New York Garden: 2009

This is the latest in a series of flower quilts I am making combining my two favourite elements - New York Beauty blocks and appliqué flowers.

Machine Pieced, machine appliquéd, machine quilted
Cottons, silks, synthetics, cotton batting
204 x 208cm

Ataahua Hokianga: 2009

Looking through an artist friend's visual diary, I found a small painted sample of a green and red braid. It instantly looked like a tree to me and I asked if I could use it in a quilt. I designed a small quilt around the tree trunk and at the same time, worked on a larger version but making a number of changes. The Far North where I live is an inspirational place with an abundance of sea, sand, shore and bush.

Hand dyed fabric (by artist) machine pieced, machine appliquéd, machine quilted, hand beaded
Cottons, fused cotton batting
140x140cms

Mother & Child: 2004

This ecclesiastical themed quilt was created from images of the artist's newborn grandson, Kyuss, and his mother Puawai, and presents a classic Madonna and Child composition. Kowhaiwhai patterns framing the Madonna represent new life while in the foreground, the kete (basket) holds a calabash of water and rewena (bread) to represent the staves of life.

Machine appliquéd, machine quilted
Cottons, polyester batting
108 x 150cm

The Maori believe that the spirits of our loved ones return to their spiritual homeland. In Maori legend, Ruru (the native owl) is the spiritual guardian that guides us from one life to the next. The inspiration for this quilt came from a dinnertime discussion of the pain that families and friends outside the US must have felt from losing loved-ones in the events of September 11 2001.

Do not weep. They took my bones but not my soul. Did you not sense my return as I glided by on silent wing. I only rested awhile to thirst on shared tears which fueled me for the journey to that place beyond. I did return.

Antipodean Rhythms - Sketch: 2009

I often do a small sketch of my quilt designs and shade in pencil to select tonal value placement before choosing fabrics. This quilt I decided would be a sketch, using thread and pencil to create my design.

Pencil drawing (by artist),
free motion machine quilting
Canvas, vilene batting
73 x 90cm

Our Land - Aotearoa: 2009

The mountains, lake, rivers, forests and flowers - the colours of New Zealand - are reflected in this quilt. I used many of my hand-dyed fabrics to capture the colours of the beautiful landscape.

Machine pieced, machine quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
166 x 183cm

Strata II: 2009

This exploration of simple shapes focuses more on the movement between the strata. The horizontal strata jumbles the vertical strata, creating dynamic movement.

Machine pieced, machine quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
77 x 148cm

Pacific Tribute: 2007

This quilt was inspired by traditional tapa cloth designs produced throughout the Pacific region. It is a tribute to the skills and cultural heritage of the Pacific people and also recognises New Zealand's place as a Pacific nation. Tapa is a paper-like cloth made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree and is block printed. Elements within the quilt are a testament to the universality of design and the threads that link cultures around the world.

Machine pieced, machine appliquéd,
machine quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
160 x 184cm

Pohutukawa Magic: 2009

I have planted approximately 50 pohutukawa trees on our property. They flower in November/December on the East Coast of New Zealand and are so beautiful around the neighbourhood, I wanted to celebrate this wonderful tree and its promise of summer. This is my third pohutukawa quilt.

Machine pieced background,
machine appliquéd, machine quilted, hand beaded Cottons, cotton batting
95 x 122cm

Winiata's Peg (Belonging Series): 2009

Having provided research and historical documents for Waitangi land claims, made me realise how important the maps are and how detail is pored over, giving meaning to settlement and belonging. Our land is not an abstract physical location but a place, charged with personal significance, shaping the images we have of ourselves. "Waitangi claims" research has assisted the practice of investigating the relationship between human perception and occupation of land.

Computer printed and stencilled fabric (by artist), machine pieced, machine appliquéd, machine quilted Cottons and silks, cotton batting
110 x 110cm

Blue Tide: 2009

I was inspired by the movement of the changing tide.

Hand dyed silk (by artist)
machine appliquéd,
hand embellished, machine quilted
Silk, bamboo batting
84 x 91cm

A Common Threaad: 2009

Interwoven settlement in our harsh Antipodean climate with a shared need for shelter and warmth using materials to hand. An evolving textile story.

Rusted felt from our sheep's wool, tea dyed fabrics, hand dyed silks, hand embroidered felt (all by artist), cotton, recycled wool blanket, wool blanket batting
113 x 118cm

Taniko Series I: 2004

The kowhaiwhai patterned fabric provided the inspiration for this quilt. It is used to frame blocks that suggest taniko patterns that are found in Maori weaving and wall decorations in their meeting houses or whare nui. The colour palette is limited to the heritage colours that are associated with the wall decorations that can be seen in the Maori whare nui.

