Screen printer Lizzie Mabley loves life in Gloucestershire
Screen and lino-cut printer Lizzie Mabley
Lizzie Mabley studied textiles and surface decoration at college, but worked in an office after getting married. Her career path changed after she had children and, once they’d started school, she used her artistic skills to create a business using screen- and lino-cut printing to produce distinctive homewares, including cushions, tea towels and napkins. Initially, she worked from a blue shed in her garden before moving to a studio near Stroud. Most of Lizzie’s designs are inspired by nature, including the bumblebees that buzz around her garden and allotment. Lizzie loves living and working in Gloucestershire and tries to take time out in August to spend time with her family and enjoy the garden when it is at its most bountiful. We went to find out more…
WHERE ARE YOU BASED? My business – called My Blue Shed after the place where it all began – is now based at Victoria Works Studios in Chalford. The building we work in dates back to the 1850s and was originally a mill before being used as an upholstery works for more than 100 years. It’s now used by a variety of people, including a supportive group of artists and makers, along with a chef and a scientist. Victoria Works is just a couple of miles from my home in the village of Thrupp, where I live with my husband, Alan, and children, Henry, 15, and Lucy, 13, in a Victorian house with fantastic country views.
IS IT A DREAM HOME? It’s a very happy home: over the years we’ve extended it to fit our needs and it’s great to have our allotment across the road. We make the most of living in the countryside by going on long walks. I don’t think we’ll be here forever though, as when the children have left school we’re thinking of getting a smallholding in Wales to run holiday lets and an art studio there.
WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING ON YOUR
OWN? I think I work better on my own. It’s nice to have my studio exactly how I want it. I prefer being my own boss. I suppose it can get lonely at times – when I was working from my shed I could go the whole day and not speak to anybody. At the Victoria Works I love being with creative people – it feels like being at art college again – and I can also hold workshops in the studio. WHERE DO YOU GET THE IDEAS FOR YOUR DESIGNS? I find inspiration all over the place and I always carry a sketch pad »
and my mobile phone so that I can draw or photograph anything that inspires me. I find ideas when I’m out on walks, working in the garden or shopping. I love finding patterns, both natural and manmade, to reproduce. In winter, I’m struck by the beauty of seedheads, while in spring there are plants such as wild garlic and cow parsley. The seaside is a big love and a number of my designs have come from crabs, lobsters and other sea creatures we’ve found during days out on the coast. DID YOU GROW UP IN THE COUNTRY? My dad was a teacher and I spent a lot of my childhood at a big private school near Oxford. We had quite a bit of freedom and were able to run around the school and its grounds. It was quite a good life and we made the most of it. Later we moved to Abingdon, which is a lovely market town. I have lots of memories of going over to Oxford, which was on the doorstep. I would definitely call myself a country girl and I think I would feel really claustrophobic living in a city or a town. WHAT SETS YOUR HOMEWARES APART? I suppose my drawings are at the root of my work. People looking at the end product can see the processes that have gone into making it, all of which are quite low tech. It’s part of me really, in a way. My next collection has a coastal theme. I have a few sea-related designs already, but I’m now pulling them together into a coherent range by adding a seashell stripe. I’m also working on my colours, bringing in navy blues and creams. I am always drawn to the coast. When I was young we went on holidays in Pembrokeshire and we still go there as a family. I love wandering along looking in rock pools and sand dunes.
HOW DOES YOUR PERFECT WEEKEND
SHAPE UP? Friday night has to involve a trip to Stroud Brewery, a lovely relaxed place to catch up with friends. It’s a real community-minded business and that names many of its ales after local people and places, such as Budding Bitter, which honours the inventor of the lawn mower. Saturday would start with a lazy coffee in bed made by my husband, who would then take the children off to their golf lessons. In
the meantime I’d do a little bit of gardening, starting off at home and then crossing the road to the allotment. In spring and summer we take lunches outside into the garden. We always have a Sunday supper: a roast in winter and barbecue in summer. YOUR FAVOURITE LOCAL SHOPS? They’re in Stroud and Nailsworth – both were mill towns and still have many of their old industrial buildings and beautiful architecture, especially if you look up. Stroud has always been an open-minded place and there’s a real sense of community. Its farmers’ market has won lots of awards, and it’s where My Blue Shed first became known, while the Made in Stroud shop sells all sorts of crafts and some foods made in the local area and is great for gifts and lovely things for the home.
IT’S SUNDAY LUNCHTIME – WHERE
DO YOU GO FOR A DRINK? We love the Daneway, a traditional country pub originally built to house the navvies who worked on the Thames and Severn Canal. Near Sapperton, it is in a beautiful rural spot and has several nature reserves close by.
WHAT ARE THE HOT RURAL TOPICS
WHERE YOU ARE? Speeding is a big issue, both through villages and on places like Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons, wide-open spaces on which cows roam freely during the summer. I can’t imagine not having them there, but every year some are killed by people driving too fast. ☎ MY BLUE SHED, MYBLUESHED.CO.UK.