      
Quilts
and quilting – what can I say? They have been the
focus of my creative energies for most of my adult life.
It all started 27 years ago when my twin
daughters were born. Dreams of becoming a potter were
not practical with two small babies to care for, so I
began quilting. I’ve never looked back.
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Those
first years were spent learning the craft of quilting,
and concentrating on the making of traditional quilt
designs. Then in the early nineties, our family moved to
Lesotho in Southern Africa, where we lived for the next
three years. Like so many others, I fell in love with
the enormity and colour and texture of the landscapes of
sub-Saharan Africa, and gained an enormous respect for
Africans, and their ability to be joyous, to celebrate,
in the midst of difficult circumstances. This had a huge
impact on my own sense of colour, and on my return to
Canada, I began to use these in designing my own quilts.
Many have commented that the quilts I have made since
that time reflect the same light and hopefulness.
I love
working with rich, bright, saturated colour - from the
warm and vibrant colours of Africa and Mexico, to the
blues and greens of my home on Vancouver Island. As for
my design process, I usually work intuitively,
auditioning choices on my design wall, often ending up
with a quilt quite different from the one I originally
had in mind. I love it when this happens! |
I am
particularly drawn to curvaceous lines, although crisp,
clear geometric lines also appeal to me. The
construction methods I use are hugely variable,
depending on what I am working on. While much of my work
is now innovative, I still periodically return to the
making of a traditional quilt, though my colour choices
might be somewhat unconventional.
In my most recent quilts, I have been exploring designs
that respond to that wonderful question, “What if….?”.
I’ve also become interested in design history, and in
adapting historical designs to the quilt format. My
ideas far out-run my ability to create them, but that’s
the joy of it – never to run out of new possibilities,
new designs, new colour combinations.
In 2006, I launched Kitambaa Designs (kitambaa is the
Swahili work for cloth). I specialize in hard-to-find
African fabrics, as well as carrying some extraordinary
Malaysian fabrics, and hand-dyed fabrics, and an ongoing
selection of batiks. My patterns fall roughly into
two categories: those that have been inspired by Africa,
and those inspired by the motifs of the Art Deco period.
I work from my home, appearing at numerous Quilt Shows
and Guild events, and giving Trunk Shows as well as
teaching across the country. My mail order business, via
my website, is growing all the time.
My husband is still involved in community development
projects in Africa. One result of this is that I have
become particularly interested in finding ways to
support grandmothers who, having lost their own children
to AIDS, are raising their grandchildren. This too has
been possible through my quilting.
I live in Comox, B.C., with my husband David, Charlie
(our yellow lab), and Samueli (our tabby cat). I have
four wonderful grown-up children.
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Exhibits and
Awards (Selected):
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“Women’s
Work/Women’s Art”, Comox Valley Art Gallery,
Sept. 1997
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“Pieceful
Expressions”, C.V. Quilt Show Fall 1996, 1998,
2000, 2006
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Canadian Quilt Association
National Juried Show – 2000, 2003, 2004
– Award for Large
Innovative Wall Quilt in 2003, Judge’s Choice
Award in 2004.
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“A Colour-Full
Journey”, Muir Gallery, Courtenay B.C., August
2000
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“Visions”,
Campbell River and District Art Gallery,
Campbell River B.C., January-February 2002
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The Grand National,
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Waterloo,
Ontario, Finalist is
Juried Show June 2003,2004,2005
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“Nature and
Thread”, Muir Gallery, September 2002
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World Quilt
Festival, Nagoya, Japan, March 2004
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Pan Pacific Quilt
Show, Hawaii, April 2004
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World Piece Quilt
Festival, Waterloo, Ontario, May 2004
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Jack Shadbolt
Gallery, Comox, May 2004
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Association of Pacific Northwest
Quilters, Seattle, Washington,
Finalist in 2004, 2006
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World Quilt
Competition – Michigan, New Hampshire,
Pennsylvania, California, August-October 2004
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La Manzanilla Art
Gallery, Mexico, February 2005
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“Canada
Uncovered”, Curated Show – one of 20 quilters
chosen from Canada, Paducah, Kentucky,
March-July 2006
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“Island
FAN-fare”, Oceanside Gallery, Parksville, B.C.,
June 2006
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“Illumination”,
Fibre Essence Gallery, Granville Island, October
2006
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- Canadian
quilters:
- Judy
Robertson's amazing hand-dyed fabrics:
- Association of Pacific-Northwest Quilters:
- Canadian
Quilt Association:
- Fibre Art
Network of Western Canada
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African Threads
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Another super site raising support
for grandmothers in Africa
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