Our Online Class Bundle Deals May 2025

I mentioned this briefly in my last email but over the last five years I've built up quite the library of online classes and the online studio doesn't really do them any justice when you're browsing current offers.  There's little space to share the project photographs and I would like to share more about the content and testimonials from some of my 4,000+ online students.

Our Kickstarter campaign included an 'online forever' tier where for a single pledge our supporter received access to all existing online classes and all future online classes (and we always provided unlimited access so that you can revisit whenever you like).  It was super popular and we are always asked about it so we've created three different options for you.

The Potting Shed - Seed Packet Embroidery Series - 12 patterns and video classes

 Teaching Bundle - PRESENT 

The 'present' teaching bundle includes ALL online classes which we have published to date.  The total value of the classes individually is £2,318 so this all-inclusive price of £600 for unlimited access is fantastic value and includes (but isn't limited to) all 12 classes and pdfs for the Potting Shed series (above), Stitchery Lane, A Floral Year and our current online subscription 'Herbarium'.  There are too many too list!  

There are of course perennial favourites including my bestselling 'Embroidery for Absolute Beginners' masterclass, the Heirloom Christmas Stocking class and my currently unlisted 'Stitch a Garden'.  There really is lots to keep you entertained for a very long time. You will also find short 'Language of Flowers' classes for a quick stitch fix and other skills including Patchwork for Beginners and Patchwork Cushions!

Pictures below show snippets of my Garden Sampler Stitchalong - a class with 18 videos showing how to complete all of the included elements!

Teaching Bundle - Future PLUS 

This is the ultimate online learning bundle but at £1000 it includes all existing content (including those listed above, plus lots more) to the value of £2,318 but it also sets you up for life with ALL FUTURE online classes and subscriptions added to your library as soon as they are published. 

Planned for later this year and beyond we have a number of classes:

- 2026 Monthly Subscription

- Christmas in July 2025 online celebration (£50)

- World Embroidery Day online celebration (£20)

- Fabric Meditation Books (coming very soon) (£50)

- Stitching Text (a skills-focused class)  (c£35)

You will also, of course, receive access to any unplanned, ad hoc classes and online stitch clubs.  You can read more in the listing by clicking the red button below. 

Please note that online classes include professional PDF instructions for you to download with traceable patterns (provided in reverse to make it easier for you if you are using tracing paper) and online tutorials sharing the stitches and techniques required for finishing the piece.

You will just need access to a basic home printer and a stack of A4 paper (although your local library and copyshop will do this for you, as well as some online providers - some of my customers have had lovely spiral bound books produced containing full series of instructions!) 

Teaching Bundle - Future 

Finally, for £500 you can sign up for our 'future' online teaching bundle which includes presently running classes (Herbarium and Winter Stitchalong) plus all future content.  Again with unlimited access for all of them.  (Herbarium stitching by Sarah and a Winter Stitchalong photo that I stole from Stitch Club Kathy - hasn't she done a lovely job.)

Winter Stitchalong

Full PDF instructions, online stitch demonstrations, technique descriptions and close-up study of the finished pieces.

You can review all digital patterns and class bundles on the shopping website using by clicking here.

Please allow 24 business hours to receive full access as this is something that we are currently doing manually.

All of these offers will remain at the current price for just a short while. As we add more classes, the prices for each bundle will increase to reflect the changes. This is a brilliant opportunity to take advantage of an early opt-in as the value will only increase as time progresses.

Please drop us an email if you need more information - accounts@nickifranklin.com

Grammy's Flower Quilt: Launch Day

“The move to the quaint Victorian cottage was quite delightful. Grammy had made sure that Eliza’s treasures had been packed carefully in the old picnic basket with the red plaid tin lid…”

Eliza at Rose Water Cottage - Christie Jones Ray

Grammy’s Flower Garden Quilt - a collaboration with The Stitchery

In a world where there is so much anger, jealousy, insecurity and stress, Christie’s Storybook World is the perfect antidote. Now that I have met Christie in person I can confirm that she lives and breathes that storybook world, as much as she is able. Spreading a little joy, magic and kindness wherever she goes.

We met through Instagram over shared interests and hobbies: stitching, knitting, crochet, watercolours and homemaking. We share a love for the same soft colour palettes and fabric prints. I aspire to Christie’s homemaking skills, keeping on top of my laundry, sweeping and baking cookies!

I was soothed by Christie’s gentle voice talking about her watercolour practise, stitching and knitting projects as she showed them on her instagram pages.

I have battled my fair share of anxiety and depression over the years and worked in the kind of corporate environments where people are just numbers.

Since leaving that world in 2017 I have made it my mission to focus on the soft and joyful things in life and I actively seek out the kind of gentle, creative, kind, passionate and positive people whom I want to surround myself with. Christie ticks every box.

Check out her youtube channel and you will find Christie’s dazzling smile and soft southern accent sharing all things lovely in her world. Handmade mice, a pink kettle whistling on the stove, tiny hand-stitched quilts and charming stories with illustrations of all the normal everyday things in life and the celebratory too - moving house, making friends, visiting the ballet and pumpkin picking to mention just a few.

Eliza the Mouse, the star of Christie’s books, came to be from a little fabric mouse kit that Christie customised one Easter Sunday more than ten years ago. Christie’s then-small grandson loved the little mouse and, like all good grandmothers, Christie told sweet unthreatening stories about Eliza to entertain and delight him. Overhearing the tales, Christie’s husband too was enchanted and made the suggestion that she publish them.

Christie isn’t a trained writer or illustrator. Her stories and illustrations are the result of endless practise and determination, all underpinned by her family’s faith and gentle encouragement.

This is what I find most inspiring about Christie and Eliza the Mouse. That beautiful little mouse with her tutu, sparkly tiara and (really quite large) pink ears sits on my shelf and reminds me that with support, determination and a lot of practise we can achieve anything we want to - whatever our age. (Christie was 50 when she started painting and illustrating. Proof that we don’t need to have studied at university or have a certificate to try something new and be good at it!)

From Christie’s videos and instagram posts it is easy to imagine that her life is perfect: it isn’t. She shares the same struggles, heartache and responsibilities that all of us have but her storybook world is a fairytale escape and one that quietly amuses, relaxes and calms after a stressful day in the ‘real’ world.

Christie actually came to the UK for an event with Hugglets - a special event for bears and toys - one that Really Old Bear (an old well-loved teddy bear resplendent in handmade tiara, antique baby gown and sparkly pink ballet shoes) was quite keen to attend. It was a bonus that Christie could tack us onto the end of the trip and pay a visit to our humble studio in the Northamptonshire countryside.

For two glorious days the studio was alive with chatter and laughter - creative, kind and joyful women connecting with each other, sharing stories, support and scissors! One particular moment will stick with me for a really long time, reminding me why I so love to hold these stitch clubs and matchmake friendships!

It is quite a brave thing to sign up for any kind of workshop alone and walk into a room full of strangers, particularly those of us more shy and introverted than others. I am always aware of this when welcoming new visitors to the studio.

