects, ample how-to illustrations by the designer herself, and the beautiful photography of John Gruen.
Heather lives in New York City with her husband, TC, but disappears whenever possible into the northern woods of Vermont and the coastlines of northern California, sketchbook in hand.