Deanna was born and raised east of Montreal in the picturesque Eastern Townships of Quebec. At the age of 18 she left home to see the country and for the next 15 years as a military wife she lived in all but two provinces.

She was taught to sew at a very young age by her grandmother, a British lady who was as a professional seamstress. She instilled in Deanna an appreciation for the rich textures and colors of fine fabrics, and taught her to appreciate quality craftsmanship and take pride in her work.

Deanna while raising her 2 children, continuously enrolled in art related courses. In 1991 she took a painting course from Yoka Hart, a Calgary watercolourist. That same month she created and made herself a quilted reversible coat, out of her natural fiber remnants she had kept from her extensive sewing over the previous few years.

That 'wearable art' coat became the impetus to leave an 18 year career in real estate so that she could fully explore her creativity.

While her designs are evolutionary they are at the same time traditional and classic in style. An impulsive collage of exquisite fabrics placed together in a painterly way, they are clearly recognizable as Deanna's.