I owned a boutique in Cape Town many years ago where I did my own designer knits. I then began to create custom fabric outfits for discerning woman, as so many ladies complained that they just could not find what they wanted.
Throughout my marriage and the bringing up of my two sons I continued to attract private customers, all the time learning more and more about fabric, how to cut it, how to mould it, and how to combine colour and texture and pattern into wonderful fibre eye candy.
I have been in love with colour, pattern and texture all my life. I marvel at them in nature, and am inspired by them in the wonderful work of other artists. I tap into that passion to create my own functional art incorporating recycled fabric and natural found objects. Each item I make is another step on my journey of discovery. I like to recycle because I like to feel that even in my small way I am helping to reduce the mountains of rubbish we humans create.

PRICING MY WORK
I work out my prices by calculating three things - time, materials, and a third but most important element. I call it the Imagination Equation. I once read in an introduction to a book on fibre art the following story:
The author was holding an exhibition of her art work. Her husband was helping out, and as he stood beside one of her wall hangings, two ladies were admiring it.
“How long did this take for her to make, I wonder?” said one.
“About two weeks,” replied the husband, then added, “and twenty years of experience.”
Experience counts. Years of learning about how to make something well. But that isn't the whole story. The Imagination Equation has another elusive element. The spark, the origin of the idea, the imagination that gave birth to the final product – my mind.
The Idea!
Our world is bursting with the end products of ideas. As you sit at your desk, or walk down the road, look at your surroundings. Almost everything you see began as an idea in somebody’s head. Houses, cars, clothing, furniture. Everything we create began there too, in our imagination.
My father was a theatrical producer, and he created productions that gained him great praise. It was he who told me the following story.
A lady was invited to a high society wedding and needed a special hat for the occasion. She decided to visit a famous London milliner.
She entered his shop and explained what she wanted. He nodded and sat her down in a chair, then began to collect various bits and pieces, lace, net, feathers, fabric roses, and a hat base. He spent the next half an hour creating a stunning work of art to adorn her head.
The lady was thrilled. “How much will that be?” she asked.
“£350” he replied.
“What? £350 for a few pieces of ribbon, feathers and some lace that took you half an hour to put together? That’s outrageous!”
Without a word he took up the hat he had just made and disassembled it. He made a neat little pile of all the pieces and handed it to the lady. “That will be £10, madam.”
There was a reason he was popular. And it wasn't a matter of time or materials. They are the smallest part of the calculation.