Kate B Textile Designs

The Danforth East Arts Fair is coming soon to a park near you on September 18th and 19th.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be telling you about a few of the artists you’ll find there.  First up, a profile of Kate Busby, by writer Gillian Grace.

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Kate B Textile Designs

Duvets have had a long and fluffy reign on our beds, but a growing love of all things fresh, local and hand-crafted means blankets and quilts are returning to our mattresses.  Kate B. Textile Designs (the “B” stands for Busby) creates “modern-day heirlooms” reworking vintage blankets, washing, rebinding and adding fabric appliqué to create a unique blanket-quilt hybrid.

Many of the textiles Busby uses are hand-printed or hand-dyed; her pieces reference quilting tradition — a fence rail here, a house there — while adding modern texture and fabric. Busby, who lives in the east end, first became interested in quilting while completing a fine arts degree at U of T.  Also a grad of Sheridan’s Crafts and Design program, she was a featured artist at the Textile Museum of Canada’s shop and is one of the founding members of Toronto’s Contemporary Textile Studio Co-Operative, a collective of fabric artists working out of the 401 Richmond building.

“I think we become connected to the fabrics in our life — be it the satin edge of a baby blanket, or the embroidered stitches on a smocked dress, or even the familiar weight of a bedspread. Textiles have a great way of absorbing and relaying memories,” Busby says.

Look, too, for her modish hand-silkscreened tea towels, and gingham napkins playfully appliquéd with vintage fabrics (you can get a preview on her website).  And give those duvets (and dingy tea towels) some competition.

Kate B.’s wares, which range in price from $20 to $550, will be for sale at the Danforth East Arts Fair in East Lynn Park on Sept. 18 & 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For information about other artists and details about the fair, visit www.deca-arts.ca