Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Barbara grew up in the mining town of Oil Springs. It was here, during her early girlhood years, that Barbara was first introduced to the art of sewing. Her grandmother was a master tailor in England, and she gave Barbara an old sewing machine as a gift; the rest is history. Barbara began by following in the footsteps of the family trade, spending her leisure time dressing up Barbie. As she grew older, Barbara began to expand her creative horizons.
After graduating from Sheridan College School of Craft and Design, Barbara focussed her energies on painting and hand-built embroidery. As the success and enthusiasm for her soft sculptures grew, Barbara came to dedicate more of her time to these interesting and eccentric dolls.
Barbara credits her deep love of reading and reflecting upon the many cultures of the world as a major source for her artistic inspiration. Furthermore, she was an avid body builder and, for Barbara, pumping iron is a symbolic representation of the importance she gives to the iron and the ironing board in her work. On any given day, Barbara would have been found at her ironing board creating new personalities with the help of her sewing machine, her crafty needle and thread, and her wild and beautiful vision of the world.