While lots of lucky folks are enjoying balmier weather, in some places winter is still hanging on for dear life. So it's time to close your eyes and imagine…SUMMER? (Yes, I skipped right over spring, but when winter refuses to budge it’s time to bring out the big guns—think picnics, floppy hats, beach towels, and a tall, cool drink.)

Moda designer Kate Nelligan has the perfect fabric for banishing the gloom: Beach House. Kate shared a few of the things she’s looking forward to this summer, and the way life looked last week in Maine.

Buoys that inspired Kate's buoy fabric...still covered in snow.

 What do you and your family do in the summer?

Maine’s motto  is “vacationland” so we just stay right here. Summer is a “staycation” for us. We love boating and going to the islands in Cape Porpoise where it’s tidal. We anchor just as the tide is turning so when the water comes in over the hot mud flats it’s warm enough to swim. The boys do a lot of fishing all summer long and then in late August the tuna season kicks in and it’s a very exciting, especially when they come into the dock with a big tuna. All the wives come to the dock to see it getting lifted off the boat and it’s a big celebration! They're giant, beautiful fish!

Are you a gardener? What are you looking forward to growing this summer?

I love cooking so we grow fresh herbs, lettuces, lots of tomatoes, and a whole bed of garlic. Some day I’m going to branch out into flowers—I can’t wait for that as I know I will love it and become totally obsessed! I can already see it!

Here's Kate block printing in her studio. "I'm feeling the need to step away from the computer these days—too much screen time and not enough play time, which is where the magic happens!"

Anything else you'd like to add? 

Um…I’m sick of winter. It is lasting forever around here. We have kept the Christmas lights up in the yard until the snow melts. They will probably still be going until mid-May. It’s been a long winter up here! But it’s also  beautiful—look at the ice patterns on my wind shield as I wait for the car to warm up.

Kate envisions her fabrics being used in all kinds of home dec projects. Here are some Beach House holiday stockings she made for her family, proof that you can bring a little summer into the coldest, darkest time of year.

Those days are done, for now. You’ll find Beach House arriving in shops this month—just in time for stitching pillows for the porch and bags for the beach! Think summer!