My friend had come along for the day but has suffered a bereavement recently and the workshop followed a tough weekend for her. I showed her to the last available seat at a table already full of ladies unpacking their sewing boxes and shuffling coffee cups, busy and excited. Overhearing snippets of the conversation about funeral arrangements the women stood up as I walked away and leaned in towards my friend, introducing themselves with warm smiles and almost literally enveloping her in love and kindness, helping her to settle for the day. It was just a fleeting moment but set the tone, for me, for a day of Christie magic, kindness and acceptance.

We started a gorgeous little English paper pieced doll-sized quilt using only delicate Liberty fabrics, all written up in Christie’s hand with calligraphy and illustrations matching those found in the Eliza books.

It is a short run of kits that we have released but we hope to create more in the future. Christie and I have plans and ideas aplenty for future magical Storyboook World collaborations too. Watch this space.

Huge thanks to Christie for coming to visit us. Huge thanks also to everyone who came, shared and played all day. All were a breath of fresh air and a burst of sunshine in our grey and wet February!

Do have a look at Christie’s social media channels if you can - you will find her on youtube, instagram and etsy. Step into a world where play and creativity is encouraged, homemaking is celebrated and softness abounds. It’s the reminder we all need that peace and happiness can be found in the most unassuming things.

You can buy Christie’s kit here on our website. Look out for our special Zoom where we chat and stitch - date released soon.


Nicki x














Stitch Club and Slow Stitch

I should really share more about the day-to-day goings on of the studio. Not only do we have regular workshops but also stitch clubs and lovely people quite often pop in for a chat and a cup of tea.

Last week was a bumper week as far as inspiring women are concerned - I thought I’d write a bit about them here, starting with our Wednesday Stitch Club.

Stitch Clubs have been held at the studio since the very beginning when we had a tiny place at Castle Ashby (on one particularly memorable day we squeezed so many people in that we were sitting on laps and window sills!).

The Saturday club has become quite busy and so I set up a Wednesday club to help free up some Saturday seats. We started with a small number, all of just fitting around the table by the window on our first date, and the group is gradually starting to expand. Whilst on Saturdays anything goes (stitching, knitting, crochet, garment making etc) our Wednesday group seems to attract pure stitchers.

Club is held on the second Wednesday of month (usually around the 14th day) and I’m often too busy chatting to notice what is actually being worked on around me (story of my life, ask my teachers!). This week I just happened to glance around the table and was struck by the colour, texture and beauty of work that was being produced.

As you know, I’m a hand-embroiderer ‘by trade’ but I really just love all things fabric and thread. One of my new year resolutions was to explore slow stitch and start a slow stitch cloth - it didn’t occur to me at the time of writing that I had a wealth of talent and experience to draw on from my Stitch Club friends!

Jo is stitching into a piece of printed fabric, creating colour and texture with textural stitches and gentle colours:

Helen has pieced together a beautiful length of fabric and is stitching into it using a stunning colour palette:

Clare calls herself a feltmaker (which she is) but actually her skills go way beyond that. Textile Artist is a more apt description. Clare is working into a piece of cloth which she has hand-dyed, with threads that she has also hand-dyed, patching and exquisitely stitching as she goes:

Clare teaches from her studio in Bedfordshire - you can find her website here.

Janys is also an indie dyer and creates wonderful tactile pieces of slow stitched cloth which she then makes into sewing pouches and textile art. (Janys loves bullion knots too.)

Janys gets a special mention in this blog post because of her thread organisation! I always plait my hanks of sashiko thread and I regularly buy those plaits of mending cotton thread but it has never occurred to me to plait lengths of my favourite embroidery threads to use on the go.

You know the special threads that come in delicious textural hanks (like knitting yarn) and you’re not entirely sure how to store it nicely? Janys has the answer.

Look at this! Beautiful! Janys cleverly cuts all of her thread to a workable size (wrist to elbow length) and plaits them all together - colours and weights, silks and cottons… all together and kept for travel stitching. It’s a gorgeous space-saving way to keep all of your thread together and tangle free. You just hold the plait and gently pull the thread you’ve selected. Perfect. (Janys occasionally sells at local textile fairs so do look out for her hand-dyed fabrics and thread plaits).

Almost immediately I could be found rummaging amongst my threads, finding my favourite colourways. I’ve put a couple of photos here because I think you love thread as much as I do…

These are my slow stitch threads to play with and so they are different weights, including cotton and silk. Properly heavily variegated, in that beautiful way that hand-dyers manage so effortlessly! I have asked Janys to bring along some of her thread and fabric packs next time we have a stitch club.

Because of the muted tones of my embroidery work I think it is a common misconception that I am not a fan of colour. In fact I adore colourful work, I just happen to think that my small embroidered scenes are more restful to look at when soft colours are used. Handworked cloth with jewel coloured thread, rust-dyed linen with dark neutral thread and all of the shades of indigo make my heart beat faster!

Clare popped into the studio today to drop off an order I’d placed and I ended up having an impromptu wet-felting lesson. SO exciting. I’m already hooked and we have booked in a date for us to teach a collaborative piece together - watch this space, I’ll be announcing in the newsletter soon.

I’d better get back to work now but next time I write I’ll let you know about Sue Stichbury’s visit to the studio this weekend and her glorious Fairy Tale appliqué classes. I’m going to finish my own little needlecase and I’ll take photos to show you.

Nicki

A Stitcher's New Year Resolutions

I know lots of people say that they don’t like the idea of Resolutions but I do. stamps foot

My birthday is at the very end of the year and since I was a young girl I have always spent some of my birthday money on a really nice diary and a lovely new pen. (They used to be in the sale after Christmas which was ace for a cash-poor teen.)

I would take it home, get comfortable in my cosy room and spend a while writing on its fresh, soft pages (in my best handwriting, of course). Filling out all of the important ‘personal’ information at the front first and then using the back page to write my New Year Resolutions.

In the last few years my resolutions have been to drink more water, get more sleep and be more tidy. But since they appear on my resolution list every year you can guess how well I do there.

But I don’t think it matters if we fail. Resolutions are, to me, just writing down your thoughts on your best self - getting your mindset for the new year and reminding yourself of the things that are important. (I wish I could remember what 12 year old Nicki used to write for her resolutions. I think it was probably stuff like ‘make more effort with hair’ and ‘do homework on the night I get it’. I’ve never quite nailed those ones as I always have scruffy hair and I leave everything to the last minute.)

Some of the resolutions I have managed to stick to over the years include taking my make-up off every night before bed, stitching more and reading more. So there are some wins and my tip is to make them easy! (12 year old Nicki did make a resolution to always write in fountain pen and I am pleased to report that I did keep it up, to the delight of my Science teacher who said he loved exercise books with proper ink*.)

Resolutions don’t need to be kept just for a new year. I love a fresh start, a line in the sand, and the chance to start anew. I frequently make Sunday night resolutions for the new week (eat more veg etc) and I LOVE the start of a new school year which is really when I set my most exciting and important resolutions.

I thought it would be fun to set a few Stitcher’s Resolutions, with you, if you fancy a bit of creative guidance for this beautiful fresh new year ahead of us. Some of these are easy to implement immediately and others I will share on my social pages.

Try new materials. Although it isn’t always a blessing, there is no denying that it is very pleasing to have a job which matches your hobby. I can legitimately order new threads and fabrics to sample without having to use my personal (usually depleted) bank account. This year I have discovered the delights of stitching into velvet with silk thread. There will be more of this in my future.

