Q Tell us about yourself.

A. I live in London, and I work where I live – or is it that I live where I work? My whole not-very-big apartment (in a '50s block surrounded by trees) is full of patterns, piles of fabric, paints and palettes, paper, books and many little fancies pertaining to textiles and decorative applied art.

Q. What inspires you?

A. I've been painting patterns for textiles pretty-well all my life – since I was a late teen when I went to help out my older sister Susan Collier - she’d just established her own textile design studio at the same time as producing two little daughters! We worked together for 50 years until her death in 2011, and since then I've continued solo. When we started, our work was mainly for Liberty of London Prints, but over those many years together we made design for dress and decorative fabrics, bed linens, wallpapers, ceramics, carpet and stationery for use in the UK, Europe and the US. I didn't study textile design at college – everything I've learnt has been by doing. I'm lucky to have had the chance to investigate all sorts of design, and I have the sort of brain that enjoys both the freedom of painting and the discipline of pattern.

Clearly, I love pattern and I love to paint, so it follows that my work begins with the painted mark. I don't use a computer to make artwork or develop colourways. Whenever I start a new collection I mix a palette or two of fresh colours, and allow my ideas and brush to wander across the paper.

I often paint from life – as with these flowers on my studio desk – and then work at 'growing' the repeat from my initial sketch.

Along with my core work, painting designs in repeat on paper, I've developed a whole new career painting directly onto fabric – cotton, silk, linen, calico. In fact, I've been commissioned by Bloomsbury to write a book about this aspect of my practice and am just now completing the manuscript. I often paint my own clothes, and sew them rather inexpertly – I enjoy purposefully placing the colours and motifs, as in the stencils and bright blue hem on this dress length.

I'm not an accomplished seamstress and am definitely not a sewing perfectionist, but nevertheless I certainly enjoy the whole process of making! I think that's really the secret to any endeavor.

Q. Tell us about your fabric.

A. 'Fresh Picked' is my first line with FreeSpirit – the collection includes both bold-scale glamorous florals and smaller co-ordinating patterns all adding up to quite a dynamic group. The patterns are dressy and swishy. I wanted to show off all the designs in one garment so I had the idea to make a patched and pieced skirt.

I found a pattern I liked – a 6-paneled wrap-around by Liz Haywood.

Using the large floral patterns as grand diamonds I snuggled the smaller patterns in around to complete each panel.

The panels make the fitting at the waist neat, the wrap around gives flexible sizing, and the whole construction allows the skirt a lot of movement, reflecting the generosity of the designs.  I had the help of a young friend, Poppy, with this venture. Here she is modelling it  – I'm really pleased with the result!

Q. What advice do you have for a new maker?

A. I think working with a friend or colleague brings more fun to the whole process of making, - makes it all more do-able - especially if you're new to sewing and fitting. Two heads really are better than one in this instance and it's easier to figure things out, and correct any slips, if there are two of you – plus, of course, a sense of humor! Working with my sister all those years taught me a lot about sharing, though as a designer I also need masses of solitude to work on new ideas and paintings.

We humans are born creative and inquisitive creatures – otherwise why would we ever learn to crawl? Sadly that urge sometimes gets squashed by what seem like the practicalities of life. But my belief is that our creativity is the essence of being human: whether it's to think how to make the best cheese sandwich, or eke out the household budget, or mend a sock, or put the daisies in a jamjar prettily, or paint the fence or make a whole new dress – imagination and your own point of view are key. So get in touch with what you know you love, have faith in yourself, be courageous and go/grow from there. Good luck!

©2022 Sarah Campbell

An internationally acclaimed textile designer, Sarah Campbell was the co-founder of the renowned design partnership Collier Campbell with her sister Susan Collier. They worked together for more than fifty years making design for apparel, home furnishings, bedlinens, wallpapers in the UK, Europe and the US, for customers from Liberty of London to West Point.... Since Susan's early death in 2011, Sarah has worked independently, and has successfully established a new chapter in her creative story.

Verve, love of pattern and colour, and inventive freshness are the hallmarks of all Sarah Campbell’s work: the mark of her hand, the skilled brush, and her joy in painting sing out. Whatever the project she uniquely combines her expertise and experience with originality and joy, both serious and playful.

Alongside her continuing commercial collaborative design practice with 'high street' customers, Sarah undertakes private commissions – curtains, blinds, panels and upholstery have been especially painted, along with clothing, clockfaces and customised walking sticks!

Sarah is a speaker and tutor in design, runs workshops and is involved in education at several levels, from mentoring textile graduates to volunteering in her local comprehensive school. She writes a diverting blog and is currently working on a new book about painting on fabric.

Connect with Sarah

Instagram: @sarahcampbelldesigns

Web: www.sarahcampbelldesigns.com

Twitter: @SarahCamDesigns

Facebook:  @sarahcampbelldesigns

Blog:  https://sarahcampbelldesigns.wordpress.com

Sarah Campbell Designs is represented by Yellowhouse Art Licensing.