Jo has been a freelance embroiderer since the mid 1990’s and she completed the RSN apprenticeship in 1994 and went on to gain City and Guilds Parts 1 and 2. Jo moved to New Zealand permanently in 2000.

Jo teaches throughout New Zealand with regular teaching trips to Australia. She enjoys teaching beginners and her mission is to convert the world to love embroidery one person at a time! In 2017 her book Stitch People was published, later re-released as Creative Thread.

Jo exhibits and sells her work regularly in solo as well as group shows alongside commission work for churches, fashion designers and private individuals.

Jo also contracts to the film industry from time to time, working on the Disney film, Mulan and most recently the Lord of the Rings TV series, season 1.

During the 2020 Covid lockdowns in New Zealand Jo created a collection of embroidered 3D viruses to help her process life in a pandemic.  These are now in the collection of The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa as part of their Covid collection.