I am an artist who uses repurposed textiles and fabric as a medium. My material comes from donations and thrift stores, old clothing and household textiles. The items I’m drawn to no longer have a life anywhere else but in my bins of colour and texture.
I come from a long line of quilters and stitchers. As a child, I soaked up the energy of a creative and resourceful household. The world of craft kits captured me. Macramé and wood burning, corn dolls, pom-pom zoo animals, and papier maché. Embroidery, needlepoint, patchwork, appliqué, spool knitting and real knitting, crochet, glass cutting. I did it all, not realizing that I was practicing for bigger things.
After university, I began making my own clothes and found what I most enjoyed was using up the scraps. Stray material began to catch my eye: old curtains, single mittens and unmatched socks. Traditional quilting was too repetitive for my impatient mind. Instead, I made Victorian Crazy Quilts. Later came my own creations in the form of Collage and Landscape Quilts.
I love working with fabric. I struggle to make sense of the appalling waste that corrupts the textile industry. So much possibility about to sag into landfill sites forever. My passion for reducing waste and striving toward a low impact way of life ignites my art. I’ve wrapped broken and useless plastic objects into installations of whimsey and colour. I’ve used rust, mould, leftover smoothies, compost, leaves, flowers, and bark as my fabric dyes. I collect found objects and use them for making mordants or embellishing works where I see fit. I collect broken pieces of jewellery and work the beads and metal into new objects of beauty. It’s never-ending and always exhilarating.