Ephemeral moments disappear unless made permanent in some way. My goal is to tap into the tradition of quilts and painted portraits as family heirlooms by creating contemporary portraits from these casual photographs that are snapped by cell phones, often live in the cloud, and usually disappear. I am working towards a new series that […]
I have always loved Georgia Okeeffe’s painting, Winter Road. For me, it represents the greatest lesson that I need to learn with my own art … to simplify. In this painting, she has removed layers and layers of detail, until all that remains is a line. And the power of that simple, gentle, and beautiful […]
January is the worst month for me. I live with depression. Winston Churchill referred to his depression as a ‘Black Dog’. I like that analogy. A dog can usually be trained or controlled. Much of the time, my Black Dog is well leashed and under control, but in January, when the sun hides for so […]
A favourite pair of shoes left by the door tells a host of things about the personality of the owner. I was intrigued by a David Hockney painting on the cover of the New Yorker magazine depicting two pairs of shoes on a mat by the wall. I thought it would be interesting to do […]
The perfect towel for lounging on the beach. This bag unfolds to reveal a built-in towel that is easily attached to any beach lounging chair. The pattern also includes handy storage bags, and has lovely applique shells. Read more in our Issue 51. Download the PDF pattern now. Designed by Margaret Sweete Sewing Specialist SVP […]
Where will your travels take you? My all-time favourite travel destination is France, Paris in particular. I love the entire vibe of this spot and of course you need your classiest accessories for travel in France. To carry off that Parisian style, choose a beautiful print and coordinating solid, to stitch up a garment bag, […]
Aloha! Working with the new Banyan Batiks Baralla collection took me back to an evening of candlelight dining on the beach. Create your own Hawaiian ‘Dream Dinner’ with these fun triangular placemats that use up less space in the center of the table yet give you a place for everything. Read more in our Issue […]
Welcome to Part 4 of this elegant Pulled Thread Pastries Series. This series explores pulled thread embroidery using the basic little cushion samples to give you a good idea of what is required to accomplish each varied stitch. It also explores making a sampler which is limitless in its creative possibilities. Make it larger for […]
Inspired by the travel and destination theme for this issue, I used Red Heart Colorscape yarn in the colourway called Rome. The yarn conjured thoughts of Roman columns and archways for me. I played with stitch patterns that would look like pillars and have large openings. The results are a shawl with a beautiful curved […]
Thank you for joining me in my studio! In this installment, I would like to share a technique for hand-dyeing fabric that gives unique results where no two pieces will be alike. I’m talking about rust dyeing. It’s a great way to get that brownish-red colour and some interesting textures. You can dye both natural […]