Liesl Gibson

Liesl Gibson is a Madrid-based designer. After working in publishing and finance early in her career, Gibson returned to school and earned a degree in fashion design from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. She subsequently worked as a designer for Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and other global fashion brands.

In 2007 Liesl founded Liesl + Co. to produce sewing patterns and printed apparel fabrics for a new generation of women interested in sewing. Her first brand, Oliver + S, quickly became the new gold standard in sewing patterns for children’s apparel and solidified her reputation as a rising star in the crafting community. Liesl has followed Oliver + S with three other pattern brands focused on different segments of the craft market: Lisette, Straight Stitch Society, and Liesl + Co.

Liesl has designed fabric collections for the independent market under her Oliver + S brand and for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores in the United States and Spotlight stores in Australia under the Lisette brand.

Liesl’s first book, “Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children,” was in 2011 and was the top selling craft book on Amazon upon its release. Her book, “Oliver + S Building Block Dress: A Sewing Pattern Alteration Guide” was published in 2016.

Liesl is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and trade shows and is in high demand as a teacher, in both in-person and online venues. She has written a column for “Sew News” magazine entitled Haute Topics which educated home sewists about how to incorporate runway styles and trends into their sewing of everyday apparel. Her on-line classes for Creativebug are some of the most-watched sewing classes offered by the site.

In 2010, Liesl received the FabShop Network’s Rising Star award, an honor bestowed by independent fabric store owners across North America. Most recently, her work was recognized by members of the influential Sew Mama Sew blog and sewing community who voted Liesl + Co. their favorite sewing pattern designer of 2014.