Instruments Of Praise

Kathy was introduced to needle arts at a very young age. Throughout her childhood, she spent summers at the family cottage learning to knit with her grandmother and practicing crochet and needlepoint embroidery with her aunt. Her mother taught her to sew and was, for the rest of the year, her willing accomplice and frequent partner in pattern searches, fabric shopping expeditions, and garment fittings. But when the time came to choose an occupation, it didn't occur to Kathy to study the arts. Considering her crafts a hobby, she majored in Information Systems and graduated from McGill University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. This led to a career in the computer industry selling banking systems. After opting to leave her job to stay home and raise her family, Kathy took her first quilting class in the spring of 1994. It was love at first sight - quilting was the perfect combination of everything she enjoyed. Kathy's passion for quilting has only continued to grow. She teaches quilting classes at guilds, quilting conferences, and quilt shops. Her award-winning original designs have been displayed in quilt exhibitions worldwide, and her warm and enthusiastic quilting presentations have inspired many an audience. Kathy is interested in a broad spectrum of quilting techniques, but her style would best be described as "contemporary traditional." She became fascinated with papercut appliqué because of its possibilities for incorporating subtle imagery into her quilts. As Kathy has developed as an artist, her work has taken on a distinct focus. Her quilts convey messages of faith and hope and are a reflection of her relationship with God. Her quilt Instruments of Praise earned the 2011 Bernina Machine Workmanship Award from the American Quilter's Society and now resides in the National Quilt Museum of the United States as part of its permanent collection (pattern pack available fall 2013). She was honored to receive the 2011 Founders Award from the International Quilt Association for her quilt Flourish on the Vine. Kathy is Canadian and lives with her husband and two sons in the town of Whitby, just east of Toronto, Ontario. She still spends summers at the cottage, only now she quilts!