Meet Judy

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There was never a time from the age of 8 that I did not have some sort of fibre and needle or hook in my hand. Self-taught in dressmaking, knitting, crocheting, rugcrafting, embroidery and quilting, it seemed a logical evolution in the world of textile art.

Other than making my own clothes using commercial patterns, I have always needed to do it my own way. Textile art gives me the opportunity to develop new methods to portray the visions that appear in my mind long before they become art.

I have been inspired by many artists over the past few years to allow myself to paint with fabric and thread, and particularly love the beauty of Mother Earth as subject matter. I use subtle brushstrokes of coloured fabric and stitches, embellished with beads, gemstones, more fibres and shells to add brilliance and light. Some of the three-dimensional elements I use can only be created with needle and threads by hand.

My work has won awards at both the Etobicoke Quilters’ Guild and the Mississauga Quilters’ Guild shows, most recently “Most Innovative Design” for “Emergence—the Fire Within” at the MQG show in April, 2007, and again for “Dans La Mer IV” in April, 2009. As well my challenge quilt, “As The Last Snowflake Falls…Suddenly Spring” won 1st in the Masters category. However, it is not for competition and prizes that I work, but to fulfill a need to express my creativity.

Many pieces are now in private collections, and I now have enough work that I can deliver a trunk show and lecture.