About me

I have long been captivated by stories of all types: myth, fable, history, drama, comedy. The first 40 years of my life, I focused my creative energy on my first love, theatre. When my sons were born the demanding pace of making theatre seemed impossible so I began looking for a new creative outlet, one more conducive to being the mother of three growing boys. Out of sheer creative desperation, I picked up a threaded needle and began embroidering. Then my grandmother passed away. I inherited her sewing machine plus a cedar chest full of beautiful linens and unfinished sewing projects. As I stitched a quilt-top, hand-pieced be my great-grandmother, a new relationship to story dawned in me. She passed when I was in third grade and yet as I added my hand to her work, I felt deep connection to the cycle of life and my female legacy.

I believe all fabric, once worn, slept under or wrapped up in, will forever carry a piece of the user. The story of where something has come from, who wore it, on what occasion and how the person felt about it informs the creative process and enriches the new article. Quilts have long been a repository for family history. They are an exquisite example of the beauty and utility that can come from recycling the old into something new. The idea for Children’s Art was also born of boredom and a need to stitch something besides store bought patterns. I was enchanted by the art my boys were producing and decided it would be interesting to see how they translated to fabric and thread.

I love working with clients planning for a new piece. We trade stories, laugh and sometimes cry together as we pour over any variety of memorabilia related to the project and slowly a new vision emerges. I get a great charge finding ways to include meaningful elements from the memories shared during the planning process. I’ve included a few of these significances in the narratives for each of the projects on this web site.