Yvette-Michelle Cottle Darby, Artist
About My Current Work
My designs are made from wood art panels, pegboard, reclaimed materials, thrifted and vintage frames. The stitching is done using thrifted, reclaimed yarn and other fibres.The designs start off on paper and are refined digitally. Pegboards and wood panels are prepared with natural dye, stains, or paints. Wood panels are hand drilled then stitched. The cross stitching is done by hand on the various materials. The finished pieces range in size from 5″ sq mini to larger pieces of 39″x28″ plus.I also create diy kits with similar or mini versions of my designs. Yarn and other fibres are also made into tie backs, rope bowls and other home decor products. A majority of the materials used are reclaimed or recycled. However, some new materials are used where needed. The goal is to make beautiful sustainable art and home decor pieces.
Events
Huronia Festival of Arts and Crafts – Kempenfest – Barrie, ON – August 5-7th, 2023 – Booth# 197
Artist Bio
Yvette-Michelle Cottle Darby is a multidisciplinary textile artist from Oro-Medonte and is of African Caribbean heritage. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, she currently lives near the shores of Lake Simcoe.
Yvette-Michelle has worked as an accessories designer, textile artist, creative instructor, and creative business development consultant for over 20 years.
Her artistic career started as a designer and maker. She created fashion accessories under her label Verona Collections for several years. Her collection included hand-embroidered, hand-painted, natural dyed and batik silk scarves, hats and bags.
She has also worked with individuals as a creative instructor; teaching classes and workshops in sewing and textile arts. Yvette-Michelle has taught both children and adults through her studios in Oro-Medonte and Orillia Ontario. She has also worked with community organizations to develop creative programs and teach sewing and textile arts skills.
Her annual kids creative summer camps have been hosted for over 10 years where she teaches children 6 to 17 years old to develop their creativity. She also actively works with home school students to develop their skills.
Yvette-Michelle’s current work is an exploration in taking traditional art forms and finding new applications. It is also a look into sustainable crafting.
In the past five years she has been researching, and independently developing her skills to create a visual art collection using cross stitch. She expresses herself through a variety of traditional crafts and photography.
