For stitchers, witches, and scholars
I first started working with needle and thread when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My mom taught me how to cross stitch with Christmas kits (still her favorites to this day), and my Dad designed cross stitch patterns of Star Trek starships and symbols. It wasn't until the age of 30 that I came back to the world of decorative embroidery.
Over the years, I've occupied many different creative roles, so it just seemed logical for me to try one more. In August 2020, I started designing my own embroidery patterns out of a need to relax, but also because I needed some extra income. I'm a professional theatre artist and photographer by trade, and my industry was hit severely by the COVID-19 pandemic. While I sat at home wondering if and when I would be called back to the theatres I work for, I began creating patterns that align with my interests: the witchy, the weird, and the whimsical.
Besides designing embroidery, I have my Master's degree in English literature, and I LOVE researching extant texts like The Voynich Manuscript, Claude Paradin's 1557 book Devises Heroiques, and the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. I find inspiration in symbols and images from these and other sources, and the process of learning about the origins of symbology invigorates my imagination. I'm a practitioner of witchcraft. No, not cauldrons and toad legs and fly wings (though I do LOVE Macbeth), but of paying respect to nature, animals, and the spirit of the earth. (I also love science -- team Moderna, bby.) Any time I can mix history, weird/beautiful imagery, and research into my designs, I jump at the chance.
Any time I make an embroidery pattern, I include the history of the design (if it comes from a textual or cultural source other than my imagination). I love sharing knowledge and educating others about the beauty, intrigue, and eccentricities of things that inspire me. I hope you'll join me.
