I have always felt a deep intuitive connection to quilting and working with fibers. I taught myself how to quilt a little over nine years ago. In addition to quilting, I work with a combination of techniques, including sewing, bleaching and dyeing fabric. I am currently beginning to explore resist dyeing techniques and Adire. I’m also inspired by the quilters of Gee’s Bend.
I can touch ancestral stories through these shared techniques & art forms that come most naturally to both myself and my immediate family; specifically, my Mother & my Grandparents. Ancestral stories arise when I am still, when I am in nature and when I am clear enough to allow visions and dreams to flow through me, uninhibited; almost like a process of divination. When I first taught myself to quilt years ago, my Grandmother was completely on board. She always enjoyed sewing and made her own hand-sewn garments as a teenager. My Grandmother helped me to create my first 6ft by 7ft quilt commission for the Reginal F. Lewis Museum in 2008. It came extremely naturally for both of us, and I later learned that my Grandmother's Mother, Josephine, had been a quilter and had created a few quilts in her lifetime.
There’s much of my family history and ancestry that is still a mystery to me, especially considering that I’ve never met the paternal side of my biological family. There are also very many details about my maternal lineage that have been lost or are yet to be discovered. Much of what I learn comes from pieced together stories from my Grandparents & other living relatives. I also learn through distant memories still carried in my DNA that draw me to the practices, techniques, rituals and art forms of my ancestors.