''One does not consent to crawl when an inner strength wants one to fly''

Helen Keller

Since I was 10, I wanted to learn about quilting, but I didn’t know anyone that could teach me.

It was only in 1984, at 22 years old, that my dream of learning how to quilt came true. I had joined

the Canadian Armed Forces where I met my husband, an Acadian from Rogersville, NB. We had

received our posting to CFB Gagetown, NB and that’s where I learned the basics of traditional

quilting. My mother-in-law was my teacher and at the time, no quilting tools were yet available

on the market.

In 1993, we were posted to Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba. During this period, besides quilting, I did a lot of oil paintings. To meet people in my new community, I started to exhibit my paintings at the Arts Council in Portage and later on, I was teaching classes.

A few days after our arrival to Portage, I met two amazing people that would share their teachings with me as well as their Native arts and crafts. So for following three years, Aimée, an Algonquin from the Ottawa region and her husband, a Lakota Sioux from Long Plain, MB, showed me how to prepare raw hides to make drums and shields. They also taught me how to do beadwork, moccasins, mukluks, mittens and bags as well as dream catchers and other ceremonial items. In hindsight, painting and Native Art gave me a new perspective that would drive my passion for quilting and designing into a new direction.

In 1996, we moved back to Quebec and since raw hide is a bit more difficult to find, I returned to my first love, quilting. But I wanted something different, more challenging. I had found a quilt book from Pam Bono’s collection that was quite different from the traditional quilting style of the day. I contacted her and we became friends over the years. She became my mentor and invited me to visit her in Pagosa Spring, Colorado. She taught me the business of quilt designing among other things and she has been a tremendous influence on me.

It’s in 2008, with a little nudge from Pam, that I started my small business as a quilt designer.