The Stitchery is on the move! At the beginning of the year it became glaringly obvious that we need more space and more help. Currently I work full-time with my sister helping part-time during school hours and my husband helping with accounts in the evening. Daily orders have increased and keeping on top of them, sending them in good time, has become a full-time occupation, not to mention the despatch of monthly and quarterly subscription kits. With the quantity of kits now in stock, and preparation for the Festival of Quilts and Handmade Festival later in the year (E X C I T E D), we need more space for stock too.
With a little sadness I gave notice to my Landlord on my pretty little studio in beautiful Castle Ashby and I have signed the contract on a much bigger unit in the heart of Northampton, not far from the train station.
Moving is expensive; I have a large rent deposit to pay upfront (four months’ worth), removal van costs and then the furniture and equipment to kit out the space. We started to look at options for generating the funds and, not wanting to borrow money, I decided on a Kickstarter campaign.
Kickstarter is fairly new on my radar. It is a way of generating funds for a project without asking for a loan, formal investment or donations. Customers ‘pledge’ a specific amount of their choice and in return receive a ‘free’ item/s further down the line. You can read more on my kickstarter page here. As an example, if you pledge £12 you receive an enamel pin badge (which are quite the thing these days! Lovely popped onto a craft tote bag or project bag). If you pledge £50 you receive an exclusive embroidery kit. As you move higher up the pledge value, the ‘rewards’ (items you receive) become even better value for money. Given that my embroidery cushion kits retail at £50 anyway, you are really just pre-ordering a kit but showing your support for this new venture in doing so.
As I binge-watched Anne with an E this Winter, I smiled to myself as Anne enthused over the Kindred Spirits she met. It made me think of my Stitchery customers and me; so many times I have met new women through my workshops and stitch club and immediately felt that I have found a Kindred Spirit. Indeed, lots of people have said the same to me.
At a time when social media can feel like a pretty angry place to be, it is comforting to know that there is a supportive and joyful community connecting over the gentle occupation of stitching. Anne makes a piece of textile art for her friend Diane with the words ‘Kindred Spirits’ to honour their friendship and this inspired my Kindred Spirits design.
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
The embroidery kit, which is only available to backers of the Kickstarter campaign, is going to be a cushion cover kit. I am still working on the sample and plan to share progress via my blog, newsletter and social media feeds, which I hope will be at least mildly interesting! I have chosen a very soft, gentle colour palette so that the cushion will complement most home decor schemes; the hope is that you will stitch this for yourself or make it as a lovely gift for a dear friend.
There will be ample linen in the kit to create an envelope closure cushion cover with torn linen ties for extra pretty detail if you wish. If you are not a machinist then you could easily frame the design - it would make a nice piece of hoop art - and use the remaining linen for other embroidery projects. The kit will, of course, use antique linen and quality DMC threads just like all of the other Stitchery kits (with this one in Special Edition packaging).
If you would like to pre-order the embroidery kit by way of Kickstarter pledge, please click here and follow the instructions to BACK THIS PROJECT (the green button). You will need to pay via card and your pledge details are kept anonymous from other people. The details you input will ONLY be used for the Kickstarter campaign, there are very strict rules that we have to adhere to in accordance with Kickstarter’s policies and that involves not using your details for anything other than fulfilling your reward.
If you have any questions regarding the Kickstarter project, please let me know. I am building an FAQ page and your question might be one that someone else wants to ask!
I have lots of plans for the new space; it is essentially a long, light and airy, room with a kitchen area and partitioned little office. I will have a large but cosy workspace for workshops and stitch clubs, a production area for cutting fabric and making up kits as well as a permanent show stand mock-up to provide a little shop area for visitors.
There are some exciting new tutors to coming to teach in the Autumn and work is underway on some beautiful collaborations too. Amongst many more embroidery kits, my sketch book holds a quilt design alongside wallhangings and ideas for all kinds of other lovely projects that can be hand-sewn in front of the television or when you travel.
More help will mean more time on my hands which I can spend updating the blog and creating video content. I have wanted to join the vlogging community for a long time now and I will do that as soon as we get the keys to the unit, so that I can share my journey in glorious, messy, technicolour!
Thank you for all of your support and kind words to date, I am so proud of the stitching community and love sharing my skills and ideas with you.
Have a great week,
Nicki