It is only in the last few years that Rachel has taken quilting seriously.  Previously, quilting was used as a relaxing ‘downtime’ period between painting or printmaking exhibitions.

Rachel graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from University of Canterbury in 2015, a figurative painter with a yearning for abstraction. Paint did not achieve what she wanted. In 2020 she attended a workshop with Nancy Crow and realised that using solid colour fabrics, as well as Nancy’s challenging construction methods, really worked for her. She was able to dive right in, and embrace Nancy’s philosophy of no rulers and to go wild with the rotary cutter.  

Fabric and its method of construction work very differently from paint or ink.

“  … working with textiles, the materials are telling you what to do.” This is the message that Rachel likes to impart when teaching or encouraging other quilters. 

Check the link below to see how exciting and colourful Rachel’s work is.