Our Teacher of the Month: Peggy Kwan
WonderFil Specialty Threads
By Peggy Kwan
Using WonderFil's PolyFast
Peggy Kwan
Peggy Kwan was a registered nurse with a very busy Toronto hospital Emergency/Trauma Centre for over 26 years before her retirement. The craft of quilting was her form of relaxation after a hard days work.
Peggy has been a speaker and instructor at shows, quilt shop and quilting guilds across Ontario for many years. She has won numerous awards and her work has been exhibited in many places, including a commission piece displayed at St. Joseph’s Long Term Care & Rehabilitation Centre. She is a members of Markham Guild of Village Crafts and Markham Town Quilters Guild.
Q&A INTERVIEW
Q: You had a career as an RN. How did you end up as a quilt instructor?
A: I worked in the first major trauma center in Canada, Sunnybrook in Toronto. As you can imagine, your adrenaline is high every day, and there is a high burnout rate at this type of job. I had a friend suggest that I take up quilting as a way to relax. It was a life saver for me. I was at the trauma center for 26 years. I never would have lasted that long without my quilting! When I retired, I just moved on to teach my form of quilting.
Q: You do a lot of thread painting and hand work. Do you have a favorite technique?
A: I am not really someone who likes to do a lot of piecing. I love to do appliqué and handwork. I find that I always feel challenged, which I enjoy.
Q: You have a unique technique when you teach...
A: I do my construction differently. I compose pieces block by block, with all three layers at a time. I see fibres differently. At first the students didn't know how to take it, but now I have a following of people doing my technique. Because it is different and not for everyone, I always invite a new student to come and take their first class for free. Then if it is not for them, they have no commitment. My classes are growing!
Q: What is your favorite WonderFil Thread?
A: I use PolyFast a lot, as rayon doesn't work for my 'construction' style of quilting. I love the Sue Spargo Eleganza for my hand work and the color changes in FabuLux are beautiful and work really well for what I do. And of course, I always use DecoBob in the bobbin.
Q: What is coming up for you this fall?
A: I teach often for the Markham Guild, and at Village Craft every Wednesday. Come and check out one of my classes!
By Peggy Kwan
Using WonderFil's PolyFast
By Peggy Kwan
Using WonderFil's PolyFast