Lizzie Mabley

Lizzie is a fabric designer.  Her designs are fresh and vibrant and inspired by her love of the countryside, her garden and the coast. 

Lizzie’s designs originate from her lino cut prints, and as such, each fabric retains the essence of traditional block prints. Each design is hand carved and hand printed before being scanned and reproduced digitally. The fabric is printed in the U.K using eco-friendly processes.

Products include cushions, lampshades and cosmetic bags, plus a range of hand screen printed tea towels, lampshades and cushions.

Fabrics can also be purchased by the metre (printed to order). Make an appointment to visit Lizzie in her studio.  

email      lizzie@lizziemabley.co.uk

phone 07801784173 

instagram @lizziemableyfabrics 

facebook @lizziemableyfabrics

website www.lizziemabley.co.uk

How long have you been a resident at VWS?

Nearly 7 years.

When did you decide that you wanted to be an artist or maker?

I’ve always loved creating ever since I was little. My Mum and Grandma taught me to sew, and I used to spend a lot of time making clothes for my dolls. When I was at school, I had a very good teacher for my GCSE in textiles, she was very traditional and taught me lots of useful sewing skills. I went on and did A Levels including Art. I then did an Art Foundation year at North Oxfordshire Art College and a BA (Hons) Degree in Textile Design & Surface Decoration at High Wycombe. Coincidentally, Emily, whom I share a studio with, followed a very similar path and also did her Art Foundation course at Banbury!

What’s your work routine if you have one? What does a day in the life of studio 4 look like?

I don’t have a typical day. Some days I spend printing by hand, others I spend sewing. I tend to work in batches when I’m making cushions or cosmetic bags, for example. I love having the separation from home and a dedicated studio space. It’s great sharing the studio with Emily on a Friday, we catch up, share ideas and dream up new projects!


Briefly describe your creative process.

I start by drawing and experimenting with colours and patterns in my sketchbook and am usually inspired by the natural environment, plants and flowers are a big influence. Once I’ve come up with a design, I then play around with repeating the pattern (sometimes with the help of photoshop but often I do this by hand). Once I’m happy with my surface pattern design, I work on putting it onto a lino block, which I then carve out by hand. Finally, I mount the lino onto a wooden block and take a test print. I also experiment with different colours at this stage. This whole process takes approximately a week. When printing on fabric, I use a sponge to apply fabric ink, then press the block onto the fabric. The process is much more delicate for paper; I gently roll a thin layer of ink onto the lino block and then press the paper onto it.

What is your favourite material or tool to work and why?

Lino is my favourite material to work with. I love the process of carving and it smells of linseed oil which evokes memories of art rooms!

What’s your inspiration/ main theme currently? 

My main inspiration is my garden. Plants and flowers are a constant source of ideas, colours and shapes. I love creating patterns based on nature. My latest design is called Cecilia, named after my Mum. (I generally name my patterns after people.

What’s your favourite painting/piece of your own and why?

In many respects, my favourite piece is whatever I am currently working on as I always feel a sense of excitement when I’ve just created a new design. In terms of my previous designs, I especially like the pea print and sunflower designs, they are both very jolly - making people smile is important to me!

What do you find beneficial about being part of a community of artists?

It’s the creative feedback, the like-mindedness, the friendly people and the nurturing environment that is so beneficial. Previously I had a shed at the end of the garden for a studio, but it’s much nicer to be part of a community surrounded by other creatives. I took a leap of faith when I first came to Victoria Works Studios, and I have come a long way during the last 7 years.

How has the pandemic changed your artwork and working processes?

I found that particularly last year (2021) really slowed down my creativity and we also moved house – which seemed to take up far too much headspace! It wasn’t a productive period for me. However, we have moved to an exciting renovation project with a large old, overgrown garden that needs completely redesigning. This move has re-kindled my passion for design and interiors and has helped me enter a new phase and I’m looking forward to new projects.

What is the most useful advice you have ever been given?

Don’t compare yourself to others; their ‘now’ is different to yours and their journey to get to where they are is different to yours…But the advice that I would give to others is to surround yourself with other creatives. It really feeds you. I also think it’s worth getting industry experience. That’s something I didn’t do when I finished my degree and has made the process of getting to where I am today, much more gradual.

And finally, if you had to spend the day in different room or studio at VWS, which one would it be and why?

Definitely Anna Simson’s studio (number 8). I’ve been doing a regular class in ceramics since May, it’s something I have always wanted to do. I’ve been doing some hand building and I also want to master the wheel. The nature of my artwork lends itself well to building tiles and I’m delighted that some of the tiles I’ve recently created are going to be used to decorate the celebrated loos at Victoria Works Studios. Anna’s studio has all the kit, so I would really enjoy a day there.