Do you want to learn to design patterns?

Hello dear readers,

if you want to learn to design patterns I found someone online who can teach you! Michelle Fifis is offering three great online courses about pattern design. Read this interview with Michelle about her story, her e-courses and her future plans. More about her can also be found on her personal website: HERE.

I met Michelle because I found her website on the internet. She also wrote about me on her blog, read the article here. Pattern Observer is a great blog to visit if you want to find out about contemporary surface pattern designs.

Please give us an idea about the e-courses you are offering, who are they targeted for and what result can one expect after joining in?

We offer a variety of e-courses which help textile designers improve the professionalism of their work and grow their businesses. If an artist is new to the industry and wants to understand the basics we help them take that first step. If an experienced textile designer wants to expand their business by signing with an agent or launching a consulting business, we help them through that process. There are so many opportunities out there!

What different types of courses do you offer?

We currently offer three e-courses, as well as a private mentorship program.

The first course is The Ultimate Guide to Repeats. This is the perfect course for anyone who wants to learn how to create artwork that will print as beautifully on fabrics as it does on paper. Artists learn what it means to be a textile designer, an overview of the production process, how to create beautiful layouts, repeats and more!

The second course is our most popular course, The Sellable Sketch. This course shares the secrets to developing more professional, marketable textile design collections through a five step system. In this course artists learn what elements lead to a successful print collection, how to discover one’s artistic style, how to pick appropriate trends for one’s target market, how to develop a print from sketch to digital file and the common mistake that designers make when developing print coordinates.

The third course, Building Your Textile Design Business, is an eight week intensive which helps artists build a business from the ground up. There are so many opportunities in this industry, which is great, but it can be overwhelming. We help designers figure out which option is the best for their lifestyle and walk them through the steps to make this dream a reality.

Can you tell us a success story from one of your students?

I am delighted to say that we have so many wonderful success stories! One of the most recent stories is from alumna Jennifer Wambach, who recently signed with Timeless Treasures Fabrics, a quilting fabric company, to have her fabric produced. She also reported a large increase in Spoonflower sales and gained a new freelance client after taking The Ultimate Guide to Repeats and The Sellable Sketch. Helping artists support themselves and their families by doing what they love is exhilarating. I love my work!

What is your story? When did you decide to become a textile designer, adviser and teacher?

After receiving my BFA in Fashion Design from Stephens College and completing an internship with designer Zandra Rhodes, I launched a line of hand-painted handbags called, Fifi Handbags. The collection was sold in over 100 stores nationwide and was a blast to run, but a financial disaster! Feeling burnt out and ready for a change, I decided to move to Portland, Oregon in 2003.
A few months after arriving in Portland I saw an ad in the newspaper for an assistant textile designer with Jantzen Swimwear. I applied and to my delight I was hired! I worked there for several years, designing a few original prints, but mostly working on repeats and colorways. This was a little frustrating because I wanted to create more original artwork, but looking back on it, it was wonderful training for the future. After a few years I left to work at Columbia Sportswear, which was also a fantastic learning experience. While at Columbia I managed the women’s print collection, which averaged around 40 prints a season, developed high-level trend presentations and fell in love with the concept of designing with the customer in mind. In 2010 I left the corporate design world to freelance and soon discovered a new passion: blogging and mentoring other designers through Pattern Observer.

When did you start to write your blog? What’s the story behind it and how long did it take for it to become a great success?

I started Pattern Observer in 2010 as a way to stay up-to-date on all the latest textile design trends. When I quit my full-time job I was nervous that I was going to lose touch with the industry and I wanted a way to prove to myself and my clients that I knew what I was talking about. Soon I began receiving emails from other designers asking about my design process and in 2011 Amy from Camp Pikaland asked if I would develop a course for her site. I fell in love with helping designers achieve their dreams and my mentorship career took off! It was all very natural and unplanned. Life is funny in that way.

How did you set up your team?

Our team has evolved very slowly and naturally as well. My husband has helped me with the technical aspects of the blog since the beginning and now plays an important role in the private Pattern Observer membership site and other tools which are scheduled for future release. In 2012 I needed help with my freelance business and started working with the talented designer, Chelsea Densmore. She and I immediately hit it off and she now helps with the freelance business and all aspects of Pattern Observer. Other team members have joined after expressing their passion for a particular aspect of the industry and a willingness to share their thoughts and resources with the community.

What are your future plans for your business, ecourses and blog?

I hope to expand the Pattern Observer curriculum to include courses taught by other industry leaders and create a larger community where designers can exchange ideas, empower one another and build the businesses of their dreams. We are also working on a large scale survey to gather as much data as possible on the marketplace. There are always lots of new things going on around Pattern Observer!

Here’s a video about What It Means To Be A Textile Designer:

Have a great Friday!

Image credits: all image rights belong to Michelle Fifis of Pattern Observer.