Hi, I’m Mary Dobson, and I love all things fabric

There are two places where I am totally happy – behind my sewing machine, and in front of an audience. And one more – at home, entertaining guests.

Fabric and design have always been the most important things in my life. My degree was in design and textile science, with special focus on business and consumer issues. Every working day since then I have drawn on what I learned at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

My first serious job was in the custom-made home fashions industry, where I learned more about home design, about running a business, and how to help homeowners make their own design decisions. Still in the material world I supervised a workroom, was a buyer for a department store chain, and advised a manufacturer of ready-made home decorating products.

Suddenly, I was in front of the cameras. On Citytv’s CityLine I became the resident “material girl”, presenting solutions to design problems and introducing latest trends. At the same time I began working with Canadian magazines and appearing at Home Shows, helping people make their interior decoration dreams come true.

Then came another high point. Levolor Window Fashions asked me to be their design spokesperson for Canada. Did I accept? I certainly did. It’s about fabric (and many other materials), it’s about design, and it’s about presenting fresh ideas and savvy solutions to my biggest audience yet – all of Canada.

So now my life is a full one. I am a regular guest on CityLine, I help Levolor reach out to Canadian homeowners, and I teach Design History and Sustainable Materials at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario.

But that’s enough about me. Click your way through to something more interesting – the art of window dressings, latest trends in interior design, and my engagement information for 2010.