Eye care. Having tolerated short-sightedness since I was 15 and with a family history of glaucoma, I am a huge advocate for eye care - it has been drummed into me. I don’t mean wrinkle creams and that kind of thing but RESTING your eyes. My hobbies are all close-up activities and so I always try to remind myself to look out to the horizon and focus on far-away things every now and then. Certainly every hour at least.

This can be incorporated with movement and hydration goals; to get up, stretch and make a drink every hour. Make sure you always stitch in good lighting* and I do recommend a magnifying lamp for very tidy stitches.

Keep learning new things. I have been stitching every day for years now and I have a pile of random pieces of fabric with embroidered pictures. I prefer to frame my embroideries or make them into plump little pillows to sit on shelves and gather in bowls (check out our FREE stuffed hearts class here) but my creative fingers are itching to make 3D things. I am learning a few new techniques this year and will ponder how I can incorporate stitches and fabric. If you have been considering learning embroidery this year then I have LOADS of classes to help you, including my best-selling Embroidery Masterclass for Absolute Beginners. You have lifetime, unlimited, access to watch and stitch whenever you like!

Listen to more audiobooks. I love a good story and read lots at home but an audiobook really makes a stitching session feel extra relaxing and indulgent. I am listening to the first in the Seven Sisters on Audible at the moment and really enjoying it (thanks to Lucia at Wild Ink for the recommendation). I have also enjoyed listening to Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan and The Haunting Season and more recently The Winter Spirits which are collections of spooky short stories. There are loads that I listen to for Christmas and I’ll share those later in the year.

Start a Slow Stitch cloth. I have met a couple of super talented (and very friendly) makers in the last few years. Clare Bullock and Lisa Mattock are both slow stitch experts and both have inspired me to stitch without an end goal in mind. Both Clare and Lisa use just a few stitches really effectively and whilst their colour choices are total opposites, they are equally inspiring and uplifting! (They both sell gorgeous fabrics, packs, threads and notions if you want to go back to point one and try new materials, too!)

A new technique I tried with Lisa Mattock. And look at that colour!

Organise my sewing notions. Despite having a studio FULL of scissors, needles and pincushions, I can never seem to find exactly what I need for each project. I plan to create pouches, boxes, bags and baskets ready for any eventuality so that I can grab them whenever I need them. I have already made some lovely sewing boxes (from a travel sewing box trend which you may have seen me crowing about on instagram) and will share them in a youtube video soon. See point 7.

One of my little sewing caddies

Spend more time on youtube. This, for me, is both watching and recording. I love streaming tutorials and classes at home - to me they are as good as binge-watching box sets. Favourite youtubers include Kelly Hoernig, Spirit Cloth and k3nclothtales (please let me know if there are others you think I might enjoy - indeed your own perhaps!). Since I enjoy watching other people talk about cosy stitching, arty and creative things I thought I should put more out there myself. Messy hair and all. So watch this space.

Send more cards. I love sending (and receiving) cards through the mail and I think this is an old-fashioned practise that we should rejuvenate! Today I have received a beautiful Valentine card from a friend (overseas so she posted it early) and it reminded me to get mine sorted. I have made a few cards myself over the last few years and sent out Galentine cards. I must remember to do it all again this year but more of it!

Eat less chocolate. Finishing up with one that I will confidently fail. No one likes an over-achiever after all. Favourites, if you wanna know, include Rose and Violet creams, chocolate-covered Turkish delight, Cadbury’s Most-Marvellous-popping-whizzy-candy-jelly-bean and EVERYTHING by Rococo.

Free Stitchery tutorial. Find the blog post here.

I would love to hear from you if you have any audiobook/youtube recommendations, chocolates I need to try or fabrics/threads I need to play with.

Let’s have a happy, creative, new year.

Nicki xx

*unfortunately this is the only thing my Science teacher did praise me for. I was dangerous given a bunsen burner (pesky school ties).

*lighting for stitching/artwork is something that Stitch Club, Workshop and Retreat chat always turns to and I will do a blog post soon to share our collective favourites.

PLEASE NOTE - none of these links are affiliate links - they are just links to things I love. I have lazily linked Amazon for some of the books simply to help you to identify the volumes I refer to. Please support your libraries and local bookshops if you can.













Christmas and New Year Musings

Happy new year, stitching friends!

I write this at my studio table with a hot cup of chai latte (I know, fancy) surreptitiously watching two young men in beanies and fluorescent work gloves trying to fix the wooden fence around the car park.

They keep dropping things and getting the giggles, which makes me have to stifle my own laugh, and then I feel awkward for sitting right in front of them and not helping.

Anyway. I hope you are enjoying our Winter so far and that floods have not reached you. Floods frighten me and make me worried for our future. Have you listened to the podcast ‘No Place But the Water’? It’s good but also a little creepy in the way that all dystopian fiction is.

Christmas ‘chez Franklin’ was a mix of fun and food comas. We ate out on Christmas Day which we haven’t done for a long time. Drew and I organised it to save us hosting (cooking) over Christmas - we usually do and by Boxing Day we have gone beyond the point of exhaustion and become worn-out husks of our usual selves, mindlessly scoffing Quality Street in front of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, barely able to utter a word.

We dolled up for our local pub and nine of us settled down to a quite posh six-course Christmas lunch at 12.30 on the dot. By 12.45 we had been served our welcome cocktails, the canapés had been produced then whisked away and we were tucking into our starters. The entire meal romped along at the same break-neck speed, leaving us clutching boxes of mince pies at 2pm heading home in a slight trance, feeling as though we had mistakenly entered ourselves into one of those ‘all you can eat’ contest (reminiscent of this scene in Matilda). The food was delicious but the pace and speed of service was all wrong. I have felt a little bit grumpy about it ever since, because we ate all that food but had no leftovers to nibble on over the holidays.

As you might know, I don’t have my own children so I often like to indulge my inner child by co-ercing my nieces into crafting with me. Our Christmas tradition for the past ten years has been Gingerbread Houses but we’ve grown a bit fed up of that. This year, we made spoolhead Nutcrackers courtesy of Jenn at Noodle and Lou (her fantastic idea and she makes kits too!).

We had the best afternoon and even my Mum and sister got involved. Dad settled into the armchair to read his book but was roped into judging an impromptu spoolhead beauty contest. We ate peppermint bark and sang along to my ‘Nostalgic’ playlist (Banarama, Paul Simon, Bucks Fizz, Fleetwood Mac etc) having a thoroughly lovely time. We’re going to have another Christmas craft day this December and I’m relying on Jenn for the goods!

I really wanted to make my own Christmas cards this year but didn’t have time. It was a foolish goal for someone with a small business in retail really, we barely had time to eat and wash. So I spent a couple of cosy new year afternoons painting, cutting and sticking to make a little collage ‘cosy’ picture which Lucy, our print manager, turned into sweet little cards for me. I’m spending the afternoon writing them as ‘Happy New Year’ and thank you cards. I think New Year cards might be a more achievable goal for me in future, unless I get super organised and start my own Christmas prep in July (ever hopeful).


