Gardening and making art are my two great passions and I try and combine them as much as possible. I have a medium sized garden and two years ago I turned one area into a cutting garden where I grow many annuals to make bouquets with and to use in my art.

The garden will be part of the exhibition and will have interactive elements.

The plants are not only inspiration but provide leaves, flowers and seed heads to be used for various different printing techniques, and can be preserved and stitched into. I also use plant material to dye with and have just started a dye plant garden.

My art is a mixture of textiles and mixed media. I make art quilts with my own hand dyed fabric and a range of surface decoration which includes painting, monoprinting, thermofax printing, transfers and digital printing. This is followed by stitching by hand and free machine embroidery - this is where you move the fabric freely and use the needle almost if it’s a pen. Sometimes I also incorporate stitching with a computerised embroidered machine. This involves creating a design on a computer and then transferring it to the machine which will stitch it out with an embroidery unit.

I also make cyanotypes (photograms printed with the sun) on both paper and fabric again using plant material. I often make artist books from the prints I make, as well as cards and ornaments.

I am also fascinated by Cabinets of Curiosities and my exhibition will feature work on this theme.

I have a website and a YouTube channel both called A Creative Garden where I share my methods and inspiration. There are tutorials there on printing, making books, dyeing as well as gardening content.

I hope you’ll be able to join me in my studio and garden in May, there should be lots to see!