Deb Willman - Fabric Applique on Wood Frame

Growing up in the Chester area on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, I always had a passion for the ocean and the beautiful coastlines. I started sketching and making my own patterns for fabric pictures in high school. While attending community college to achieve a drafting degree I worked with a shop owner in the vilage of Chester who had the same passion for sewing as myself and she taught me different sewing techniques with threads and fabrics to expand my skills.

After graduating I had a 27-year career in an engineering office which gave me an eye for detail and precision, but I stepped away from creative work for a number of years while working full time.  Recently retired, I thought I would challenge myself with making scenic pictures.

My process starts with a few photos of nearby coastlines, then sketching a picture to make the pattern.  Next is deciding which colours, shades and textures of fabric to use, matching the placement to the sketched pattern and making pattern pieces.  These are overlayed on background fabrics and sewn into place to transform the design into a realistic scene from the photos that I started with.