Margaret Vant Erve grew up on a farm in the Ottawa Valley, Canada. She spent her youth drawing the animals, flowers and scenery of her surrounding environment. Margaret studied textile art at Sheridan College and the Ontario College of Art during the 1980's. During this time she also pursued her education in embroidery at a small, private embroidery school. Eventually her fine arts training and her embroidery training merged to create a unique style of textile art that combines fabric painting and embroidery.

Margaret’s work attempts to convey the mood and spirit of the Canadian landscape. She creates a sense of space and atmosphere that conveys the beauty and uniqueness of Canada. Her goal is to capture the simplicity of a landscape such that the work is compositionally strong from a distance - yet when you go up close, you can explore the details endlessly. Margaret also likes to embroider botanical studies in silk hand embroidery or machine embroidered quilts. Each technique is a beautiful, complex medium to work in and has its own unique characteristics.

Since 2001, Margaret has been a certified teacher of embroidery with the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada. She has taught workshops across North America inspiring many students to find their own inner creativity. Her book, ‘ Window Gardens in Bloom’ C&T Publishing was released in 2005. Margaret’s work has also appeared in international textile arts magazines such as STITCH and Workbox. Her work can be found in many private collections across North America.