When asked to make a quilt about a relative, I had to think. What fabric collection would work? Who would be the recipient of the quilt? However, when I saw the Ride On collection by Banyan Batiks and being a cycling fanatic, I decided that the relative should be ME! Who says you can have […]
This quilt was designed as a gift for my sister’s fortieth birthday. She’s also a quilter and gave me several of the fabrics used in this quilt. She’s an eclectic individual involved in several fiber arts including knitting. I thought she would enjoy a quilt made up of a variety of fabrics and that the […]
Quilters are among the most generous of people I have come across, making quits for friends, family and especially those in need. Made from the heart with love and kindness, a quilt provides comforting warmth and softness to its recipients. While we love to support charity quilting, it’s always a special day when quilters come […]
Going to school is always a special time. So when I was looking for a gift idea, I thought about my grandchildren. I always like to give them something special for back to school; my granddaughter was so excited to go to Grade 1 and stay for lunch. I combined her excitement for staying for […]
Spring is close at hand and it is time to celebrate the season with projects that remind us of flowers and warmer weather. These little wallets from collage designer Donna Funnell of Milton, Ontario, will come in handy as change purses or make perfect gifts for friends who need a business card case. These are […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]