Creative Process:

"It all begins with nature. I draw a lot of my inspiration from the natural world around me. Usually, I will see something that I want to embroider as I am walking. Either a flower, a leaf, or a certain color. From there, I begin to sketch out how it will look on fabric. While I initially follow a plan, I generally let the thread and the fabric take over at a certain point. A lot of my embroidery relies on minor adjustments and tweaking as I go."

"It also relies on what I have around me. I only use upcycled fabric (meaning anything thrifted or gifted) so that I am not contributing to excessive waste from the fashion industry. So, if I have an old tote bag with a hole in the bottom that can't be repaired, it will be turned into a wall decoration. If I have a shirt that I never wear anymore, I will breathe new life into it by embroidering something on the breast or collar. If I want to experiment with some new stitches and practice shading, then those old jeans in the back of the closet with the blown-out hole in the upper thigh will be the canvas. Recycling and repairing what we already have is very important to my work. It makes for one-of-a-kind items, but it also forces me to work with materials that force me to think outside of the box."