DESIGNER PROFILE
Child of the 1980s Lysa Flower incorporates her love of pop culture into her playful quilt patterns. We caught the rising star for a chat about quilty heroes, surface design and retro tech
Child of the 1980s Lysa Flower incorporates her love of pop culture into her playful quilt and home décor patterns. We caught the rising star for a chat about quilty heroes, surface pattern design and retro tech
What’s your sewing background? When I was four my mom bought her first sewing machine and table. I was so excited, I wanted to copy everything my mom did. When I asked if I could sew, I was expected to be let down gently like I was about all the other activities… but this time she said yes! I designed my first pillow from her scraps. My mom kept that pillow and I now use it in my trunk shows, since it was my first Lysa Flower design!
When I was pregnant with my first son I dove hard into nesting. I enrolled in a quilting class – it was a simple nine-patch and I loved it! I continued to sew several smaller quilts but when our son was born I didn’t make as much, except for on Halloween. I went completely overboard on costumes! It wasn’t until 2010 that I saw a tweet from my friend about the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild starting up. That’s all it took and I was hooked. Shortly after I co-founded the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild (FVMQG), signed up for swaps, Flickr Quiltbees and took as many workshops as possible. I read as many quilting and art books as I could get my hands on. Show and tell was a great motivation to making work… lots and lots of work.
What is it about 80s pop culture that inspires you so much?
First off... growing up in the 80s I watched a lot of TV! My best friend and I were always listening to records and watching Much Music (Canada’s MTV). Later, my husband Chris and I started dating when we were 14. Music was his thing just like art and sewing was mine. He eventually went on to become a videogame designer, which has added to my pop culture fascination. Pop culture was and, in many ways, still is our culture. We know it better than our family or country’s heritage.
Later when studying Art History I was always drawn to the pop culture artists: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring and Claes Oldenburg. Their work was bold, graphic and relatable, using mundane objects that were quick to recognise. That’s the work that got me all jazzed up!
All pop culture fascinates me.
I just know the 80s best because I grew up in that era. Cassettes, boomboxes... they were a part of our lives. When people see images of my work their memories are triggered.
How did the first cassette tape and boombox Foundation Paper Pieced designs come about?
In March 2015 the FVMQG gave everyone a bundle of Kona Solids and Carolyn Friedlander fabric for a mini quilt challenge. Around the same time, by chance, I found a box full of cassettes in our garage. I was looking through them and thought the graphicness of where the tape came out was fascinating… a few
All pop culture fascinates me, I j ust know the 80s best because I grew up in that era. When people see images of my work their memories are triggered
days later I sketched a rough layout of the cassette tape quilt.
I posted on Instagram during the making of the project, and people were getting really excited about it. By the time I posted the final picture, Instagram exploded on me! The likes were pouring in and people were making hilarious comments about how much they loved it. More importantly, people wanted a pattern. I had always wanted to create my own patterns but this was the nudge I needed.
In January of 2015 I also started studying surface pattern design.
I first came across my idea for a boombox while sketching out some designs for an 80’s print. When I came across a photo of John Cusack holding a boombox above his head on the 1986 poster for “Say Anything”, I knew that had to be the title. Those quilts lead to Kim Kight reaching out in February 2017, asking me to sew with her spring Snap to Grid collection for Cotton+Steel. She specifically was looking for the cassette tape quilt to be sewn in her new collection but I also told her about my boombox sewing machine cover idea and she loved it!
How does it feel to see people reacting so well to your work?
It’s just the very, very best! My patterns are a commitment. They’re not super-duper easy and I appreciate the time people put into them. I’ve always wanted my sewing patterns to be a jumping off point for people, for the possibilities to be endless.
What is your go-to technique? Foundation Paper Piecing! It’s graphic and bold and can be a bit tricky, but it’s so worth it in the end. I’ve also expanded into English Paper Piecing, thanks to Kam (@needleplusthread) who taught me via direct messages on Instagram!
Tell us about your current journey into surface pattern design.
I remember the moment I held a bolt of fabric from Amy Butler’s first collection, Gypsy Caravan, in my hands. It was like clouds parted and I knew, holding it, that I wanted to design fabric one day. I had no idea how to go about it. My kids were both still young, and... I had a teeny tiny aversion to using the computer.
Back in 2014, while researching Cloud9 Fabrics designer, Elizabeth Olwen, for a sewing commission, I discovered she had taken an online class called Make it in Design. My husband called me while I was mustering my best pitch, and before I could hard sell the idea to him he immediately said, “You gotta do that!” I registered for the year long course in January of 2015.
