Hello Sewing and Stitching Friends
I know it's early to start talking about Christmas, but stitching and sewing take time. So now is the perfect time to get started on your handmade decorations and gifts.
Christmas can be a hard time of the year, especially because it reminds us of the losses and absences in our lives. To balance the difficult times, in recent years I've gone all in on the Christmas pretty. I love the decorations and the fairy lights, the things that make my own home and environment gentle and welcoming. At the same time, I try to avoid the excess and the waste. I make a lot of the gifts that I give to friends and family (they're mostly small gifts, I'm a slow stitcher and I make a lot of mistakes so there's a lot of reverse stitching!). I don't always get around to it, but if I send Christmas cards they are always handmade.
There's something lovely about opening the boxes of decorations year after year and taking out the things I've made over the years. Each one reminds me of a different time, a different person, a different place.
So in this, my first Christmas in The Indie Stitches Emporium, I've gathered together a small collection of decorations for people who like to make their own. There's a lovely variety here including felting from Bergin & Bath, like these super-cute gnomes; 12 days of Christmas embroidery kits from Hook, Line & Tinker; and a Liberty sampler quilt kit from Alice Caroline.
And of course, the jewel in the Christmas crown of any sewing enthusiast, Kylie and the Machine's sensational Advent Calendar filled with 60 labels in 25 brand new designs.
As well as the Christmas stock, I'm still busy refreshing and replenishing our collection of patterns. We've got a bunch of new ones arriving in the next few weeks, as well as several boxes still in the storeroom waiting to be opened. I'll be loading them into the website as quickly as I can.
Talk again soon!
Tracy