Phyllis Dobbs is an designer, artist, and illustrator with a professional career of 24 years of creating patterns, product lines, books, textile and needlework designs and licensed artwork. She is known for her whimsical style and bright colors.

Phyllis Dobbs began a creative career 24 years ago, designing in the needlework and crafts industry. She focused on textile patterns and created over 2000 designs and patterns for product lines, books, magazines and kit licensing. Her pattern designs are for quilts and home decor - table runners and place mats, pillows, aprons, Christmas tree skirts and stockings and more.

For 2 years, 2004-2005, Phyllis worked as a designer for a manufacturer in China, creating textile product lines that were sold worldwide. She commuted to China several times a year on lengthy trips to oversee the the manufacture of product samples.

As a self taught artist, Phyllis began creating art images for surface designs that is driven by her passion for color and shows her sense of whimsy. Her art is licensed for fabrics and other products. Her fabric collections are produced by Quilting Treasures (a Cranston company) for sale by the yard.

Phyllis also keeps a close watch on the latest trends which keeps her art images fresh for the design market. Her ability to spot trends has allowed her to serve on trend committees for several years, as well as currently serving on the Craft and Hobby Association Designer Trend Team.

She loves the feel of painting by hand. To enhance her art images, she has developed extensive computer skills with Photoshop and Illustrator for manipulating and formatting her art for product use and for creating patterns, drawings and line art.

After growing up in Mobile, Alabama, Phyllis received her formal design training at the University of Alabama where she graduated with a BS in Interior Design. She creates her design magic in her home studio that feels like a tree house since it overlooks the trees and a creek below her home. Phyllis lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband Danny and her wannabe child, Kitty Kat. She is the mother of one son, Michael.

Some of Phyllis’ career highlights include –

• Designing needlework for the fashion industry by creating custom needlework designs for vintage clothing for Polo Ralph Lauren.
• Numerous television appearances showcasing her designs and techniques as well as promoting the crafts industry.
• Winning the Plaid Horizons Award in 2003, a prestigious grant to use for career educational purposes.
• Designing fabric, since she has always loved and bought fabric, for any reason – color, design, or texture, just because they caught her eye.