Designer Spotlight: Louise Nisbet
We’re back with another edition of our Quilters Corner Designer Spotlight. We are happy to have three different creations from Michael Miller’s Louise Nisbet in our shop. They’re all among Nisbet’s favorites - telling us “it’s hard to pick out a favorite from my fabric collections, but from my most recent designs I would pick ‘Macarons' and ’Tea shops' from ‘Baked with Love’. They just have a lovely happy feel to them.”
Nisbet lives and works from her home in the north of England, drawing inspiration from her surroundings. She told us “After my degree in Fine Art I started out my career as a greetings card artist, becoming freelance after a few years and working for lots of publishers here in the UK. I have gradually moved into other areas of design, teaching myself how to put my artwork into repeat patterns and now I license my work onto anything from stationery and gift wrap to home furnishings and fabric, I LOVE my job!”
Nisbet boasts several designer lines for Michael Miller, and her fun and whimsical aesthetic is definitely recognizable to the experienced eye. And it’s her artistic view that helps Nisbet see the beauty in the world around us. “Being an artist isn’t a choice - you just are one - it’s how you look at the world that I believe makes you an artist. You see things that other people miss, like a tiny dew drop on a flower, or the beauty in peeling paint on an old wooden door. I love the outdoors and nature, and It is all these things that inspire and excite me, beauty in the everyday. It is this that I try to encapsulate in my designs, hopefully conveying a warmth and a familiarity that people will feel a pull to,” Nisbet shared.
“Sometimes I will be asked to create something along a certain theme, given inspiration in the form of color trends or images but for the most part with my fabric collections I propose my own ideas for themes to Michael Miller and they generally say yes, go for it! - which as a designer is fabulous. Of course there isn’t entirely free reign as there are factors to consider, you can’t be too niche with the subject matter, but I do find that you can include the odd little bit of quirkiness within the designs to make it more personal and original, and it is this that makes the collection that little bit different. I love it when publishers are brave and a very niche subject matter gets approved,” Nisbet told us.
As for aspiring designers, or those who are just starting out in the field, Nisbet shared this piece of advice, "It helps to have a positive outlook and perseverance. I’d say a style evolves naturally over time, it’s simple, the more you do something, the better you become at it!”
Many thanks to Louise Nisbet for taking the time to answer our questions. And be sure to check out all of her wonderful creations on her website. Click here to check it out!
Happy Quilting!
