Sheila has been hooking rugs since 2002. She is originally from Nova Scotia and discovered this wonderful art form on a trip to rediscover her roots. She remembers her grandmother hooking rugs and has one of these rugs on display in her studio. Believing that there were no rug hookers in British Columbia, she taught herself how to hook and then began attending rug schools in Nova Scotia and Oregon, USA. She became certified as an instructor in Traditional Rug Hooking through the McGown Teacher's Program which is an accredited program across the United States.
After retiring as a Rehabilitation Consultant in 2009, she opened the Blue Heron Rug Hooking Studio in Victoria where she teaches classes and organizes workshops for the rug hooking community. She enjoys all styles of rug hooking but has a primary interest in hooking rugs adapted from the work of Emily Carr and the Group of Seven.