In 2016, I enrolled in Elizabeth Olwen’s Surface Pattern Design
Skillshare class. I designed my first collection in two weeks and won a portfolio review with her! The plan in 2017 was to take a few more courses, build a portfolio and shop it around… but that’s also the time Kim Kight approached me. Not a bad problem to have! Since then I’ve been approached by several fabric brands to collaborate on creating sewing projects, and most recently my cassette tape purses were on the cover of Mollie Makes issue 94. It’s been tricky to find the time to dive into my surface design and it’s grown slower than I had hoped, but I’m actively working on it!
Are you more happy creating with a computer or your hands? Before 2015 I would have said with my hands. Now it’s about equal. I’ve worked really hard to teach myself Adobe Illustrator. The aversion I had to using computers has dissipated over time, mainly due to how badly I wanted to learn surface pattern design. Writing patterns also helped me enjoy working with computers more. I still always start with grid paper and a pencil, but now I turn to a computer before I cut and sew.
What types of fabrics are you naturally drawn to?
I have to admit that I really love solids. I saw Latifah Saafir’s trunk show in 2016 where she talked about how she liked to use solids to keep her voice clear. When she used prints they would compete with her quilt design. My friend Sherri and I looked at each other in an ‘Aha!’ moment. We both love and primarily sew with solids but we weren’t 100% sure why. It made perfect sense.
Believe it or not, I do love prints though, and I mostly use them when I can make the most of large pieces for bags, zippy pouches or purses.
If I do quilt with them, I’ll use big square blocks or a large chunk for a backing. I like to see the full designs and I prefer them to be whole pieces so I can make out the pattern.
Do you enjoy the mathematical side of pattern writing?
It's the thing I fret about most, which is why I rely on grid paper so much. I check, double and triple check the numbers. Luckily I have a brilliant editor, Jonna (@bespokeoutlaw). I met her through that first cassette tape quilt post on Instagram. She offered to test the pattern back then and she’s edited every pattern of mine since. She’s amazing and I’m very grateful for her!
Ata very young age I realised the power of a quilt. When I see my patterns being used as gifts... that ' s what it ' s all about, and it ' s a privilege to have a tiny part in that
What’s your sewing space like?
My husband and I share a studio space in our home. On one side he has his music/comics/video game stuff and on the other half I have my art and sewing space. I have a tall work table which allows me to stand when I sew. My table was made out of bookshelves that were originally for Chris’s section of the studio. We were unhappy with them but didn’t want to just throw them out, so we salvaged them and built them into my table. It was a happy accident that’s been great for my back.
The shelves in the table have given me lots of storage, although
I keep my fabric stash somewhat small. I give away my scraps and I tend to buy fabric purposefully for each project… unless I come across a print I just have to have. If I am unsure what I’m going to do with it, a fat quarter will satisfy me.
My biggest treasure in my studio is my grandfather’s watch repair workbench that he worked at all his life. We were very close and wrote letters to each other for years. I think about him a lot while I work. I’ve come to think of him as an inventor and I like to think some of that rubbed off on me when I’m making in my studio.
Who are your quilty heros?
Amy Butler changed my world with that first Gypsy Caravan collection. Denyse Schmidt was one of the first people I learned about in the modern quilting movement. Single Girl is still one of my favourite quilt patterns… although I’ve never made it. It is very much on my to-sew list!
I met Latifah Saafir at an LA Modern Quilt Guild meeting. When I made her Glam Clam quilt she was sweet to repost it, as did Melody Miller, whose Vinyl fabric I used. Berene Campbell (@happysewlucky) is crazy talented. She’s really come into her own with her Tattoo quilt (also on my to-do list!). I also love everything Lindsey from Pen + Paper Patterns makes (need I say… Sewology is also on my list). Annabel Wrigley’s (@littlepincushionstudio) doodle quilts are straight up art and need to be in galleries!
One of the greatest gifts my cassette tape pattern brought me was the friendship of Natalie Santini (@sewhungryhippie). She bought that first pattern and has been a huge inspiration. She’s been creating the most amazing community while encouraging people to make. I love her message of “It’s okay if it’s not perfect”. Instagram is an amazing platform, but perfectly crafted photos can be paralysing. She breaks through all of that with her encouragement and humour.
What does sewing mean to you? Connection. Not only connection of thread to fabric but connection to people. When I was four I was given my first quilt by Suzy, the woman who took care of me when I was a child. We were close but my family had moved away. At a very young age I realised the power of a quilt – it connected us. I felt safe with it and I still have it. It’s seen better days (my dog chewed a few holes in it) but it’s still, and will always be, my favourite. Even though Suzy has passed away, it continues to be my connection to her. When I see my patterns being used as gifts… that’s what it’s all about, and it’s a privilege to have a played a part in that.