Hello!
Salty Hippo Studio is the home of hand-printed fabric, playful pattern, and Quilt Tattoo® panels designed to help you say something personal in the things you make.
I’m Amy Jackson, the artist and designer behind the studio. With a background in architecture and graphic design, I’ve always been drawn to typography, pattern, and visual storytelling. Every Salty Hippo design begins by hand—with ink, brushes, rough paper, cut shapes, or whatever else is within reach—and is then screen printed in small batches in my studio in downtown Chillicothe, Missouri.
I love the imperfect marks and unexpected moments that come from making things by hand. Some of my designs are bold and graphic; others are loose, organic, and full of texture. They’re made to be cut apart, rearranged, quilted over, pieced together, and turned into something entirely your own.
Quilt Tattoo® panels grew from my love of language and the idea that the words we choose can become part of the things we make. The letters, numbers, illustrations, and sayings can be used to add names, dates, messages, jokes, and little bits of personality to quilts, clothing, bags, and other sewn projects. A message might stretch across a quilt back, be pieced right into the quilt, or be stitched right into the binding.
Whatever you make with Salty Hippo fabric, I hope it feels personal, a little unexpected, and like something only you could have made.
So.. What's with the hippo?
The name Salty Hippo Studio began with a sound I heard while camping in Botswana: hippos laughing (well, actually, calling for territory, but still).
That big, joyful sound immediately reminded me of the laughter I grew up with—my mom cracking up while dancing in the kitchen, my Sicilian grandfather’s booming laugh after one of his notoriously salty jokes.
Laughter is where I feel most at home: loud, unrestrained, and occasionally a little salty. A hippo—with its enormous personality and surprising playfulness—felt like the perfect symbol for the studio.
That same spirit runs through everything I make. Salty Hippo Studio is about thoughtful design without taking ourselves too seriously, finding joy in the process, and making room for a little personality in everything we create.