This past week felt like a turning point. After what seemed like endless weeks of sorting, rearranging, and rethinking my basement studio, it’s finally done – organized, functional, and ready for creativity to flow again. There’s something deeply satisfying about walking into a space that feels both calm and inspiring. Every drawer and shelf now…
Sometimes inspiration comes not from starting something new, but from stumbling upon something you started long ago. Recently, while sorting through one of my piles of work in progress, I found a piece I’d nearly forgotten – a long canvas painted a few years back. Measuring 59½” x 13″, it was created on cotton duck…
It’s been a funky sort of week. Not bad, not sad, just… strange. I have things I should be doing but can’t seem to muster the energy for, and the things I want to do feel slippery and out of reach. Too many ideas swirl around in my head, and the more I think, the…
An artist book stitched from rocks, fabric, and memory You may have noticed – if you’ve been following along – that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the FibreArts Take Two workshop Unbound with Toni Hill from New Zealand on making artist books. Because I work in textiles, everything seems to take a little longer to resolve….
Lately, my studio time has been filled with experiments. For the FibreArts Take Two course with Toni Hill, Unbound, I’ve been researching, testing, and trying out materials for my books. Before getting anywhere close to “the real thing,” I’ve made sample after sample—some successful, some not, and many that had me starting over from scratch….
As I work through the FibreArt Takes Two course Unbound, I’ve arrived at the chapter on concertina books – one of my favourites. There is something irresistible about the concertina book—its rhythm of folds, its breath between open and closed, its ability to stretch like a path or collapse into a secret. The simple act…
I’ve just signed up for a new course with FibreArts Take Two, taught by Toni Hill from New Zealand, on the fascinating subject of making Artists’ Books. I hesitated for a while because of the cost, but in the end, my love for books won me over. Books have always held a special place in…
I’m back home after a fantastic trip to England and the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. It was such an inspiring experience — full of color, creativity, and amazing textile work everywhere I looked. I was really excited about going to the Festival again, and it did not disappoint. I arrived in Birmingham on a…
After a 10-year absence, I finally made it back to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham — one of my favourite events in the world of textiles and quilting. It was just as inspiring, energetic, and creatively charged as I remembered. I decided to sign up for two short and quick workshops while I was…
Painting, Layering, and Embracing Happy Accidents In Ruth Norbury’s workshop, stitching is just the beginning. Once the design is transferred and stitched onto fabric, the real magic happens when paint and dyes are layered over the threads to create depth, colour, and life. This week, I explored this exciting stage of the process, one I…
Last week, I shared a glimpse of the stitching I’ve been doing using vintage fabrics, lace, trim, and lots of hand stitches. I’m still exploring this gentle, satisfying pace of making—and there’s more to come soon. This week, I’m turning my attention back to a workshop I started with Stitch Club, led by textile artist…
Since returning from a.ll the travel, teaching at Stitches Conference and Quilt Canada, I’ve found myself in a bit of a funny mood—caught between bursts of energy and waves of inertia. My brain feels full of ideas, but my body sometimes says, “Not today.” I’ve been following along with some Stitch Club workshops, sketching out…
I’ve just returned from Quilt Canada, and I’m still riding the wave of creative energy that surrounded me all week. What a joy it was to be immersed in such an inspiring environment—teaching, learning, reconnecting, and soaking in the beautiful buzz of creativity that filled every corner of the convention centre. Teaching at Quilt Canada…
It’s that time of year again—Quilt Canada is just around the corner, and my studio has been a flurry of fabric scraps, thread, class lists, and piles of stuff everywhere. Preparing for an event like this is always a mix of excitement and focused energy. There are kits to assemble, new samples to finish, tools…
After several weeks on the road, I’m finally back home — though just for a brief pause. I returned from a trip only to head out again a couple of days later to teach at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference, held at the beautiful St. Peter’s College and Monastery. It was a full, rich week of…