My love affair began many moons ago as a child growing up in a house full of wonderful fabrics and threads.
My first memory was of my mother crocheting around a doily I had embroidered at school; this had to be finished for the open day at school. As my mother was commercial seamstress and embroider; I think it was always going to be in my blood to be interested in textiles and fibres. An enriching network of aunts around me as a child also allowed me to see the various aspects of needlework.

While bringing up four children I completed a Diploma in Art and Design in the 90's and this helped to take me on a different path. This led me to explore, create and play with various aspects of dying fabrics, printing, using resists to create design; and the other various methods of developing ideas in various textile media.

Felting wool and creating fabric from wool has been my main focus for the last 10 years. I was taken to the tactility of the wool; it can be used to create interesting pieces of fabric. It is a wonderfully versatile medium. Wool can be used in a similar way like clay; sculpturing and manipulating to create interesting shapes. The use of the various colored wool tops, silk tops, various fabrics and threads added to it can create a quite unique piece. I work quite intuitively and always the inveterate experimenter.

My work is always evolving and takes on different things at different times. Nature is always inspiration for me as it too is always evolving.

Jan Stroud