Connections to the Past

Last week I had the privilege of taking part in a photo shoot, as part of a lovely young lady's blog.  I decided to try a themed photo shoot & I chose a Victorian theme.  The question is, why?

I come from a long line of needleworkers.  My great grandmother was a seamstress, my grandmother loved embroidery & taught me many sewing and stitching skills, my great aunt was an amazing needleworker & my mother sews, too.  Whenever I pick up a needle and thread, I think of all the ladies in my family who have gone before me, like a beautiful thread that stretches back in our family line, connecting generations.  I have seen so many old faded photographs from the Victorian era portraying poised ladies doing their needlework, & I can stare at them for hours:

 

or beautiful artwork:

While I don't have any photos of my grandmother or great grandmother stitching, I really wish I did.  So I decided to recreate this feeling in my photo shoot.

After borrowing a beautiful authentic Victorian outfit from a generous friend (thank you, Beattie!) I curled my hair, did my makeup & was ready for my close up (eek!)

I'm so pleased with the results!  Thank you to Rachel King for indulging this crazy lady's ideas, & for setting me at ease, I really had so much fun.

Here is Rachel's blog post:

http://yourcaptureblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/nikki-victorian-era.html

A Year of New Beginnings... Reflecting on 2014

So 2014 was quite a year for my family & I.  I had a lot of dreams realized, but there were definitely bumps along the way.

It has always been my dream to travel overseas & in February this year, that dream became a reality. I was invited by some stitching friends in America to come visit for a couple of weeks.  So I did.  I had to overcome a lot of fears:  I had to get my own Visa, I had to buy a ticket, I had to climb on a plane all by myself & fly halfway across the world, navigating both London Heathrow & Chicago O'Hare airports all by myself.  I realized that I can do these things!

I then had the privilege of meeting my favorite needlework designer: Nora from Mirabilia Designs.  Up until I sat next to her at brunch, it did not feel real.  She's lovely.  A true artist & it was an honour to see her beautiful home & studio.  I will never forget those memories as long as I live.

I travelled around beautiful snowy Ohio & Michigan, meeting many stitching friends & seeing some amazing cross stitch shops, which really inspired me to take my little dream of a cross stitch supplies business to a new level.

I learnt so much & then I came home.  Some of those dear friendships have ended in terrible heartache, but in all this, God is faithful.  I have finally got to a stage where I can say that I count it all joy.

My little baby business has now grown into something beautiful, with its own space in our new home.  I've always loved old vintage haberdasheries, with jars of treasures, bunting hanging in the windows & pegboards overflowing with wondrous needlecrafting things, some of which you have no clue what they do!  My little shop is like that, complete with granny's vintage sewing machine & some of the beautiful hand embroidered tray cloths handed down through generations. What a joy to see my vision coming to reality.  I hope you will come visit one day for a cup of tea & a browse.

At Home with the Stitching Faerie

I decided to start my own stitching blog as a way of sharing my knowledge & my love of cross stitching.

Why "The Stitching Faerie"?  Because it's a name that a dear friend dubbed me with one day, & it just stuck, & I kinda like it because it really does fit in with what I loooove to stitch... fairies!

I have so many customers who come through my home & ooh & ahh over my little gallery & I thought it may be nice for my remote customers to have a little peek inside my home so that you can get to know me a little better & see my style & what I love.  I hope you enjoy your journey...

We'll start off with the piece that started it all:

Mirabilia Cinderella

She is stitched on Abyss, Opal Lugana (32 ct) hand dyed by Stephanie Bishop.  I omitted the frame because I felt she didn't need it.  I stitched her skin & moon over 1 thread & I added her glass slipper (designed by a friend).

She was stitched to celebrate my daughter getting the lead in the school play - Cinderella!

She completely sparked a love affair with stitching all over again. If not for her, I would never have started my little business.

For this & other charts, please see my website below:

www.crossstitchsupplies.co.za