I moved to Birmingham in 1985 with a Karmen Ghia full of clothes and a stack of magazines with dog-eared pages and pictures of slipcovered furniture. I told myself that I can make covers to go over my hand-me-down chairs, make curtains for the windows, and live a stylish life in the big city, even though I had hardly anything to work with. I bought as many canvas painters drop cloths as I could afford, and I got to work. I acquired an industrial sewing machine from the down-sized alterations department of the clothing store I worked for, conjured up my “built-in geometry” (as my rocket scientist dad calls it), and I taught myself how to slipcover every piece of furniture I owned. After that, I slipcovered furniture for my friends and family. I would eventually turn it into a business, Coverings.
Flash forward to today, I have accumulated a large stash of scraps from making coverings over the years. I have a hard time parting with pretty pieces, so keeping the good ones, colorizing the stacks, they are stored in plastic bins in my sewing shack. With the bits and pieces of cloth, I make wall hangings, throws, and lots of different thingamajigs. You can find my handbags and small works at Naked Art Gallery in Birmingham, or you can contact me to commission a one-of-a-kind wall hanging or throw.
I am a contributing writer for HGTV, and I’ll blog here on my website. I speak to quilting guilds, native plant groups, botanical gardens, garden clubs, and to environmental groups.