Alison was introduced to spinning and weaving as a teenager while baby-sitting in Edmonton. About a year later, she bought a spinning wheel and has been acquiring equipment and skills ever since. She is mostly self taught, but also has taken weaving and textile design courses at Capilano College in North Vancouver, as well as textile related workshops in Vancouver, Toronto and, for the last thirteen years, in Nova Scotia. In 2002 Alison was awarded the “Best Body of Work” at the Nova Scotia Designer Craft Council’s Christmas show, and she has also exhibited at the “Show of Hands” gallery in Toronto.

Since her initial introduction to the craft the endless combinations of structure, pattern, texture and colour in textiles all working together, along with their cultural and historic significance, has continually fascinated her.

In her current work Alison tries to produce a high quality, unique fabric that, at first, may seem simple but reveals its secrets over time. For example, the wearer of one of her scarves may perhaps notice before putting it away for the summer, how the pattern resolves at the edges or how the colours respond to changing light and movement. Alison trusts that such intricate details will compel the wearer to love and appreciate the scarf more and more over time.