I’m on a bit of a schedule so I’d better wrap this up and get on with my next job (inking up a Garden Sampler embroidery pattern for print). You’ll have seen ‘A Floral Year’ at the top of the post - that’s this year’s subscription and monthly payments have been opened! Hope you can join in.

I’ll be back here soon but in the meantime, stay stitchy.

Love

Nicki xx




A December Afternoon in Paris

It is my Dad’s fault that I have, what my friends call, a ‘macabre’ side - which is really just a love of animals and nature.

Our family pets were Dalmatians, one of which won awards at Crufts and the like. We spent many a weekend of my childhood touring the UK showing William and Henry (yes, they were named after the Princes). If the dogs were not being shown my Dad would often judge the classes. My sister and I, wearing matching puffa bodywarmers (it was the 80s), would trawl the show kennels in those huge, freezing buildings to stroke and say hello to every single breed of dog you could possibly imagine.

William and Henry were big dogs and needed long walks. We regularly walked as family through the countryside close to our house, but the dawn and dusk dog walks with just my Dad were my absolute favourites. Dad is a nature buff. On those early morning dewy walks in the Spring he would point out the tracks of wildlife in the earth and show me how to spot where a bird’s nest might have been built in the hedgerow.

He would lift me carefully (slightly painfully) by the armpits and let me peep into the nests to see the palest speckled blue eggs, or clusters of baby blackbirds with their mouths agape, waiting for their mama. We never disturbed those nests, just watched from a safe distance. I was enchanted. On dark Summer evenings we spotted bats, hedgehogs and foxes, Dad sharing facts and pointing things out as we walked quietly together.

In those days it was deemed perfectly safe to play out in the fields with your friends, only returning for meals and bedtime. In high summer I would lay in the long grass, listening out for crickets and grasshoppers, catching them to observe in my jam jar (before tipping them back out into the grass at teatime). I fished in the little babbling brook with my friends, hunting out the frogs, newts and water insects.

I love nature and wildlife, still, and if I hadn’t desperately wanted to write books for a living I am fairly certain I would have ended up working with animals or insects somehow in some way. (As it happened I received terrible careers advice at school and ended up in an ordinary office job, but that’s another story.)

Prior to my trip to Paris this year, I had gathered my travel books and worked out the places I wanted to visit in between haberdasheries and ateliers. A new addition to my book collection had a beautiful write-up for Deyrolle, a place which I had never heard of, and I immediately knew I had to get there if I could. As soon as the opportunity arose I flagged down a taxi and headed there tout de suite, eager to make the most of a couple of stolen hours.

Of course I popped by the historic Sennelier art shop en route, grabbed a bit of lunch and had the most lovely solo afternoon in grey, cold beautiful Paris.

Known as a Cabinet of Curiosities, Deyrolle was created in the early 19th Century when Natural History endeavours were all the rage amongst the rich. A fire in 2008 destroyed almost all of the specimens but it has been restored to its former glory and is an incredible place to visit.

A museum-come-shop, everything in Deyrolle is for sale! Sadly the polar bear wouldn’t have got through customs even if I did manage to fit him in my suitcase.

Every single surface or cupboard is packed with interesting artefacts. Cabinets and drawers stuffed full of exotic butterflies and insects alongside bat skeletons (hanging upside-down in glass cloches, natch), monkey skulls and actual tiger’s eyeballs preserved in jars. Importantly, all specimens have died of natural causes and have mostly been donated by zoos and other similar institutions.

It is not so much the exhibits themselves that fascinate me (the kitten and calf foetuses were not particularly palatable) but the work behind it all. It’s the thought of the interested (and interesting!) individuals who have collated, studied and prepare those exhibits for others to see. The rows of jars, neatly labelled in immaculate copperplate, feel magical and other-worldly to me (as well as appealing to the - currently very well hidden - neat freak inside of me).

How incredible that we are able to learn about new species, endangered species and extinct animals, simply because of the painstaking work that a relatively small group of individuals has undertaken. It literally blows my mind.

This is a long and self-indulgent post with no relation to embroidery whatsoever, I know. If you’ve made it this far through the post then I applaud you - it’s probably time for a cup of tea!

I wanted to document some of my time in Paris and share an insight into the things that really light me up, things I have been passionate about and interested in for a very long time. Things that were put on a back burner and forgotten about whilst I navigated depression, anxiety and a corporate career to which I didn’t feel suited.

I still would love to write books. I still would love to spend my summer afternoons laying in the long grass, observing insects near my home.

It is getting to that time of year where we all start thinking about what we want to do more of, less of and not at all. People we want to see and places we want to visit.

As I tie up the loose ends of 2022, I am feeling reflective and very much looking forward to a quiet Winter and a variety of gentle pursuits: walking, noticing, recording, stitching and creating. A slower pace of life, perhaps.

I hope that you will continue this journey with me, and I hope that you will feel cheered on by me to do the things that you love. To pick up hobbies and interests that have fallen by the wayside.

Thank you for being there and for cheering me on.

Love

Nicki xx

The Potting Shed: The Stitchery 2023 Monthly Subscription

On 19th November 2017 I wrote a blog post introducing my first ever Stitchery Journal subscription. Almost exactly five years to the day and I would like to tell you about our 6th Stitchery subscription - The Potting Shed.

I am so excited to be entering into a sixth year of subscriptions; having a monthly project to do keeps me focused and motivated. An annual subject means that I feel completely immersed in the subject and find all manner of other, related, things interesting.

There are a few embroidery subscriptions out there now; certainly more than when I first started, and a few have even used the ‘journal’ or book format that I originally launched in 2017. My early kits included packets of ‘fripperies’ - old fabrics and buttons to be used when filling your fabric books with your embroideries. Indeed, we actually handmade the fabric books from old linen and silk ribbons for the first two years.

Last year we didn’t provide the fabric book but taught how to make them. I’ve become more interested in mixed media, using paint more often in my embroidery designs and I like the added interest that is achieved by mounting fabric onto paper.

Hand embroidery mounted on card, 2022 subscription A Postcard from England

Once mounted onto card you can still, of course, frame your embroidery but it gives you the added option of being able to display them in a book, folder or album. A particularly useful solution if, like me, you enjoy the process of the embroidery but do not have the wall space or inclination to display them on the wall. There are also only so many cushions, lavender bags and project bags that one needs (indeed a great many though!)

Set of hand embroidered postcards from the A Postcard from England subscription 2022

Drawing on feedback from my 2022 subscription, I have opted for smaller monthly embroideries again so that they can be completed in a month, before the next one arrives. If you prefer a more involved, more time-consuming stitch you may like my quarterly subscription for 2023 launching soon, inspired by Literary Classics.

Over the last couple of years I have become interested in gardens and journalling, coming across lots of old garden ephemera in the process. I love the varieties of old seed packets and thought they would make a beautiful annual project for The Stitchery.

The Potting Shed will include 12 embroidered seed packets (just the front, not 3D pieces). Each month’s kit will be a surprise but will, of course, be bursting with florals and a little text. I will try to keep the stitches varied, as usual, but there will certainly be more satin stitch and long-and-short stitch than in previous years. With this in mind, I will be printing the designs onto new tightly-woven high quality fabric better suited to heavy stitches and satin stitch. Antique linen, by its nature, is very soft and pliable which isn’t great for more precise neat stitches.

