Intuitive Fabric Art

Denise is a commissioned textile artist who has communed with fabric, design, and embellishments for over 30 years. She has the unique ability to create works of fabric art that capture the essence of a person or organization. She has taught quilting to both adults and children, and her art graces the walls of private and public collections.

These pieces with their accompanying stories, engage, inspire, and speak to the soul. They give the viewer the opportunity to look at and think about life in different ways. They are collaborative art that will hang as a permanent testimonial to life. Denise works in conjunction with you, using interviews, her intuition, creativity, and Divine inspiration. She takes the elements of colour, texture, and shape, to create visual representations of your subject.

Past Clients Include:

• The Life Quilt for Breast Cancer Project, National
• Private Owners
• Esther Unit of the U.C.W., Sharon United Church, Murrayville BC
• Continuing Education, Langley BC
• Belmont Elementary School, Langley BC
• Evelyn's Sewing Centre, Newmarket ON
• Quiltmakers, Toronto ON
• Stiches 'n' Things, Burnaby BC

 

Navigate

Hide Thumbs

First

Previous

Pause

Next

Last

Set Speed Slideshow speed: 5 seconds

Move

Quilts

• 
  “Bargello”
  Machine-Pieced and Hand-Quilted 1993
  
  This piece was created from a quilting class. I was intrigued by the way the colours blended from lighter to darker shades. And the bargello pattern was one I was familiar with from the needlepoint I had done as a young girl. It was exciting to see it transferred to the medium of cloth. The waves in the pattern combined with the colour value gradation appear to give the quilt movement.
• 
  “Watercolour 1 – Beginning the Healing Journey”
  Machine-Pieced and Machine-Quilted 1995
  
  I learned the watercolour quilt technique at a quilting retreat weekend while I was undergoing treatments for breast cancer. Doing something that I loved in the midst of something that was causing me so much fear, helped me to stay more balanced and grounded. This quilt is made of 2” squares of all different fabrics. It is symbolic of blending all of the different pieces of my life together into one harmonious whole. The way the light appears to be shining from the centre of it reminds me of what is at the centre of all of us.
• 
  “Julie’s Garden”
  Hand-Pieced and Hand-Quilted 1995
  
  My mom babysat for me so that I could take the classes to make this piece. She was undergoing palliative chemotherapy treatments at the same time that I was having chemotherapy fighting for my life. She passed away before the quilt was finished. I dedicated it to her. The label on the back reads: “Your courageous battle with breast cancer taught me much about the human spirit and the power of love. My soul was with you as I quilted these hearts and flowers and your memory will live on in my heart until we meet again.”
• 
  "A Soul's Journey"
  Hand-Pieced and Hand-Quilted 1996
  
  I designed and created this piece of fabric art to be part of the Life Quilt for Breast Cancer. It is included in the second quilt in that project entitled “Call to Rebirth”. A visual representation of my journey through breast cancer, this is its message:
  Lady in White – all inclusive; born in light.
  Lady in Black – absence of colour; dark night.
  Lady in Red – strength & vitality.
  Lady in Orange – endurance.
  Lady in Yellow – mental clarity & understanding.
  Lady in Green – healing & balance.
  Lady in Blue – serenity.
  Lady in Purple – transformation.
• 
  “Watercolour II – Love & Light”
  Machine-Pieced and Machine-Quilted 1995
  
  My second watercolour quilt. This one is my own design. In it I am trying to convey the beauty of the heart; how its softness and gentleness spreads love and light into the world. This piece hangs in a private collection.
• 
  “Metamorphosis”
  Hand-Pieced and Hand-Quilted 1992
  
  This is my first piece of fabric art. I had not quilted before, but when I visited a quilt shop with a friend and saw the class sample for this pattern, I fell in love. If this was what quilting was, I knew I needed to learn how to do it! I wanted to be able to create something of such beauty. I was pregnant with my youngest daughter when I started this piece. There are butterflies hand-quilted in the borders signifying our ability to change and grow.
• 
  “Sacred Geometry”
  Hand-Pieced and not yet quilted. 1995
  
  This is the result of a class in hand-piecing. I loved working with the colours and the fabrics. Hand-piecing each block was a journey in quiet contemplation. It was fascinating to watch how the placement of colour could totally alter the visual perception of the design.
• 
  “Spiritual Inclusion”
  Machine-Pieced and Machine-Quilted 2001
  
  This quilt was commissioned by the Esther Unit of the U.C.W. at Sharon United Church in Murrayville, BC, Canada. They wanted something created in memory of a friend and fellow church member named Nan, who had died of breast cancer. I used interviews with people who knew Nan to get an understanding of who Nan was. Then, using fabric, colour, shape, texture, and symbolism I created a visual representation of Nan’s life. The creation was a collaborative effort with the U.C.W. group who helped to tie the beads onto the quilt after it was quilted. This piece hangs in the Sharon United Church in Murrayville, BC, Canada
• 
  “When We Are Old Women We Shall Wear Purple”
  Hand-Pieced and Hand-Quilted 1999
  
  I designed and pieced together this quilt for one of my best friends in honour of her 50th birthday. The name of the piece is based on the poem by Jenny Joseph that alludes to living life in the fullest in the present moment…not waiting for some future date to have fun. It is an example of a style of quilting called “crazy quilting”. All the pieces are different sizes and shapes and include many different embellishments. Each piece holds a story in the diary of our friendship. This piece is in a private collection.