Notan Geometry
2019
51 cm/ 20 inches square
cotton fabrics, fused appliqué, machine quilted
This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Notan". Inspired by the ideas of Zen Buddhism, notan is an important concept in Japanese art. The idea of notan is all about creating a balance of light and dark in a work of art. This can be clearly seen in the yin and yang symbol. It can be framed in terms of positive and negative space, black and white or any number of other ways. A large group of these pieces were displayed in various exhibitions to great effect.
2019
51 cm/ 20 inches square
cotton fabrics, fused appliqué, machine quilted
This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Notan". Inspired by the ideas of Zen Buddhism, notan is an important concept in Japanese art. The idea of notan is all about creating a balance of light and dark in a work of art. This can be clearly seen in the yin and yang symbol. It can be framed in terms of positive and negative space, black and white or any number of other ways. A large group of these pieces were displayed in various exhibitions to great effect.
Day of the Dead Quilt
2019
60 cm/23 ½ inches square
cotton fabric, Easy Stack patchwork, taught by Paula Doyle, machine stitches, machine quilted, embellished with spider charms and skulls
I made this to raise money for The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles. They had a silent auction at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London in 2019. People bid for a quilt without knowing the maker.
2019
60 cm/23 ½ inches square
cotton fabric, Easy Stack patchwork, taught by Paula Doyle, machine stitches, machine quilted, embellished with spider charms and skulls
I made this to raise money for The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles. They had a silent auction at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London in 2019. People bid for a quilt without knowing the maker.
Zanzibar Beach 4
2021
30 x 20 cm/ 12 x 8 inches
professionally printed canvas featuring my own photo of a beach in Zanzibar,
hand and machine quilted and embroidered, embellished with shells and beads
I took this photo at a magical beach in Zanzibar and had it specially printed and framed by Photobox.
I removed the print from the wood frame, sandwiched it with wadding and a back, then machine quilted and embroidered it. I especially enjoyed adding all the seashells and beads as well as the hand-embroidered seafood and seagulls. I then stapled it back on the frame and gave it to the son of a good friend as a wedding gift.
Collection of Elliott and Gaby Katz
2021
30 x 20 cm/ 12 x 8 inches
professionally printed canvas featuring my own photo of a beach in Zanzibar,
hand and machine quilted and embroidered, embellished with shells and beads
I took this photo at a magical beach in Zanzibar and had it specially printed and framed by Photobox.
I removed the print from the wood frame, sandwiched it with wadding and a back, then machine quilted and embroidered it. I especially enjoyed adding all the seashells and beads as well as the hand-embroidered seafood and seagulls. I then stapled it back on the frame and gave it to the son of a good friend as a wedding gift.
Collection of Elliott and Gaby Katz
Arabella's Zebra Quilt
2021
152 x 120 cm/ 60 x 69 inches
cotton fabric, Easy Stack patchwork, taught by Paula Doyle, machine stitches, longarm machine quilted
Paula Doyle taught me her “Easy Stack” technique which entails lining up four layers of fabric exactly, cutting it into squares, then swirling the squares to create a kaleidoscopic effect.
This quilt was made for the first child of my daughter's best friend, Hannah. She and her husband love zebras and I think their daughter will too.
Collection of Arabella Hobden da Silva
2021
152 x 120 cm/ 60 x 69 inches
cotton fabric, Easy Stack patchwork, taught by Paula Doyle, machine stitches, longarm machine quilted
Paula Doyle taught me her “Easy Stack” technique which entails lining up four layers of fabric exactly, cutting it into squares, then swirling the squares to create a kaleidoscopic effect.
This quilt was made for the first child of my daughter's best friend, Hannah. She and her husband love zebras and I think their daughter will too.
Collection of Arabella Hobden da Silva
Fractured
2022
51 cm/ 20 inches square
cotton fabrics, machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Crossing the Line". A striking design element of the piece had to be a diagonal, offset, single, straight line which touches parallel sides. The diagonal line had to be a strong design feature. In addition, we all had to use the same three fabrics for the challenge, but could use any technique. These were displayed in our exhibition at the Willesden Library.
2022
51 cm/ 20 inches square
cotton fabrics, machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Crossing the Line". A striking design element of the piece had to be a diagonal, offset, single, straight line which touches parallel sides. The diagonal line had to be a strong design feature. In addition, we all had to use the same three fabrics for the challenge, but could use any technique. These were displayed in our exhibition at the Willesden Library.
Fly Agarics in My Garden
2022
68 x 127 cm/ 27 x 50 inches
cotton fabric and professionally printed fabric featuring my own photos of Fly Agaric mushrooms,
machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
Fly Agaric mushrooms grow mychorrizally with the silver birch tree in my Oxfordshire garden. I love to see them come up every year in ever greater numbers. This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Close to Home" to acknowledge the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic.
It was displayed in our exhibition at the Willesden Library as well as at the British Mycological Society's 125th anniversary meeting at Cranfield University.
2022
68 x 127 cm/ 27 x 50 inches
cotton fabric and professionally printed fabric featuring my own photos of Fly Agaric mushrooms,
machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
Fly Agaric mushrooms grow mychorrizally with the silver birch tree in my Oxfordshire garden. I love to see them come up every year in ever greater numbers. This was made for my contemporary quilt group's challenge "Close to Home" to acknowledge the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic.
It was displayed in our exhibition at the Willesden Library as well as at the British Mycological Society's 125th anniversary meeting at Cranfield University.
Sharing the World with Fungi
2022
100 x 174 cm/ 39 x 68 inches
cotton fabric and professionally printed fabric featuring my own photos of Fly Agaric mushrooms,
machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
Fly Agaric mushrooms grow prolifically beneath the silver birch tree in my Oxfordshire garden and are a wonderful subject for photography. They are known to have psychedelic properties if consumed (not recommended as they are poisonous!) which is why I chose this particular fabric for the background.
2022
100 x 174 cm/ 39 x 68 inches
cotton fabric and professionally printed fabric featuring my own photos of Fly Agaric mushrooms,
machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, embellished with embroidery and beads
Fly Agaric mushrooms grow prolifically beneath the silver birch tree in my Oxfordshire garden and are a wonderful subject for photography. They are known to have psychedelic properties if consumed (not recommended as they are poisonous!) which is why I chose this particular fabric for the background.