However, if you would rather use antique linen, as with my original kits, you can opt for the digital download only option and trace onto your preferred materials.

Kits, as always, include a generous quantity of thread to complete the project, together with pre-printed linen and full instructions. There is an option to access online stitch tutorials (pre-recorded with lifetime access) should you wish, too.

Previous embroideries framed and mounted onto card

If you wish to sign up now, full year payments can be made with a monthly subscription option going live in January. Pre-ordering the full-year in advance gives you a discount on postage and really helps us to guage interest and anticipate numbers for packaging (that we need to buy in bulk) for the full year in the next couple of weeks!

To show how much we appreciate your early commitment, we are offering an Early Bird Discount which gives a postage discount (depending on where exactly you are in the world) AND free access to the 12 monthly pre-recorded online stitch tutorials. The early bird discount is running up to and including Christmas Eve - 24th December.

If you fancy joining in, sign up here now!

Nicki xx



Forage with Lisa Mattock - a Slow Sitch class in Northampton

I write this from my new cosy little workroom, right next to the studio. I have a huge mug of builder’s tea and I am enjoying a little Caramello Koala which was an Aussie gift from Lisa Mattock, whom we had the pleasure of hosting this weekend. Let me tell you, the koala is delicious and goes especially well with Yorkshire Tea.

I spent half an hour today finishing off my little Slow Stitch stockings that I started with Lisa this weekend and I’m so pleased with them (even though they need a little press).

If Drew’s wondering where he can leave those diamond earrings for me this Christmas then I have provided just the thing!

Lisa has taught two days of slow stitching at our studio here in Northampton and everyone had the loveliest time. There was a choice between three patterns; most of us making either Christmas decorations (above) or 3D fabric Christmas cottages although I did pick up the pattern for Lisa’s advent calendar which I have also started.

It is safe to say that I am now addicted. It’s an easy practise to dabble in, with patterns and stitches becoming harder as you progress (if you wish). But with a few scraps of your favourite fabrics, new or old, and a needle and thread you have everything you need to create something beautiful stitched entirely by hand.

We began each day with a show and tell from Lisa. She had brought a selection of her makes, both festive and otherwise, for us to swoon over. Some were huge quilts, others smaller panels. There was a whole gaggle of Christmas decorations including baubles and stockings plus an advent calendar with 24 pretty pockets in which to pop a chocolate or tiny gift. (My friend at school had a homemade advent calendar into which her Mum had put various stationery items, like novelty erasers and pencil sharpeners. Heck was I envious, and I loved hearing what Elizabeth had received in her stocking as we stood in the assembly line each morning!)

All of Lisa’s projects are portable at some stage - whatever its destiny when finished - and you don’t need many tools for a Slow Stitch project. There’s a magic little formula that Lisa teaches and now I’m ‘in the know’ I’ve got lots more slow stitch projects planned, particularly for my trip to Paris in a couple of weeks. With headphones for my podcasts and some good French chocolat chaud I intend to live my best life for those six days that I am there. I can easily slip a few scraps of fabric and a needle case into my bag for a few stitches when people-watching in a café or sitting on a minibus!

The trip to Paris is a retreat that Lisa is holding - she holds them bi-annually and employs an amazing tour guide for the week to share with us the haberdashery delights and off-the-beaten-track shops of Paris. Check out Lisas’s website and sign up to her newsletter for details. I’ll be sure to share our journey over on instagram and I am planning a little video tour for my newsletter subscribers!

Lisa has another workshop planned whilst she’s here in England this Autumn - you can catch her in Bosham on 22nd November with our joint friend Liz Jones - I think there are a couple of spaces left if you’d like to join them - you have the added bonus of getting to stitch one of Liz’s wintery projects too!

I’ve got lots of work to do now so I need to put down my old fabrics for a while and pick up a pencil. I hope you’re having a good week and I send you lots of love.

Nicki xx

Christmas Boxes, Puppy Love and Slow Stitch Workshops

As I write this I am drinking my third coffee of the day and it’s only just lunchtime. Such is the way we roll during the Christmas prep here at The Stitchery - we are in the thick of preparing and dispatching our Advent calendars and it is all-consuming!

We have made up 250 and I don’t mind saying that I think it is our best advent calendar yet. I decided to incorporate some hand-stitch projects that would usually appear in the 12 Days of Christmas boxes and so this year there are 7 mini embroidery kits and 5 english paper piecing mini kits - the latter of which use some of my favourite Primitive Gatherings fabrics.

Of course there is also the usual Christmas mug, candle, project bag and notions pouch with a few other little surprises. The kits will all be released next Summer as standalone kits and I am so happy with how they have all come together.

There are about ten advent calendars left now, I think. And I have made the difficult decision that this will be our last advent calendar in its current format.

If you’ve always fancied one then now is your chance to buy. The calendars contain 24 individually wrapped gifts, presented in a beautiful reusable display box together with an exclusive printed jute sack in which to keep your gifts until you open them. If you’d rather something a little smaller then we do still have a few 12 Days of Christmas boxes left. You can buy those here. It’s a box of materials (together with hoop, needles and scissors) to make a set of 12 hanging hearts with the items from the 12 Days of Christmas embroidered on them. Of course if you don’t want to make hanging hearts you can do bowl fillers, lavender bags, a wall hanging… Anything you fancy. There is enough fabric for the backs of your hearts and a little stabiliser too; we are using lovely new linen for this as with our alphabet sampler and stitch sampler.

Another reason we are so exhausted is that we have welcomed a new set of paws into our home! Three and a half weeks ago Pip came to live with us. She’s a West Highland White Terrier the same as Lottie and we have all fallen head over heels in love. Even Lottie is quite keen! I wanted to get another Westie when Lizzie was alive but she got cancer and I didn’t think it would be fair to have a little one snapping around her. And it turns out it was a good decision because I have discovered that puppies love to play Bitey Face with older dogs!! Here they both are in front of the fire. Lottie has got a bit chubby since Pip joined us - she pinches Pip’s food when Pip isn’t looking - so Lottie is now on a strict diet. Still hoping that Pip grows into those ears!

Pip (named after Prince Phillip) had her last vaccination today so she’s allowed out for walks next week. I can’t wait to see what she thinks of the big wide world. She’s been travelling most places with us in a special little sports bag that she peeps out of and gets quite a lot of attention! (Which she loves!)

We are preparing for Christmas stitch clubs and workshops here at the studio right now. Lisa Mattock of Forage is coming next week and we will be doing some lovely slow stitching incorporating antique fabrics and lovely threads. I can’t wait! I am actually going to participate in the classes and hoping to make a good start on a Christmas cottage and a fabric advent calendar. First I need to get myself off to the garden centre so that I can dress the place for its visitors. There are some places available so do book in and join us if you fancy it. It will be a lovely day and one to keep you stitching in front of the television all up to Christmas.

On that note I will get back to my work - I have a new workroom to organise and a few kits to finish stitching. I can’t share anything at the moment as they are all surprises but I will be back soon with photographs of actual embroidery!

in the meantime, thank you for being there and come back soon!

