Size 29.5″ hx 40″w Artist Statement During a visit to childhood haunts along the Tay I recalled how the river influenced my formative years. The Tay, the river where I learned to swim at the age of five was a favoured canoe route between Christie Lake and the town of Perth, Ontario. An unfulfilled dream of a red canoe still survives! The family sugarbush hugged the shores of the river and provided a place to daydream and relive the...

Evelyn Mather was an only daughter and grew up on a farm near Balderson ON with her three brothers. She didn’t talk a lot about her childhood but based on information from Uncle Gord, her early childhood may have been greatly affected by her Mother’s farm accident. She seems to have had a love of needlework all her life and was probably inspired by her Mother’s work. Mom was a star pupil in SS#9 Bathurst and went on to do well...

Mark on the Body Project Honoring those who live with type 1 diabetes I have followed Margaret Blank’s ‘Honoring Those Who Live With Type 1 Diabetes’ project for some time and recently contacted her to make a contribution. Her husband died at a young age as the result of diabetic complications and she has undertaken a mammoth art project entitled ‘Mark on the Body’. For the details visit her blog. She tells of how...

Name Nostalgia – My First Crewel Embroidery (1965) Medium Fabric, wool tapestry yarn, Description Nostalgia – My First Crewel Embroidery (1965) was part of a shipment of household items moved to Calgary and recently sorted. The frame for this piece was outdated and although the original mounting was terrible and left a glue residue in the fabric (the brown spots) I wanted to save it. After removing the backing and soaking it in a...

Name Stitches from India Medium Fabric, embroidery floss, pearle cotton, sequins, shiva mirrors Description Stitches from India is a sampler created during a work session with one of the groups that I belong to – Fibre Optics Tuesday Group (FOG). FOG meets monthly and it is a ‘play day’ when members experiment with new or different techniques. There is no pressure to ‘produce’, just good times and fun! Jan and...

  Name   Medium Fabric, embroidery floss, sequins Description Kantha Stitch Sampler was created following Anna Hergert’s Kantha Stitch class. I used this as an opportunity to experiment with some black work. Check out Anna’s website at http://annahergert.me/ The only parameter I am trying to adhere to is size. This Kantha stitch journal page is part of a 2014 and beyond series that will in part be a story of my life and of...

Name Kantha Stitch Class Sampler Medium Fabric, embroidery floss, pearle cotton, sequins Description This journal page – Kantha Stitch Class Sampler  is part of a 2014 and beyond series that will in part be a story of my life and of my art work. The only parameter I am trying to adhere to is size. The series may be mounted as a show or may be bound into an album. Time will tell. The feature in the centre of this journal page...

Last night I sat and stitched! I love hand stitching! Stitching is reflection time. Mind journaling time. Sorting out time. Recognition time. This summer I crossed another milestone, the unanticipated loss of a cherished sibling. I live at a distance, plans unfolded quickly and I missed the celebration of his life. Then the revelation that yet another sibling suffers from heart ailments. It’s time to take stock and to examine priorities....

My Inspiration For my June journal quilt I selected the letter M.  M stands for ‘move’ or ‘manage’.  Our lives have taken a dramatic change and suddenly we are faced with the fact that we will be  spending a winter in the north once again.  While we loved the spirit of the Osoyoos park we visited in November and December 2011, we found the weather too cold for long-stay comfort in our RV, the cost of propane off-set any...