My beginnings

Q: When did you become interested in embroidery and other textile arts?
A: I became aware of world embroidery at age 24 when I was travelling in Great Britain with my new husband. I bought Perle cotton, embroidery floss and a pattern book in a street market and worked on small linen sample during the evenings by our tent. I carried the work in my bike pannier over a period of 14 months. I also covered all the clothing I had with me with embroidered imagery. It was 1975. I still have some of those garments.

Q: What background did you bring to your interest?
A: Around the age of ten I had learned to embroider by following stamped designs on pillowcases. I remember loving this activity. My mother helped me with some of the simple stitches.
When I was twelve I began sewing most of my own clothes. Throughout high school I made the latest styles for myself such as flowered pants with solid co-ordinated jackets and zip up leather jumpers (made from upholstery fabrics). I loved the challenge of creating them myself.
I also made a lot of Barbie doll clothes at that time for my younger sister’s doll and was hired by several mothers to make wardrobes for their daughters’ dolls. These clothes were very imaginative and I used my mother’s sewing scraps for them and very tiny buttons and trims that I found in the local Stedman’s five and dime.
I'd like to send birthday good wishes ( a little late) to my oldest daughter. We so enjoyed your visit home, dear child.