23cm x 17cm x 2cm

Found objects on plate

This embroidery pattern was bought on a childhood trip to Tasmania with my parents. It took many years before I could bring myself to make it — but I'm so glad I did. It's a orgeous piece, and one close to my heart, given my love of tea.

"Teatime" is adorned with a number of special pieces from my collection to give it an even more personal, layered look. It's then mounted on a plate hand-painted by the same special lady artist.

I come from the fashion world, where I've always had a love for beautiful things in fashion, art and history. As a designer, I was lucky enough to create beautiful pieces of clothing with amazing fabrics, specialising in corsetry and tailoring. One of my favourite designers from that era is John Galliano.

My love for collecting goes back to childhood, growing up with my grandparents. I remember being taken to the local tip or wrecker's yard for a scrummage, or led into an op shop hunting for a forgotten treasure. That instinct has stayed with me ever since.

I later worked as a makeup artist, where colour came into play in everything I did and I loved creating beautiful images.

After a career built on beauty and creativity, I arrived at creating visual masterpieces through the art of embroidery. Today, as a textile artist with an Australian Heritage background, I collect beautiful vintage objects to use in my work. History is a large part of my oeuvre — in a world that so easily throws things away, I want to keep history alive. Obsessed with colour and fabrics, I use hand embroidery to transform collected objects that were once loved into loved-again visual masterpieces.