Love

Nicki xx





We all need Stitch Club in our lives

In the early Autumn of 2011 I picked up a cosy-looking novel called The Knitting Circle. Having endured a lingering depression and anxiety for most of my adult life, I was experiencing a particularly bad ‘bout’ and sought comfort. The book looked easy to read (nothing too much to focus on) and I had a whole weekend to focus on it. . I had just regained an interest in knitting which I hadn’t picked up since my Junior School years in the mid-80s*. I wondered if the book might help me to knit again.

In fact, the story wasn’t so much about knitting. It was more about the grief of a young mother and how a knit club helped her to function again and pick up her life after loss. I could relate a little to Mary, the main protagonist of the story. The unexplained sadness and despair of the depression, coupled with crippling anxiety, affected my life in so many ways. I drifted away from friends (I had nothing interesting to say and felt I’d make them depressed too), avoided family gatherings and lost confidence at work. I became more and more introverted; more and more sad. As the story began to unfold, I realised that I needed such a club in my life!

Instagram filled that gap for a while. We shared our favourite new mugs, WIPs and TV recommendations all by quickly snapped chronological photos. A #widn (what I’m doing now) tag linked loads of us and a click through the photos would reveal cosy be-slippered feet, Pyjama-clad legs and steaming mugs of tea. We encouraged each others’ purchases and commiserated over rubbish days at work. It was a proper uplifting uncomplicated connection (and I know that many of you reading have been with me since those days - hi girls!). I am raising a little glass of something to Leanne.

Still, there was nothing near me that I could attend in person. There was a plethora of tap dance, yoga and boot camp classes near me but I wanted something more creative, less sweaty. I tried the nearest WI, in desperation, but the members (whilst super friendly) were set in their ways and didn’t want to try out new speakers or activities.

When I started The Stitchery and secured my first tiny studio, I knew right away that I wanted to invite people to come and stitch with me. I wanted to create a pretty and cosy place, where people could come on their own to happily occupy a chair, drink tea and work on something slowly and mindfully by hand.

Before Covid hit, we had built up a great group of ladies, many coming to every single session with colourful bags and baskets full of knitting, stitching and sewing. Lots bearing cake. Women of all ages, from all kinds of backgrounds, gathering together to chat about life, books, favourite stitching patterns and admire each other’s WIPs. It was the highlight of my month!

As an extroverted-introvert** and more of a listener than a talker, it is comfortable to sit with a group of people socially and have the security of a project to work on. Fellow stitchers accept that you’re working on something and may need to concentrate - it feels less awkward to be a quiet member of a group when you have something you can focus on as well as the conversation.

After a few false starts and a hectic couple of years, Stitch Club is regrouping in earnest. Lovely familiar faces will, hopefully, be back to bagsy their favourite chairs and chat about life. I am also hoping that new people will join. That YOU will come along if you feel it’s something you might fancy. Anyone is welcome; you can work on any kind of crafty project. We provide the space, the teapot and the chatter that you need to feel part of something in an easy, relaxed environment. Introverts, extroverts and everyone in between. All valued, all welcome! Come and join us! You can book here.

Love

Nicki xx

PS I know that people live some distance from the studio and I am keen to provide an online space for us to gather. Keep an eye on my newsletter for details of my monthly online stitch club for all things stitchy and chatty. You can sign up for the newsletter at the foot of this page.

PPS Did I pique your interest in the book? It wasn’t until after I’d bought it that I realised it is semi-autobiographical. It’s a heart-warming story about how people show up for each other in unexpected ways.

*I am not entirely sure why we knitted squares for blankets at Junior School. My memory is hazy. I don’t recall if clothing and warmth was required, or if they were being raffled to raise money. I just knit those garter stitch squares like they were going out of fashion!

**Are you an extroverted introvert like me? An introverted extrovert maybe or a plain old extrovert?! I find this sort of psychology fascinating, I love that the world is made up of so many different people. Also, my life is so much easier since I started to pay attention to the things that make me tick!






























































We children were knitting squares to be made into blankets in response to the Ethiopian famine crisis. I forget now how it was anticipated that the blankets would help but I do remember volunteering my Mum to come and teach us to knit - I then spent rainy break times helping my school friends with their knitted squares as the self-appointed knitting expert of the class!

Summer Stitching and Seaside Memories

As I write this, England is in the grip of the Mother of all heatwaves, for us at least. Although I complain about our chilly 17th century cottage in the winter, it is actually blissfully cool downstairs in this weather and so the three of us have decamped to the kitchen/dining room to work. (My home workroom, in the eaves, has been temporarily abandoned. It is like an actual sauna in there.)

We were staying at our little caravan, right on the North Norfolk coast, but it became just a little bit too hot for Lottie and her fur coat so we came home early yesterday morning. I am missing that cool coastal breeze and the ice cream hut just off the beach!

I love the English seaside and especially North Norfolk, it has a real nostalgia for me; our grandparents took my sister and me for a week’s holiday every summer when we were children. I have the most lovely memories of early morning walks with my granddad to collect the newspaper, the pale pink beach hut we rented every year, trampolines on the beach and sunset walks, searching rock pools with my Dad for crabs, starfish and other exciting sealife!

I’ve designed three kits now, with an English seaside theme. The latest is a tiny row of beach huts, shipping next week as part of my Postcard from England subscription.

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A Postcard from England, embroidery subscription

It isn’t too late to subscribe - you can pay monthly and cancel whenever you like. Subscribers then have the chance to order any previous kits they fancy, to catch up. You can subscribe here, if you want to join in. We are making them into postcards and this month I will be sharing how to make a special book to slip them into - it is a gorgeous keepsake project and because the stitcheries are so small they are super achievable to finish in an afternoon or two.

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A Postcard from England, embroidery subscription.

If you don’t want to subscribe now, I will be releasing them all as standalone kits next Summer.

One of my favourite stitcheries to date was this lighthouse embroidery. I love lighthouses - especially the red and white striped ones - I just adore the stories behind them (The Light Between Oceans is one of my favourite ever books, and I really enjoyed the film too).

I painted the sky and sea whilst the embroidery was still in its hoop, to give a sort of porthole feel and I am really pleased with how it turned out. The colours, the coolness of the sky and the water…. All just make me feel very summery and happy. You can buy this kit as a standalone kit here if you’d like to stitch it on the beach this summer. (or stitch it in your living room/garden and pretend to be at the beach!)


Beside the Sea is another piece I enjoyed stitching - the little girls with their fishing nets and buckets reminding me of so many children at the beach, not least my two nieces! I think we all remember tucking our skirts in our knickers and paddling in the shallows.

You can of course change up the colours of the outfits and hair to suit children more personal to you - stitching in the same way. I keep the pattern lines minimal so as not to spoil the finished piece and they are easy to adapt. The fishing kit is here if you’d like to stitch it too.

I have had a lot of messages from folk who are nervous to paint fabric and worry that it will spoil their whole embroidery. I promise there is nothing to be nervous of and at the very worst we can send you a new printed piece of linen! Be brave and keep the paint very very dilute. I have a tutorial here on youtube and a blog post here if you’d like to read up before you start.