Machine pieced, hand quilted
Cottons, wool batting
120 x 140cm

A quilt inspired by a friendship which grew through letters after my great-aunt Ruth Day spent 5 days as a paying guest with the Weisshuhn family in Freiheit, Czechoslovakia, in 1937. The letters and photographs I inherited tell how the family survived the war and lean years afterwards. In return for parcels of food and clothing Ruth sent from New Zealand, Erich Proksch sent beautiful scherenschnitte (scissor cuts). I cut simplified fabric versions of these and drew New Zealand scenes in similar style. During the war my Aunt contacted the family through the Red Cross and afterwards the family often sent letters from East to West Germany via my Aunt in New Zealand. Recently I traced the family through Google.

Standing Tall at Karamea: 2009

Groves of iconic nikau palms flourish in the microclimate of Karamea on the northern west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, gateway to the Kahurangi National Park.

Machine pieced, fused appliqué, machine quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
131 x 102cm

Taranaki - Foreshore and Seabed: 2007

This scene depicts the towering cliffs, shingle beaches and rough seas of the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.

Machine embroidered, machine quilted
Cottons, pellon batting
48 x 140cm

Canterbury's Braided Rivers: 2009

The distinctive braided rivers in the South Island of New Zealand, with their wide shingle beds and numerous snaking water channels, provide a unique and distinctive feature of the province of Canterbury's landscape. Similar extensive braided river systems exist in Alaska, Canada, and the Himalayas, and New Zealand's braided rivers are spectacular examples of this type of river.

Machine appliqued, machine quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
61 x 95cm

My Love of Nature: 2001

I wanted to make a Baltimore album style appliqué quilt with blocks featuring New Zealand's unique flora and fauna. In designing the blocks, I was inspired by the trees, flowers and birds in my garden, walks in the bush and photographs in books.

Hand appliquéd, hand quilted
Cottons, cotton batting
197 x 230 cm

Naturally Native: 2004

I was keen to make a traditional Hawaiian quilt using familiar local plants and the scherenschnitte technique. My husband replanted part of our land with natives, establishing the slow growing kauri, nikau palm and pohutukawa, protected by fast growing manuka and flax. The plants I stitched are an integral part of our lives. Each has special memories. Pohutukawa represents summers at the beach, kauri and nikau remind me of family roots in the far north, flax attracts birds around our home, while the clematis curled around the veranda of a former home. And of course New Zealand's national symbol is the silver fern.

Hand appliquéd, hand quilted
Cottons, wool batting
177 x 177cm

In the Arms of Morpheus: 2009

I dreamt the quilt wrapped around my shoulders turned into an angel, gently encompassing me with her soft white wings.

Hand and machine pieced, hand reverse appliquéd, hand quilted
Cotton sheeting,
wool blanket batting
150 x 98cm

Ponga: 2008

I made this quilt for my youngest daughter who is living in Moscow. It was inspired by a small stand of pongas (tree ferns) on the bank above my home. Every morning I would look up through their waving fronds at the pale morning sky.

Hand appliquéd, hand quilted
Cottons, wool batting
198 x 204cm

Waitangi 170: 2009

This quilt is about the significance of the treaty of Waitangi. It celebrates promises achieved and promises yet to be achieved. 2010 marks 170 years since the Treaty was signed on 6 February 1840.

Hand printed fabric (by artist),
machine quilted
Cotton, cotton/polyester batting
47 x 82cm

Currahee: 2009

This quilt was made for my youngest son Liam. It reminds me of the New Zealand native bush - dark and brooding, with sparkles of water running through it. The title comes from a favourite book of Liam's - Band of Brothers - which tells the story of the 101st Airborne during World War II. Currahee is the native American name of the mountain the 101st trained on before going to war.

Machine pieced, machine quilted
Cotton, cotton batting
216 x 216cm

Translated as "the red feathered parrot family", this quilt describes my family and our heritage; the images are of myself and my 3 brothers. We were made in New Zealand, we are of this land, and are irrevocably bound to it. Te Oho Mauri means awakening life force. The images show us when we were young, so much of our lives before us, but so much of us already laid down. We live on the land; it is on our hands and under our skin. We have grown, flown and lived our lives, but who we are, and who we are to each other, remains.

Mitre Peak - New Zealand: 2009

In 1907 my grandmother painted Mitre Peak, an iconic landmark in the South Island of New Zealand. Her work hangs above my bed. One hundred years later, I have stitched the same peak mirrored in the deep, cold waters of Milford Sound.

Hand dyed fabric (by artist),
hand stitched, hand quilted
Cotton, cotton batting
80 x 54cm

Suburban Rhythm: 2007

My artworks can almost be thought of as my personal meditations on a provincial life in Hawkes' Bay, New Zealand. More specifically they reflect my interest in the local landscape and the very limited colour palette I enjoy working with.

Discharge dyed fabric (by artist),
machine appliqué, machine quilting Cottons, cotton blend batting
118 x 176cm

Made in memory of my war bride mother, Rose Gingell, a London Wren, who met my father during the Blitz, married him within ten days, and came to New Zealand to begin a new life in 1946. This quilt marks the hope and sadness that Armistice Day always brings, with the white crosses commemorating the fields of the war dead.

