At school I always wanted to study textiles, I was a bright, creative active pupil I spent many hours drawing, designing and making clothes using my favourite Laura Ashley fabrics. I loved the outdoor life and was encouraged to study Landscape Design. It was a very creative course and I learnt how to design. I continue to learn more. The world of work as a landscape Architect seemed to be all about drainage and finance.
I joined the Embroiderers Guild and enrolled on a City and Guilds Embroidery course.
I began teaching and gained a PGCE. Looking back, it was hard, but I had found a career that I loved. I taught at Huddersfield Technical College for many years until all funding for City and Guilds classes were withdrawn and in 2006 I was made redundant.
I started running classes from my studio at home and realized that I needed to make quilts for exhibition (not just teaching samples) and started entering my work in exhibitions and competitions. To my surprise, I won a few prizes and my work was accepted into juried exhibitions.
In 2007 I joined the Contemporary Quilt Group and started to make Journal Quilts. I have been making one a month since then and currently have at least 120.
I receive invitations to exhibit my quilts all over the world and have exhibited and taught in France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic, Canada and South Africa.
It’s an exciting life!
Festival of Quilts
2015 2nd prize Art Quilt Scandinavian Jumpers
2013 3rd prize Quilt Creations Sunflowers
2012 Highly Commended Swedish women’s accessories
2011 Highly Commended Folk Costume Dolls
2010 Judges Choice Balkan slippers
2009 1st prize Felt flowers
2008 3rd prize Quilt Creations Moroccan Slippers
Open European Quilt Championship Holland
2011 Washday Blues
Great Northern Quilt Show
2002 Buttons and Bows
2001 Painted Flowers
Exhibitions
Contemporary Quilt Group Exhibitions
My quilts have been accepted into the following juried CQ traveling exhibitions:
2016 On the Edge
2015 Elements
2014 Dislocation
2013 Horizons
2012 Breakthrough
2011 Pictorial Consequences
Several of my Journal Quilts are displayed annually as part of the CQ exhibition at all the major textiles shows in the UK
Suitcase Collection
A3 sized pieces that travel the UK in a suitcase. For more info Quilters Guild
Figure it out
Childhood Memories
All in a Day’s Work
My Favourite artist
Exhibitions and Shows
2017 2016 Olympia Spring Knitting and Stitching Show
2016 OEQC
2016 Uttoxeter
2011- 2017 Festival of Quilts Quilting in Action Stand
2016 SAQA Wide Horizons
2016 Prague Patchwork meeting
2016, 2013 Beaujolais
2016, 2014 West County Quilt Show
2015 Malvern
2014 OEQC Veldhoven
2013 ICHF Exhibitions
2012 For the love of the Thread Nantes France
2011 Bankfield Museum Halifax Journeys in Stitch
Travelling Exhibitions
Voyage
2013 OEQC
2014 London,
2015 NEC
2014 Beaujolais
2016 Prague
2015, 2016 Minnisota USA
International Threads
Voyage
2015 OEQC
2016 Beaujolais
2016 Munich
Teaching
Voyage
2013, 2016 Israeli Quilters Guild
2014 Hungarian Quilters Guild
2014 Ailsa Craig Canada
2015 South African Creative Energy Festival