Finally, if flowers are more your thing, I have you covered (of course) with this beautiful Summer wreath, full of roses and strawberries in pretty pale pinks and a juicy toning red. A most enjoyable stitch!

We do have new things a-coming at The Stitchery. Mindful of the fact that the schools are now starting to close for the Summer and World Embroidery Day is around the corner (31st July) I am stitching away working on patterns and classes to keep your hands and mind engaged beautifully and creatively. I am developing a Stitching Text class that I plan to launch mid-August and I am very much hoping that it will include a pattern or two that might get a few youngsters stitching, particularly as the holidays start to drag.

Mindful of the incredible friendships I’ve made across the world through stitching, I will be sharing a free pattern pdf next week that I hope you will enjoy. I found this quote in one of my favourite magazines recently and could really relate - I think it is through this commonality that ‘stills our breath and steadies our heart’ that we have made such a connection with each other.

Happy stitching, have a good week and thank you, as always, for being there.

Nicki xx







































































Jubilee Fever!

Hello hello!  I'd like to say that Jubilee Fever has gripped everyone at The Stitchery, but I think it could be just Clairey and me.  Although I know that my sister is looking forward to the street parties in their village! 

With everything that has been happening both at home and globally for the last couple of years, it is about time that we had a little something fun and light-hearted to look forward to.  A good old-fashioned English street party is just what the doctor ordered.  

Everyone digging out their ancient fold-up camping chairs and their decorating tables to cover with paper tablecloths. Bunting flapping in the breeze around the lampposts. Shirley's heating up some sausage rolls and Helen is going to make a pavlova. Kevin over the road plays the trumpet and might be persuaded to honk out a few Royal notes.... You get the idea.

I am taking my nieces to Disneyland in Paris for a few days before the Jubilee but I have already packed the table decorations for a festive Jubilee picnic on the journey home!  I hope that you will do something for a nod to the celebrations, even if it's just a little Union Jack flag stuck into a scone with cream and jam!

I love the combination of red, white and blue, and I had so much fun designing the Jubilee sampler and bunting for our Jubilee boxes. 

I asked Lucia at Wild Ink to create some illustrations for our packaging and they look so good!  So fun and celebratory.  I think the box goes really well with the packaging of the biscuit too, from Biscuiteers.  I am really pleased with the way the whole box has come together - huge thanks to everyone who bought one.  It means such a lot to have your trust and support when a project is just the seed of a (very enthusiastic!) idea and you back me on it.  The boxes are starting to ship today (overseas boxes are being prioritised) and I think the last ones will ship on Thursday.  All being sent tracked delivery so it's quicker and we can spy on the posties.

Anyway, Lucia is doing an online class this Thursday called Pop Out Paper Palaces.  Lots of tracing, colouring in and cutting... Again, some good old-fashioned fun!  I am very much looking forward to it. I think some of the pop out elements will make lovely table and cake decorations, plus I'll have a whale of a time colouring them in! Definitely worth joining in if you're a bit crafty too.

Have a lovely week everyone and go gently.  Things can feel tough but you are never alone.  

Love and sunshine,

Nicki xx

A new obsession and a pair of green shorts

I can’t stop thinking about a man I saw out running today. (To be clear, the man was running. I was a car passenger en route to hell Ikea, probably munching Quality Street.)

It’s not the man per se but his bottom. (That sounds worse.)

He was wearing a pair of unusually green lycra shorts and I cannot decide on the right name for the colour. They weren’t pea green; much lighter than that. But not lime green, celery green or Spring green. The word chartreuse keeps springing to mind. I must check. (Juliet where are you? We could discuss this for hours!)

ANYWAY.

I hope you’re having a restful and peaceful Christmas break. I am working a little and resting a lot. Staying up way past my bedtime reading books by the fire. Pottering away on a personal Christmas sketchbook project. Crocheting a mistletoe garland from Loop. In between all of that I’m writing copious notes for next year. To do lists, goals, places to visit… both work stuff and personal. I thought I’d write a blog post about my plans for next year, if that’s interesting?

Books are always on my Christmas Wish List and this year I’ve been gifted some beauties. I am fast becoming obsessed with an American professor and cartoonist called Lynda Barry. Drew bought me a couple of her books for Christmas and they are blowing my mind! Not only with the inspiration for things to write and draw (and NOTICE!) but also some philosophical observations that I can’t stop thinking about.

At first glance the books are not my style at all. They are reproduced pages of Professor Lynda’s graphic sketchbooks, syllabus notes and student work. Nothing beautiful on the face of it. But when you read the background, and consider the narrative, the drawings become interesting and alive.

It is nice to read something out of the ordinary and feel fired up. Nice to have something different to ponder. These books are going to be life-changing for me, I can feel it. And that is so exciting and energising!

I could go on and on. But there is a hot mince pie with cream calling my name so I will leave it there for today. I will definitely tell you more about Professor Lynda and her theories another day but in the meantime, if it has caught your interest then do catch one of her talks or online interviews.

Enjoy the rest of the Christmas break and the slow run up to a new year.

I am so grateful you are here and looking forward to spending another year chatting, stitching and sharing inspiration with each other.

Stay well. Love,

Nicki xx

PS I sent the pattern for the above little stitchery in a newsletter on Christmas Eve. If you dig through your junk mail you should find it!

PPS Sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already! We chat about nice things and I send some free stuff and discounts to thank you for letting me in to your inbox.


A Postcard from England: The 2022 Subscription

As the year draws to a [slightly frantic] close at the studio, I thought I ought to let you know about the plans for next year’s subscription. We are already close to filling all subscription spots with the full year orders that were placed back in September but we do have some spaces available for those of you who have yet to sign up.

2022 will be my 5th year (!) of running a monthly embroidered journal subscription and I’ve learned a lot along the way about what works best as a monthly stitch, and what I most enjoy doing. Over the last two years the kits have become more complex with lots of thread colours (averaging at maybe 18 colours in most kits) and with physically more surface area to stitch.

I love all things tiny and so I am going to apply myself to a series of 12 small embroideries next year, each the size of a standard postcard (4x6”). The design will be printed centrally on the linen so that you can frame it, with some glorious white space around it but you could also make them into actual fabric postcards and slip them into a fabric album - I will show you how!

My theme for the 2022 project is ‘A Postcard from England’ - I felt inspired by some of the gorgeous Victorian postcards in my collection; the abundance of flower baskets and bucolic countryside scenes. There will be no Union Jack flags here, just beautiful little embroideries featuring the things I love about England. Think orchards, farmland, cityscapes and rustic seascapes. But also butterflies, afternoon tea, baskets of flowers and easter bonnets. The postcards will be loosely seasonal but not slavishly so.

The Stitchery Lane project continues into the New Year - we have a concertina book to make and fill with embroideries of course, but the December kit is in production and I am sure you will have it sweetly stitched (clue!) and ready for a new project by the time the January 2022 kit drops on your doormat (we will be shipping around the 20th of each month).

A Postcard from England is a subscription only project - we will not be making stand alone kits of these postcards until at least the summer of 2023. I know it is a commitment to sign up for a surprise project and I want my subscribers to enjoy a bit of exclusivity on the kits for a while. If you sign up to monthly payments you can cancel at any time; there is no obligation to complete the year. (I am certain you will love the projects, I am very excited about these designs!)

