AMHERST – While most painters express themselves on canvas, Kathy Tidswell uses a sewing machine and a little bit of fabric to express herself with an explosion of colours and intricate designs.
Tidswell, of Burtts Corner, N.B., is just one of several instructors sharing her skills with others during the fourth Fibre Arts Festival that is continuing in Amherst through Saturday.
“It’s something I’ve been doing for more than 20 years and I love teaching others,” said Tidswell, as she conducted her painting with the sewing machine course at the Amherst Stadium.
Tidswell combines painting on fabric with free motion embroidery to produce works of art. She also blends innovative and traditional techniques to create unique wall hangings and wearable art.
“The painting is actually stitching using a sewing machine with different colour threats in a free motion. They’re actually controlling the stitch,” Tidswell said.
Her pieces have been juried into the Canadian Quilters’ Association National Juried Shows, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Grand Exhibitions and the Ontario Network of Needleworkers Threadworks.
She has also won a national award of excellence from the quilters association while in 2005, she was named the association’s teacher of the year.
Tidswell’s workshops are sewing machine based and include traditional topics such as appliqué and trapunto as well as her specialties painting on fabric, free motion embroidery and three dimensional thread appliqués.
Tidswell is offering a workshop in making 3-D wall quits Wednesday at the stadium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some of her work is also on display at the festival’s headquarters at Mrs. Pugsley’s Emporium on Victoria Street.
dcole@amherstdaily.com
