I remember the day my Mom’s Kenmore sewing machine was delivered. It was very exciting! My uncle brought it from Sears in Red Deer all the way to Camrose! I also remember the day when Mom said yes to, “Could I try sewing?” I was about four, very proud and slightly shocked that I would be trusted with her sewing machine. It made me feel very grown up. I’ve loved fabric ever since and have been content to have a needle and thread in hand.
In 1994 I took my first quilting class but my fabric obsession didn’t really kick in until 2009. By 2010 it had really taken me over, including my drawings!
Well, this is an interesting situation, interviewing oneself. Okay here we go.
How did you end up drawing fabric? When my youngest started grade one and was in school full time I went back to teaching. I taught a figure drawing class using a draped model. I’ve always loved drawing the figure but realized I was enjoying drawing the fabric more than the model! I began to draw dresses and piles of clothing. Then I began to draw my fabric stash, which led to a show in 2010. The following year I focused just on fabric. About this time I was really getting into the Modern Quilting movement. I soon realized there was whole world of stashes to draw! Which I began to do and will continue to do on an ongoing basis.
Who has the largest stash you’ve ever seen? Smallest? I met an art quilter in the summer of 2013. She was from the Ridge Meadow Quilt Guild. I got to have a look at her studio. She has and entire wall, like 30 feet of cabinets, all full of fabric (colour separated, of course.) She also had drawers and drawers of fat quarter. Personally I try to buy per project but will sometimes splurge on, “oh my God I can not live this out this!” fabric. And I love buying fabric, don’t get me wrong. This stash was so HUGE. I don’t know how anyone could sew all that fabric in one life time. Very impressive but HUGE!
However, I’d say the runner up to her would be Cathy from Blueberry patch. She has a pretty big stash, her husband calls it “the store”! The smallest would be Lesley Stenning’s. When she was living in North Vancouver she had a sewing machine in a small corner of her kitchen, with one or two cabinets of fabric. And oh, it was such a lovely collection! It may have been a small stash but the fabric was gorgeous!
Let’s talk about your stash and colour choices. Do you have a favourite colour? Colour combo’s? Colours you have aversions to? I love yellow but I’m really particular about the hue. My father in law loves yellow too but I don’t think of it as the same colour because the hues are so different . He likes school bus yellow while I like butter, sunshine, wheat yellow (see what I mean, I’m particular about my yellows).
Colour combos: I love pink and orange together and I’ve always loved teal and red.
Colour aversion? Hmm, I used to have an aversion to grey but came around to embracing it. I’ve never been a big fan of purple but I’m starting to embrace it too… mostly because it’s my youngest son’s favourite colour.
Where do you keep your fabric stash? Do you have a system for storage and organizing it? The majority of my stash is in my studio work table. Although, when taking photos of my stash for a Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild feature, called “5 things about you”, I realized I’ve spread it around my house as well. Making it a bit bigger than I’m willing to admit. I try not to let it get to big… but sometimes I don’t try very hard.
You’re from the Prairies, the Prairies are prone to tornadoes. Let’s say your visiting and you’ve brought your entire fabric stash with you. Whoosh! A big storm sets in and you’re lifted into the air, Wizard of Oz style. You can only reach three pieces of your stash, which ones do you grab before landing on the wicked witch of the East and take her ruby slippers? I’d find some way to grab my Melody Miller’s Viewmasters, Kitty Yoshida’s City Girl (in the pink) and Suzy Ultman’s Coffee Cups! Oh and I love polka dots and gingham, which is great if I get to wear Dorthy’s dress as I skip down the yellow brick road!
