Continuing a longtime family tradition of needle arts
As the granddaughter of an Italian seamstress who immigrated to the United States in 1950, I grew up spending my weekends digging through my Nonna's boxes of buttons. And when I visited my grandma on the other side of my family, I was always welcomed with open arms, a hot cup of tea, and the ever present hum of her embroidery machine. Both of my grandmothers had a profound impact on my life and the first time I ever embroidered something I couldn't have been more than 7 years old. So began my lifelong love of needle arts.
I dabbled in knitting and crochet for a while before picking up cross stitch right as the pandemic began. As somebody who is chronically ill, I soon found myself at home even more often than I was used to. I enjoyed stitching, but sometimes I wanted more- different patterns, more unique patterns. But often I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for... so, I decided I would make them myself.
As I got better at designing, I decided that I wanted to share my work with the world. That's why I created Popcorn Cat Stitchery (formerly Popcorn Patterns), which is named after my cat, Popcorn, who I raised from birth and love dearly. Designing patterns has been a wonderful outlet for me and has brought me so much comfort. My grandmothers have both passed now, but I like to think of my cross stitch patterns as another way that I honor their memories. I feel closest to them when I'm enjoying needle arts and tea.
I never expected so many people to enjoy my patterns. I couldn't be more thrilled with the success that I have had so far. Thank you for your love and support, and I hope you'll stick around to see the patterns I'll release in the future!
