I was born in The Netherlands into a wonderfully creative home, my mother was a fashion designer who could turn her hand to anything to do with fabric or yarn so our home was always filled with colourful fabric, patterns and wool which always resulted into fabulous creations, both my parents had a great passion for antiques and music and I have lovely memories of my father playing the saxophone whilst my mother was sewing, knitting or crocheting, skills she passed on to me from a very early age ( probably to keep me busy so she could get on with her work) I have fond memories of being given boxes full of scrap fabric, wool, lace, beads and buttons by my mothers colleagues and my doll collection was always fabulously turned out in colourful outfits which I was encouraged to make myself.
I have no formal training except for a huge amount of courses I have attended over the years all over Europe and the UK, but in a way I am grateful for that because I feel that the origin of creation lays with the ability to see the possibilities and finding ways to overcome limitations which I hope I pass on in my classes and workshops, skills can be learned but empowerment and self belief allows for so much more magic to happen
I have always been inspired by the rich heritage of needle craft and the history and origins of practical uses in textile crafts. I love the wonder and thrill of the act of creating by re-using and re-purposing fabrics and textiles so they don’t end up as landfill but become timeless sustainable wearable creations.
As a child of the sixties being brought up in Amsterdam during the flower power era I remember fabulously stitched and embellished fashion and wearable art by designers like Fong Leng which seemed to have endless possibilities for self expression which still Inspires me and is reflected in my work!
Having been a teacher and a Homeopath for many years my classes and workshops aim to give students the confidence and inspiration to go and do ‘their own thing’ and to explore their own ideas rather than copy others.
Mindfulness and meditation is also a big part of our classes as I greatly believe that needle crafts are beneficial for mental well-being especially in the company of likeminded people who often become lifelong friends.