Isabella Paez lives in the Illawarra (a gorgeous part of coastal New South Wales), and loves it. She says she constantly finds inspiration in her surroundings. “There’s a lot of natural beauty here – from the beaches to the bush – so it’s easy to be inspired!”

And while she has experienced several life setbacks over the years, it is her creative outlets of writing and designing that have helped to keep her optimistic spirit.

 

flowers on the vine – white

 

Her collection of fabric designs could best be described as eclectic, and although she is not one to tie herself down to a particular style, there are still a few elements that run through all of her designs – one is her use of fresh, light colours, and the other is the abundance of flowers. “I mentioned to a fellow designer recently that colour is my favourite colour – and it’s true! I’m very drawn to seascapes and cheerful, quirky art with lots of colour. Sonya Paz is a favourite of mine. I also like happy music. I can usually hear a particular piece of music in my head as I work – it’s often a Donovan song.

“I keep a small sketchbook with me whenever I’m out because I can be inspired by anything. I can be doing my grocery shopping when all of a sudden I’ll have to stop to jot down an idea, draw a quick outline or take a photo as a reminder. I’ve got more ideas than time, honestly.”

 

pyramid floral – victorian rose

 

She only started designing fabric about three years ago. “I’d seen Spoonflower mentioned on Apartment Therapy and was curious. I wanted to do something special for a friend’s birthday as she had recently experienced a great deal of grief and upheaval in her life, and thought a custom fabric would be the perfect gift.”

 

star bright – sunshine

 

golden kite

 

“It’s not really surprising that I ended up designing fabrics. What is surprising is that it took me so long to get here. Both my parents are creative. When my siblings and I were young our father did a lot of beautiful woodwork and our mother was always making interesting things from paper or fabric. They encouraged us to express ourselves artistically, too. After she took up patchwork and quilting, Mum usually had several works in progress around the house and she often took us on excursions to fabric stores or quilt exhibitions. Sometimes it feels like I grew up under a mountain of fabric.

“As a child I wanted to be either an astronaut or a fashion designer. I remember being in rather a lot of trouble once for cutting into a full bolt of fabric that was set aside for a quilt project. I made a skirt, without a pattern, and was quite pleased with the results – until Mum found out. I wasn’t allowed near my sewing machine (or my telescope) for ages after that. I think I was about ten…”

 

rose party – strawberry milk

 

Her encounters with art and design have not always been happy experiences. “I was at school and I’d spent a good part of the afternoon working on a drawing that I was very proud of. At the time I felt that it was the best work I’d ever done. It wasn’t quite finished and I hadn’t signed my name to it yet when another student gathered it up. We had words and the teacher took exception. I could have forgiven her just about anything or worn any punishment she could deliver but what she did was unforgivable. She took my drawing and tore it up! Once I realised that I couldn’t just recreate it I turned to creative writing instead. Other than required schoolwork I barely drew or painted anything for years.”

 

a jewel of a fruit  (winner of the Spoonflower competition ‘Pomegranates’)

 

“When my younger daughter became ill and spent a long time in hospital my creative side went to the back-burner again. Then, about six years ago, I had an unfortunate kitchen accident. I suffered a lot of nerve and tendon damage to my right hand. While recovery from micro-surgery and going through many months of physiotherapy I had a relapse of the debilitating eczema that I’ve battled all my life. I was sure that my art and crafting days were behind me. Discovering digital design has been a real boon. Creativity feeds the soul and I was starving for the lack of it.”

Which just goes to prove the creative soul will always find a way.

And so now? “Happily following my own advice, I make what makes me happy.”

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You can find Isabella’s fabric designs on Spoonflower under her label Inscribed_Here.

With thanks to Isabella for generously sharing her words and images.