I'm a textile artist and I live in Falmouth, Cornwall with my husband Graeme. We live five minutes from the beach and I get a lot of my inspiration from the sea and beautiful countryside around us. I studied at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in Bromley where I achieved a 2/1 Honours degree coming top in my year in Textiles and History of Art. Over the years I have found that of all the things which I do what I enjoy most is dyeing fabric and using it in appliqued designs.
I have taught textiles and quilting for many years, both in Adult Education where I taught City and Guilds Creative Studies in Patchwork and Quilting, Embroidery, Dressmaking and Design, and in classes which I have arranged myself. As well as teaching in England I have also taught in America, France and Holland. I have turned my hand to many things but as I have already mentioned what I enjoy doing most of all is dyeing!
We are having great fun expanding the business to include ready to make kits using a variety of fabrics including hand-dyed cotton. Dyeing continues to be my main focus of interest and I have also found a lot of enjoyment in fabric painting and colouring with fabric pens, oil pastels and wax paintstiks. My husband Graeme is getting very involved in this aspect of the business and is encouraging me to do more. We have started selling packs of applique shapes which are pre-bonded so that they are already to be ironed onto the background fabric. I think they are great fun! For me applique is a very inspirational and creative part of my work. I'm also a great fan of crazy patchwork mainly because it allows one to use so many technques such as silk ribbon embroidery, beading, machine embroidery, applique and disperse dyeing. We dye our own silk ribbon and make up crazy patchwork packs.
I am running a weekly patchwork class which is great fun and I try and include as many techniques as I can so that the students get a broad range of things to try in their own work. As well as patchwork projects there are also projects using applique. The class is also a social occasion and students enjoy showing off their work and discussing their ideas for making things.
This year I shall be teaching some workshops at some of the shows we are doing and writing a few articles for magazines as well as exhibiting at Exeter in the exhibitors category. So many things to do and so little time!
We will be at the following shows in 2012!
Ardingly: January 27th - 29th
Exeter: March 30th - April 1st
Malvern (Quilts UK): May 17th - 20th
Sandown: June 22nd -24th
Detling: October 18th -20th
Malvern Autumn: October 26th - 28th