Finally, we have made the decision to offer an ONLINE ONLY option where each month you receive a professional kit ebook, pattern and thread colour numbers so that you can buy the materials (or use existing stash) and save money on import taxes and/or postage. We have made the decision to offer that only as a one-off full year payment of £180.

If you’d like to join in you can buy a full year subscription here or sign up for the monthly option here. Be sure to add online classes to your kit subscription if you’d like a little help with them.

Looking forward to stitching with you in the new year!

Nicki xx

How to make a fabric bow

One of the gifts in the 2021 advent calendar needs a little bow, so I’ve done a short video showing how I make the bows that I attach to my embroideries.

You can make them in this same way, however big or small you like - I do like them tiny. Add to presents or make lots and tie to a Christmas tree too.

I originally made this for a reel on instagram but it was too big. Grr. So my apologies for the portrait view!

Hope you’re having a good week,

love

Nicki xx

An Online Class for Charity: Black Friday plans

It was a cold day in mid-December and I had spent the entire weekend cleaning and tidying the house from top to bottom. A Christmas tree twinkled in the living room and both wood burners glowed invitingly. My friend Claire had baked chocolate orange brownies and I’d made soup for lunch. There was the remainder of snow on the ground from a frosty weekend and I welcomed 8 lovely ladies to my home for an embroidery workshop.

I am going to recreate that lovely day with a charity embroidery class on Black Friday - Friday 26th November.

Participants will receive the digital instructions, material choices and pattern (flipped for tracing too) beforehand so that we can stitch together and spend 90 cosy minutes together amidst the madness that is Black Friday!

Every year I create a pattern for charity and I have previously asked for donations to be made via the JustGiving site. This year, for the class, I am donating 100% of the cost to Shelter via Work for Good. I have pledged to raise £2000 so please help me to spread the word!

As with all of my classes, if you can’t join live it doesn’t matter, all orders include access to the live recording afterwards and stitch at your own convenience, watching and rewinding as many times as you like to really master the stitches. Sign up here!

This is my nod to Black Friday - I am suspicious of most Black Friday deals with bigger companies. We have a couple of new things to release (including a lovely new kit and some linen bundles) and I’ll be sharing details of those via the newsletter. Please make sure you are signed up to receive them; there is an opt-in form on every page of the website.

Wishing you a cosy, relaxing weekend.

Thank you for reading,

love

Nicki xx

Autumn Inspiration - Aurifil Embroidery Thread

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Autumn proper is here! Sandals swapped for boots, long tops and jeans under my summer linen tunics and I’ve made my first beef stew, dumplings and apple pie of the season!

With the excitement of stocking a huge collection of gorgeous Aurifil embroidery threads, I felt inspired to do a bit of Autumn styling today and pulled out a rich colour palette to work on a wreath pattern I designed a few years ago and have yet to stitch!

Using my new (old) little notions box as inspiration, I styled a few colours with some dahlias and the most beautiful naturally dyed ribbons from Lou (at the Little Red Robin who has very exciting plans afoot).

If you’re interested in the colour palette (maybe save to Pinterest for when you need the inspiration) I’ve added a photo with the colour numbers below.

Tarnished Gold, Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Toast, Caramel and Golden Toast are just a few of the names from the selection. With 16 metres of stranded cotton floss on each spool they have a lovely a matte vintage look to them. Just use in the same way as regular embroidery floss, plying down from six strands to however many you prefer to stitch with. Each spool is about the cost of Pumpkin Spice latte, but sugar-free and with zero calories! Lasts a whole lot longer too :)

Have a good weekend. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Love,

Nicki xx

PS if you’re looking for a cosy Autumnal TV series to watch, I can really recommend The Chestnut Man, currently on netflix. A Danish crime drama, its default is dubbed English and it’s awful. I definitely recommend changing to Danish with subtitles for a better experience :) I will never look at conkers the same way again!

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S P A C E at The Stitchery: Autumn/Winter plans and beyond

Hello, how are you? I hope you’re having a good week and that you’re enjoying these last sunny days of September. I love this time of year. September light is just beautiful. Warm (sometimes hot) days but with a golden glow to the sunshine that’s softer and more mellow than high summer.

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The journey into work takes us past a couple of lovely big parks. My favourite Northampton park has a huge variety of trees (apparently second only to Kew Gardens in the UK) and I love to watch the change of seasons there.

I found my first conker of the season on a dog walk this week. I spent hours as a child, every year, collecting conkers for the neighbourhood conker competition and I cannot overcome the little burst of excitement that I still get when I see one hidden amongst the leaves!

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We’re settling into a new sort of normal here and I think I am finally ready to open the doors to the public again!

Stitch Club is starting from October - the first Saturday of every month. Everyone is welcome but you do need to book as space is restricted. Stitch Club costs £10 per person, runs from 10am - 3pm and for the fee you have access to all of the tea, coffee, cake and biscuits you could desire! Whilst we are a sewing studio you can bring anything you like to stitch club, it is very informal. Knitting, crochet, patchwork… it’s just a nice way to spend a Saturday!

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I am trialling a new initiative in the studio too. S P A C E is the ability to rent, literally, space at the studio for a day where you can come and spend the day in our working studio, tackling any WIPs and making good use of our equipment (and day away from home where there are no interruptions). Read more about it here.

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Finally, I am opening the little studio shop up for impromptu drop-ins on Fridays when you can call in to pick up any kits, fabric and embroidery supplies. I’ll tell you more about the shop soon, but we will stock DMC threads (all colours), all Stitchery kits (obviously) together with needles, hoops, scissors, project bags, pin cushions and a few handmade sewing accessories and gifts. You don’t need to book to drop in on a Friday but if you are planning to come in then do drop me a line and let me know if you can. We will be open from 10am - 3pm. OPENING FROM FRIDAY 5TH NOVEMBER.

I hope you can visit sometime soon!

Nicki xx

Less than 100 Days to Christmas!

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100 Days to Christmas is aaaaaages if you’re just shopping, decorating and cooking. But we stitchers like to make lovely things for our houses and our friends each season and so the countdown is on!

Last Thursday I launched a final batch of new kits, including many of the hand-sewing mini kits from last year’s 12 Days of Christmas set. Most of them use antique or vintage fabrics and are limited edition.

I also launched a whole new class with accompanying kit pack, which is currently on an early bird special offer until the end of September. The pre-recorded class will be live on 7th January with the kit posted out to you in advance. We are going to stitch a garden; I will help you to plan your own design and show you how to stitch, paint and appliqué the various elements. I cannot wait, it is going to be so much fun (and my friend has an incredible garden, which I am hoping to use as inspiration for our class sample. Watch this space.)

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Whilst on the zoom I announced the 2022 (eek) monthly subscription. I’m trying it three ways next year; either digital only, kit only or kit with digital (online) classes. If you’d like to book, the full year option is well discounted and there is an early bird offer which gives you the online classes for free if you book before the end of September. You can sign up here.

I’ll write more soon, but keep your eye out for more information in my newsletter.

Thanks for popping by. I hope that you are keeping well and happy.

Love

Nicki xx