Have Your Say

In this week’s Have Your Say, we return to the Spring Cleaning we began a few weeks ago to see what the Inspirations Community have been saying…

Daphne Longman | Australia

‘I was one of the lucky children of the 1950s who was taught basic embroidery stitches at primary school. I recall using stem stitch to stitch my name onto a knitting bag. When I married, my husband encouraged me to give up smoking, but this meant I needed to keep my hands occupied with something else whilst having a cup of tea! I took up Cross Stitch, advanced to Candlewicking and then to Patchwork. It was when I was doing Patchwork that I realized that the part I enjoyed most was the quilting because it focused on needle and thread.

One day, whilst nursing a lovely lady named Edith, I admired her embroidery. She was creating a superb, Stumpwork butterfly and as I was close to retirement, Edith encouraged me to join our local guild.

I took her advice and now, eight years later, I am still a passionate embroiderer!

I enjoy every Thursday, when I participate in all the classes and social activities that are on offer from our Guild. Most of my daylight hours are spent gardening, then I enjoy my sewing in the evenings. I love the challenge of learning and trying difficult projects which, I believe, is very important for all of us as we age as we need to constantly test our brains!’

Daphne, we love hearing how the seed of needle and thread that is planted during childhood often develops into a passion that is realised during retirement. Not that we want to wish our lives away, but the allure of gardening and stitching filling our days makes us wish our retirement was just a little closer!

Maryna Layedra | USA

‘I am a Jewellery Artist and Designer. I am originally from Ecuador but have lived in the US from the age of 13. I come from a sewing and designing family and my grandmother’s sister was one of the best seamstresses I’ve ever known. Both my father and uncle are also artists. I had to learn English as a second language when I came to the US and just recently took a class at the New York Art Institute of Design to get my certification.’

‘I am looking forward to learning how to embroider on clothes as every time I sit down to work on an embroidery project, I get lost in my imagination and feel so happy! Peyote Stitch is my favourite technique. I have converted the small living room in my tiny apartment into my personal studio where I now work from.’

Maryna, we love that you’re carrying on the artistic traditions of your family and can’t believe how much you’ve managed to pack into your home studio!

Stay tuned next week as we share more of the conversations we discover during our Spring Cleaning. Until then…