About
Much of my inspiration comes from the architecture and culture of places I have visited - Peru, Italy, Thailand, Mexico and Egypt among others - and more recently abstract themes such as secrecy and concealment, calligraphy and rain! I like to work with plain cream fabric using my sewing machine and thread to stitch, quilt, manipulate, texture and embellish the fabric; thread is a major element in my work. I often use geometric shapes and patterns - although I do occasionally break out! - and usually plan my quilts on graph paper after a few minimal line drawings. I make lots of samples as I work to find the best way to interpret a motif or pattern - and so creative thinking takes over and the finished quilt is often quite different to the initial design. I also hand-dye fabrics for more colourful quilts. I have recently started to include mixed media in my work and teaching. I have won many awards over the past 12 years and my quilts have been selected for exhibitions in the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA. MEMBERSHIP Society of Designer Craftsmen Quilters' Guild of the British Isles International Quilt Association (USA) Sutton Coldfield Creative Stitchers Trinity Quilters Tangent Textiles Computer Textile Design Group EXHIBITIONS 2011 Tangents Go Travelling',Chasewater Innovation Centre,Brownhills 2011 'Moon Rainbow', Weavers Gallery, Ledbury 2010 Houston Quilt Festival, 'Tactile Architecture' 2010 Houston Quilt Festival (Finalist) 2010 Festival of Quilts, NEC, Birmingham 2010 World Quilt & Textile, USA, (touring) 2010 'Tangents go Travelling', Tangent Textiles, Corinium Museum, Cirencester 2009/10 'Romantic Proposals',Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 2009 Tangent Textiles, ZigZags, Newport 2009 Festival of Quilts, Birmingham 2009 World Quilt & Textile, USA (touring) 2009 Quilters' Guild Exhibition,(selected) "Pearls,Pearls,Pearls",York Quilt Museum 2008 MidlandsTextileForum,"CommonThreads",Leicester 2008 Houston Quilt Festival, (Finalist) 2008 Festival of Quilts,NEC,Birmingham 2008 'Quilts in Time',(selected) Quilt Museum, York 2008 Tangent Textiles,Harding House Gallery,Lincoln 2008 Tangent Textiles,Friary Gallery,Lichfield 2007 World Quilt & Textile USA (touring) 2007 Houston Quilt Festival 'Tactile Architecture' 2007 Quilt National'07,Ohio,USA(touring to late2009) 2006 Waterloo County Quilt Festival,Ontario,Canada 2005 Tangent Textiles,Redditch 2005 Tangent Textiles,RealArt Gallery,Shrewsbury 2005 'Shaping Up!',Beverley Art Gallery,Yorkshire 2004 Festival of Quilts,NEC,Birmingham 2004 'Fabric of Nature',Wallsworth Hall,Twigworth 2004 Quiltfest, Llangollen, Wales 2003 Houston Quilt Festival(Finalist)(2 quilts) 2003 Festival of Quilts, NEC, Birmingham 2003 Craft Gallery,Royal Birmingham SocietyofArtists 2002 'Transforming Tradition',Quilters'Gld National Exhibition,Halifax 2001 World Quilt & Textile,USA (touring) 2000 Government Offices West Midlands, Brussels 1999 Mall Galleries,London, Soc.of Designer Craftsmen |
