fabric

I have sewed most of my life. I embroidered gifts for grandparents as a child. I sewed my own clothes as a teenager. I made our first couch as a newlywed. and I've sewed countless things for my daughters. As my daughters grew I began doing small hand projects in fabric, frayed patchwork hearts, hangings with specific themes for specific personalities and they are now in the homes of friends.

I started a quilt project after reading a call for submissions to a competition in France. I decided to take the challenge and my first one metre square quilt was made, accepted and posted off to Provence. I didn't get to see the exhibition in person but I saw lots of photos and it did return to me safely.

Since then I have studied and begun doing abstracts in fabric. Sometimes they are combinations of commercial fabric and printed photographs. All of them are my own designs and are mostly develop as I work with them. I'm beginning to plan ahead now but still prefer to the spontaneous approach.

spirit trees

this one uses the same hand dyed fabric as the provence quilt, as the background but the light and shadows reminded me of a forest and my photographs of old totems printed on organza took me into the idea of spirits in the trees. This one is all hand sewed and has silk yarn added to allude to goat's beard.

night forest

This one started out as the backing to spirit trees. But as it developed it became its own piece and It hangs in my own living room.

provence quilt

This was my first quilt challenge . It was made for the topic of Ochre. It is purchased one of a kind hand dyed fabric with photos printed on organza appliquéd onto the background . Antique buttons decorate the borders.

conversations 1

This started as a watercolour painting. I enlarged a small section and appliquéd it onto a larger piece of linen. backed it with hand made paper and framed it

conversations 2

This is the second one of the conversations series, taken from the same small water colour painting. It is appliquéd commercial batiks.

monkey for Lucas

This shows a planned sequence of quilt making. It had to be ready for my new grandson! All of it was hand sewed. The photos referenced were taken in Costa Rica, when we were there for my eldest daughter's wedding. I thought it was fitting that my grandson receive a monkey for his arrival into our world! And quite by accident he is a monkey too!

quilt block show

These are the 18 quilt blocks I made using archival photos from the Glenbow Museum, printed on fabric , hand pieced with cotton and wool, and hand embroidered.

Photo collage superimposed over painting detail hand stitch embellished

Scrap painted fabric strips collaged over sheer black starry fabric finished with countless french knots

Collage hand dyed embroidered, ribbon and batiks

Slow stitch fabric collaged, hand made paper backing

Ink jet photograph on fabric , free motion stitch and painted edges

Hand painted flower collaged with silk cotton and hand painted scraps, embellished with metallic thread

Small ink jet photograph on organza collaged over silk and threads

Collaged fabric and paper post card

hand painted Pellon, collaged with paper and hand painted fabric ,embroidered

Collaged inkjet photoshopped tulip

Collaged paper and fabric

Small hand painted fabric ,machine quilted

1 of three artist trading cards made with fabric scraps

2 of fabric artist trading cards

3 of fabric artist trading cards

Beethovan

Fabric collage hand stitched on “touch” theme

Stream

hand stitched abstract photo on linen

King

Photoshopped jazz sonogram ink jet printed on silk organza, hand stitched, backed with cotton then stitched on a stretched shot silk stretcher bar,framed