Black crosses foreshadow the spectre of World War II, that would decimate the children of those who believed they had fought to save the next generation. Hope is embodied in my parents' story. The fact that my sisters and I owe our existence and the existence of our children and grandchildren to those who survived and returned to begin again.

Spring into Fall: 2008

I enjoy walking in Hagley Park, Christchurch and watching the change of seasons.

Bonded appliqué, machine appliqué, machine quilted
Silks, polyester batting
101 x 101cm

Fish Hook: 2009

Fishing has always been an important part of Maori life. The fish hook therefore symbolises positive aspects of life - strength, good luck, prosperity and safe journeys over water.

Machine appliquéd,
machine embroidered, machine quilted
Cottons, pellon batting
64 x 79cm

In Foreign Fields: 2009

Four generations of my family have served overseas with British and New Zealand military forces. In World War I, thousands of kiwi soldiers were shipped to the other side of the world to fight in foreign fields. The casualty rate was enormous and affected most New Zealand families. My grandfather survived the Somme; two of my great uncles lie buried at Commonwealth cemeteries. Ninety years later, these places have special significance for New Zealanders.

Hand embroidered, hand quilted
Wool blanket, wool batting
69 x 124cm

Angels in My Gully: 2009

On lightness and darkness; the joy of gardening; and the pleasure to explore and restore our gully with native plants. It is possible to come across some delightful creatures in the dense bush, while planting native cabbage and kowhai trees.

Machine appliquéd, machine quilted
Cottons, polyester batting
115 x 185cm

Displaced: 2004

As a migrant, my work comments on coming and going and the space in between - place and displacement. The half square triangle is a universal pattern often used in African art as well as in Pacific tapa cloths. My work is also inspired by the work of New Zealand artists, John Pule and Don Peebles.

Machine pieced, machine quilted
Cottons, polyester batting
87 x 170cm

Storm at Sea: 2009

Aotearoa-New Zealand is a small country surrounded by a lot of ocean. The seas surrounding us are not called "The Roaring Forties" for nothing!

Hand painted fabrics (by artist)
machine quilted
Cotton, cotton batting
50 x 150cm

God's Own: 2009

When my dearest friend (a quilter) came to visit me in my new country, we travelled together through the North Island. It seemed that each day had its own colour and every time we found a quilt shop, we bought some fabric. Then we shared all the material to make a quilt of our journey. In my quilt, there is the forest, native bush, Huka Falls, the geothermal area of Rotorua, the ever changing colours of the sky, our unique sunlight and even that gusty wind (which had a life of its own and I couldn't cut it off). I feel blessed to live in God's Own.

Hand painted linen (by artist), machine pieced, hand quilted
Cottons and linen, polyester batting
37 x 115cm

Bubbling Mud: 2009

Paging through a book, I found a picture of a Maori kite. In my mind's eye, I flew it over the hills, over the bubbling mud pools, over the thermal lakes and volcano rent mountains of my favourite New Zealand place - Rotorua.

Distressed smocking,
fabric painted (by artist), hand quilted
Silks and cottons, cotton batting
96 x 69cm

Deep Blue Wakatipu: 2009

I love living in Queenstown, New Zealand, with its majestic mountains and deep blue lakes. I try to capture the 'feel' of this place rather than a 'real photo' image of it. The ever-changing blues of Lake Wakatipu are an ongoing inspiration in my artwork.

Layered fabrics, raw edge collage
machine quilted
Silks and cottons, cotton
and bamboo batting
50 x 170cm

...A Certain Silence: 2009

Beneath very large trees, on a still day, there is a certain silence. The quilt references the tradition of the 'tree of life' and also the spaces where we may find a place for solitude and thought.

Hand appliquéd, hand quilted
Cottons, bamboo batting
90 x 70cm

Te Taniwha O Pupuke-Moana: 2009

Calling upon the tradition of a Maori mihi, the artist acknowledges in cloth her mountain, Rangitoto, and lake, Pupuke at Takapuna. The taniwha, a guardian creature of mythology, watches the erupting volcano in Auckland harbour. Mataoho, god of earthquakes and eruptions, avenges a curse from an angry Maori and thus Pupuke-Moana is formed. This deep fresh water lake drains to the Waitemata harbour only 300 metres beyond. Hand dyed fabrics by the artist provide a rich canvas for machine appliqué and quilting in a contemporary style, celebrating New Zealand's cultural heritage and connection to birthplace.

Machine appliquéd, machine quilted
Cottons, pellon batting. 69 x 95cm

Karakia (Prayer): 2007

Homage to New Zealand's native flora - every bit as beautiful and glowing as any cathedral window.

Reverse machine appliquéd,
machine quilted
Cottons, polyester batting
89 x 89cm

The Beautiful Blue Light
In My Bones: 2007

I woke in the night and saw beautiful blue light moving through my bones.

Machine pieced,
hand appliquéd, hand quilted
Cottons, linens, synthetics, cotton batting
217 x 209cm