About Nancy
I was born in Toronto and have lived in southern Ontario most of my life. I am married and have two talented daughters, two wonderful sons-in-law, and four amazing grandkids. From both my mother, still alive and interested in my work at 99, and my grandmother, I inherited a love of textiles and the art that could be created with them.
I graduated from University of Toronto with a degree in Textile Chemistry and Nutritional Sciences. After working in the industry for a couple of years, I went into teaching and became involved with a sewing and quilt shop in Essex, Ontario. Eventually teaching became secondary and the quilt shop became my life. I taught first at the shop, and then across the province.
The pinnacle of my career came in 2004 when I was named Teacher of the Year by the Canadian Quilter’s Association. This brought teaching in a much wider geographic area. I became more involved in CQA, representing southern Ontario for several years, and had the opportunity to act on both judge and jury panels for Quilt Canada.
In 2010, my husband and I relocated to London to be closer to our youngest daughter and medical facilities for my husband. I continue to travel and teach and explore my passion for quilting, I literally haven’t looked back since that first class I taught in 1982. There are always new interpretations to explore and share.
The inspiration for this piece came about after reading of the plight of the wood caribou in Canada in the National Geographic magazine. I had the random thought that it would be a shame if Canadian children grew up not knowing who the animal was on our quarter. My piece took life from there with emphasis on deforestation, urban sprawl, and oil exploration. Probably my biggest challenge was getting the scalloped border of quarters on the quilt so it was secure for traveling and yet didn’t mask the caribou image.
Artist’s Statement
The survival of the wood caribou, a national symbol depicted on our Canadian Twenty-five cent coin, is in jeopardy. The woodland caribou who reside year round in the boreal forests across most of Canada are now on the endangered species list. This decline of the caribou is attributed to deforestation, urban encroachment, oil and diamond exploration, and global warming.
Find out more about the Canadian Group and the TAQS show, along with links to all the artist’s profiles.
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