Festive Photographs, Peanut Butter with Jam and a Very Cross Lady

It is late Friday afternoon and dusk is falling. I have just got home from the studio and my first job was to set about the business of switching on the lamps, fairy lights and lighting candles. I am about to put a match to the fire too; it has turned really chilly today. Having made myself a coffee I found a couple of stashed (and forgotten) squares of milk chocolate in the fridge. So that’s a high note for the end of the week!

I have had the cosiest week. I have been feeling a little under the weather with what feels like the onset of a cold and it has really forced me to slow down. I’ve worked from home for most of the time, often next to the woodburner in the kitchen. There has been some online training, lots of stitching and lots of planning! I am pleased to have finalised my embroidery workshops for the Stitchery Retreat which is in just three weeks! We have five days in Cornwall; one day at the Cowslip Christmas fair, another out for Sunday lunch and three lovely hyggelig days of embroidery workshops. I have planned three exclusive kits for everyone and I am really looking forward to it.

I have also taken a few festive photographs this week. Loosely translated this means that I have tripped over fairy light wires more times than I care to mention, made countless cups of coffee in Father Christmas mugs and rummaged about in the garden in my nightdress and birkenstocks looking for Rosemary, Ivy and Holly and anything remotely ‘Christmassy’. (It did not yield much.)

So I thought I would share my photos with you here on the blog. My Christmas kits are in production and I have an anniversary kit coming out in mid-December to round up a year of The Stitchery Journal. I love the Gift Vouchers that I have produced with Three Six Five Design and Oyster Bridge & Co. So beautiful. You can buy them here.

In the spirit of a weekly round-up, this week I have also:

• Started my Christmas shopping. For myself. Haha. So far, Father Christmas will be delivering a beautiful pair of Victoriana lace-up ankle boots, a pale rose cashmere sweater and a festive set of gorgeous fine silk embroidery threads (don’t worry I got some thread for you too).

• Finished two books; The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and The Woolly Hat Knitting Club. Both very cosy reads.

• Eaten three peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. One of which was rustled up at the ungodly hour of 2am when I couldn’t sleep for my rumbling tum.

• Smothered my face nightly with an eye-wateringly expensive cream (Cult 51) which so far appears to be making no difference whatsoever.

• Tried to rescue a very cross lady who was knocked off her push bike by a DPD driver right outside the studio. (I think she was cross because she was knocked over. Who wouldn’t be. She was fine but her bike which “cost thousands of pounds and isn’t even my best bike” had a few scratches. I offered her a cup of tea and the use of my loo (which she crossly declined) and went inside for a cherry bakewell and a cup of tea to get over the shock. It is really scary to hear a van screech to a halt right by your window!

The weekend beckons and I have too many plans and not enough time. Lizzie is skipping about by my feet reminding me that it is her dinner time and Andrew will be home soon for a glass of wine and Killing Eve. What a lush day!

Have a great weekend, thanks for reading.

Love

Nicki xxx

Workshops at The Stitchery Studio

I love having people to come and stitch with me at my studio.   

I love making up the kits and preparing the linen. 

Love seeing confidence build and friendships being made. 

I love sharing inspiration and feeling inspired too by the women who join me. 

I love planning lunch, baking cakes and arranging my shelves so that my supplies look artistic and inspiring. 

Love sharing new finds and favourite makers.  

I held my very first workshop on Saturday with another yesterday.  Despite me being overly optimistic about the number of people I could comfortably seat and cater for I think it all went really well and I so enjoyed making it a happy day.  I can't wait for the next one.  Come and join me - workshop dates are always published here and I'll be releasing new dates and new patterns soon. 

If you can't join me for a workshop then on a few days a month I'll be holding social stitch groups.  These will mostly be Saturdays but I'll open on other days for those who aren't free on a weekend.  Just bring your latest project and something for your lunch and come to work with a group of like-minded people for the day.   And if you're passing and the sign says I'm open then knock on the door and have a cuppa with me. I'd love to see you.  

My gorgeous stitched letter from my friend Penny at  The Embroidery Bird.   These are available to commission as wedding/new home gifts or any other special occasion.  Plump with fragrant lavender and stitched onto antique linen.  Heart eyes!

Gifts and cards from my lovely stitching friends.  I am so lucky to meet these people. Kindness beyond words.

Have a great week, 

love

Nicki xx

The Stitchery Studio

It has been a super exciting weekend for me - I got the keys to my new studio on the beautiful Castle Ashby estate just five minutes from my home. 

I have been self-employed for nearly three years now and during that time I have been working from home.  It has been a bit of a challenge for me, to be honest.  I like 'going out' to work; I like the change of scenery, driving with the radio on and the routine that working offsite provides.  I am too easily distracted to work from home full-time!  Our house has been pretty messy, with boxes piled high in the spare room and the dining table is rarely clear.  All of the components for The Stitchery* are made and compiled in-house and it soon became apparent that I needed more space in which to work.  Finding the studio felt like fate, it hadn't been advertised and the current tenant was going to be out at the end of the month.  

I have been popping along to the unit every so often to measure spaces and drop off furniture but to finally have the keys this weekend and be able to start painting is so exciting!  We are going to be working really hard over the next two weeks to get the place ready to welcome visitors.  The downstairs space will be a working studio and shop; upstairs is room for me to work.  There is a little kitchen downstairs so that I can offer my visitors tea and cake, and a tiny WC.  I will share pictures as I decorate but think gorgeous old chippy furniture, tiny drawers filled with old lace and buttons, and handmade soft furnishings.   It is a lovely light and bright space so I am going to dress the windows with simple pelmets hiding roller blinds.  The furniture and accessories have been bought from independent businesses where possible and other makers whose work I love.  

My plan is to work there every day Monday to Friday and I will be holding a Stitch Club on Saturday mornings for people who want to bring their current WIPs and have a bit of a natter.  Any stitching goes - crochet, patchwork, embroidery, knitting... just a nice drop-in social session.  I will post more details here when we're up and running.   I will hold my workshops at the studio (don't worry if you have booked to come to the house, it is a stone's throw from my home) and I plan to have a few shopping events and embroidery taster sessions too.  

The studio is opposite a lovely country pub called The Falcon which is currently undergoing work to become a boutique hotel.   It should be open this summer and the plans for it sound wonderful.  There is a rural shopping area at Castle Ashby with deli, cafe, gift shop and home interiors store, amongst others, plus a pottery studio (which I am personally very happy about, desperate to try a bit of hand built pottery). 

If you haven't visited the gardens at Castle Ashby before you are in for a treat.  I plan to spend a lot of time there; so much inspiration for art and embroidery.  The Orangery is very special indeed, built in 1872 with a heavenly central pond.  The house is occupied, I think, by the owner Lord Northampton and not generally open to visitors but there is a  walled garden tearoom and plant shop with a play area for children.  

I can't wait to share more and hope you'll join me for the next stage of my journey.  Working for the bank seems so long ago.  In the meantime I am working hard preparing the gorgeous March boxes, putting together catch-up kits and making journals.   We've had very bad (beautiful) snow this week which has rather thwarted our attempts to make good progress with the decorating so we are bringing in the big guns (mum and dad) during the week to help get it sorted!  My family has given me so much support and physical help with The Stitchery, I am very lucky to have them.  Thankful too that dad took early retirement! 

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the last of the snow, friends.  Spring will be here before we know it and these magical, sparkling days will be a distant memory.

Love

Nicki x

* If you haven't heard of The Stitchery, check it out here.  It isn't too late to join; catch-up kits are available and we are still able to make journals to order.