Heather is my Gran. I like everything about her.

Jen is a woman who is very much in my life, but also a force behind it. She’s taught me a lot about what being a woman can mean, and is doing a great job of doing this for our daughter, too.

Jill and I were very best friends for a long time. We shared so many good times and sometimes some not so good. She died far too young and I remember her with a mix of love and sorrow.

Nancy was our mother. She was one of seven children born into poverty in rural Ireland in the 1930's. She worked tirelessly to make a better life for us 2 girls and our brothers and she was devoted to her brothers and sisters who remained close all their lives. A small plump woman with a sweet smiling face she was not to be underestimated. When roused she was a match for anyone, an occasional fierceness that my sister and I have inherited. She died more than 30 years ago; we miss her deeply every day.

All the women in my family past and present are inextricably linked by brightly coloured web-like threads. I am indelibly bound to my grandma, to her gentle, down-to-earth nature, her busyness, her generous, welcoming home and to the gardens from which she fed her family. She represents for me the ongoing, attentive love and labour of the women who sit at the centre of our families and watch out for us all.

Frances Hodgkins was my first art heroine. As a young woman who travelled alone to explore cultures and landscapes in pursuit of her passion, I have admired her spirit and courage. This project is a tribute to her, and the other special people I have known with the same name. I have tried to mimic the signature of Hodgkins and the colours were chosen from the palette she used to make the painting Wings over Water. When my own daughter was born I decided to name her after these strong characters.

My mother Elizabeth has encouraged my art-making, right from the very beginning! As an accomplished printmaker with a similar interest in narrative work, she has always inspired me and been a great buddy for viewing and talking about art together. I chose these colours because she loves black and white designs.

This piece of fabric is from my Mums old skirt. Growing up she let me borrow her clothes, timeless pieces she’d made or my grandmother had. Together we’d adjust them or trawl through second hand shops to find hidden gems we could fix or repurpose. So while this may be wonky and starting to fray at the edges, it’s made from old fabric and ribbon all from my Mum. So it’s really a piece of Beth, my gorgeous mother who's always taught me how to make something from nothing.

Jean was my mother. A pioneer farmers wife. A mother of six children who somehow managed to be creative in all things. No matter what the challenge, she always had an idea. I am fortunate to have inherited a little of this.

My daughter Vivienne is a successful business woman. She has overcome many obstacles (some deeply sad & personal) to achieving her standard of work. Her loyalty to her friends & family is second to none. Since she was a small child she has always gone out of her way to be the best she can. I am very proud to call her my daughter & admire her strength & her sense of humour. Also love her deeply.

My mother, Gerritje Mira, was born and spent her early years in Indonesia. She arrived in Sydney in 1951 fleeing the Democracy Movement after the Second World War. She came with little else than her talents for making do and getting on with life. She was a gifted craft woman and turned her hand to many forms of stitching - machine and hand sewing, knitting and crochet, but her passion later in her life was Crossstitch. I found this linen on which she had stitched the posy, and added her name. In order to make the stitching stand out on the ecru background, I decided to usea outline stitch, so had the opportunity to follow in her stitch path. Throughout my life there has always been a piece of batik somewhere along the way, so it seemed only fitting to frame Gerritje’s name in her legacy fabric.

My wahine that inspires me is my Aunty Heather. She’s been such a rock for me in my life and I know I can always go to her when I need. My embroidery says Whaea Kēkē Heather. We are Ngāti Tūwharetoa wahine.

Iris Campbell was my mother and she was a very talented homemaker. She encouraged and inspired me from a young age to sew, knit, embroider to name a few and was always patient and kind. Iris always had many projects 'on the go’ and now I find that I have the same. Thank you Iris!

Roslyn Jean is my mum. She’s an artist, a teacher, painter, printmaker, daughter, sister, friend, potter, weaver, wife. She gave me my creativity and taught me how to love.

Aunty Gretta has always been my mentor. She has taught me the importance of aunties, of Kuia.

This embroidery honours my mum Judy Shanahan, who taught me needlework, and consequently persistence, as a kid. She’s the most resilient person I know, having survived childhood internment during the second world war as well as heart disease and kidney failure as an adult. I used to take the skills Judy taught me for granted; in recent years as I’ve returned to textiles myself I’m super grateful for her teaching.

M - mother, A - angel, R - resourceful, G - generous, O - one the ball, T - treasure. Dearest magnificent Margot, I miss you every minute of every day.

This embroidery was inspired by my mother Lorraine. My mother is an artist (amongst many other things) who has worked predominantly on botanical artworks. Over the years she has given me numerous cards with her art on them – finding these cards, tracing her signature and using her picture of magnolias to inspire my embroidery was a powerful process. Sadly my mother now has dementia and it has been a number of years since she has been able to produce her stunning handmade cards. I miss the mother that I had but I am desperate to see and hold the mother that I still have after this lockdown is over.

Jojo was my grandmother. Jojo was a loving presence in our lives and to me she was the embodiment of grace. Always calm with a gentle strength. So many lovely memories, but I recall Jojo gave me two special books (among others) when I was a young child - The Dreamtime and Jonathan Livingston Seagull - she was a spiritual guide before I even knew what that was.

I chose to honour my Nana, Hilda. She taught me to cross-stitch as a 4 year old, nearly 40 years ago. As you can see cross-stitch is not my métier (I haven’t practiced it much since childhood), but she did kindle in me a love of sewing, knitting and making, that continues on. She was a very skilled crafts person, and always had a project on the go. She also really valued education, and despite very modest means, encouraged and helped support my University studies. She was a strong woman who married late for the times, raised four children, then returned to teaching in middle-age when my grandfather became too unwell to work. She was widowed in her 50s, and travelled widely thereafter, while continuing to teach and undertake community work, often using her craft skills. Having grown up in the depression she was highly resourceful. The box of embroidery threads in the picture and which I used to embroider her name, I inherited from her. You can see how she carved grooves into an old wooden ruler to hold her embroidery silks. I learnt so much from her and remember her with great affection.

This is for my beloved maternal grandmother Roza Weiss (née Rottersmann), Holocaust survivor and matriarch. I was only 9 when she died but her wisdom, stoicism and kindness have influenced me to this day. She could barely speak a word of English and I loved being a translator for her.

This is in honour of Anne Ferran - accomplished artist, generous art mentor and dear friend.

I have chosen to embroider the name of my daughter - Aarna on my piece of fabric. When thinking of why, I realized my daughter has had a profound effect on my life. She has helped me to understand the immense bond of love that can exist between two people. Loving Aarna gives me endless joy. She has taught me to step back, observe and trust another’s judgement. I have learned from her that there is never just one way of doing. Creativity is a gift. Aarna uses her creativity to navigate her world.

My Mum Ivy, was a quiet achiever, not into self promotion. An intelligent, resourceful woman, who often remained silent, rather than say a bad word about anyone. Her determination & indomitable spirit remains inspirational to me even though she died almost 9 years ago.