Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in rural Southern Ontario, Canada. I lived in an old farmhouse surrounded by fields and pastures. I loved it. I spent years wandering along fence lines and creeks.

My mother was a seamstress during the 60’s, and she taught me how to sew when I very young. She often gave me leftover fabric scraps from her clients. I used these fabric scraps on my little hand-crank sewing machine I had received as a gift from my parents. I started designing my own sewing patterns when I was around 7 years old. I have continued to design patterns throughout my life. I fell in love with all the prints and colours of materials. It became a childhood dream that I would one day design fabrics using my own art and creations.

I still adore vintage feed sacks and cotton fabrics. I discovered quilting in the 90’s. It wasn’t long before I was making my own art quilts and collages.

I have been working as an illustrator for about 20 years. I work with almost all mediums, from ink to lino-cut, to digital art and collage.

What inspires you?

Although I now live in a small community and not in a rural area, I loved the nostalgia of that simple rural life, and it will forever be a source of inspiration for me. There’s nothing quite like the sounds of the fields being harvested in the early dawn or going ice skating on a frozen pond.

We often camped in Northern Ontario. The forests and wildlife will always be a favourite theme, which often sparks inspiration for me.

Tell us about your fabric.

My new collection, Modern Abstractions, is a nod to the Mid-Century design I loved so much in my youth. I enjoyed mixing the chunky abstract shapes with finer ink drawings. I painted these on paper with ink, brushes and markers. They were then scanned into my computer to recolour and finish in Photoshop.

Photo: Modern Abstractions

I designed this collection with Home Décor in mind… Throw pillows, bedding, quilts, place mats and table runners. I plan to design quilted bags and a shower curtain.
Sometimes I like to take a large piece of fabric and put it into a frame or wrap it around a big stretched canvas (great way to use a thrift store find) and hang it as abstract art. It's a fun inexpensive way to change up your wall art.

What advice do you have for the new maker?

If I was just starting my creative journey (whether art or sewing) I hope someone might tell me to have more fun with it, and take it less seriously at first. Don't worry about making mistakes or what anyone else thinks of your creations. Just jump in, try things and enjoy the process. You can take classes or watch how-to videos, but also take the time to learn on your own as well. Take scraps of fabric, layer them and sew them together with topstitching. Maybe add some embroidery, old buttons, or bits of lace that you found somewhere. The same applies to art: buy a few inexpensive supplies and have fun, try things and make a mess!