My great great grandmother, Maria, was an accomplished embroiderer. I don’t have photos of her or her work, and the above image is from my own collection that I keep in a wooden drawer. Maria was not only exceptionally skilled at this craft but she was also a very competent housekeeper.

She had a linen cupboard that held all the household bedsheets and each one was hand embroidered. The quilt covers, the pillow cases and the sheets. She used pink and yellow which were her favourite colours. The linens were arranged in the cupboard according to their colours on shelves that were trimmed with matching colour hand made lace.

A world of slow work, of material values vastly different to those of today and owning less but better.

Her linen cupboard paints the picture of an entire world to me. A world of slow work, of material values vastly different to those of today and owning less but better. This world that I imagine when I think of that linen cupboard fills me with peace. Items made one by one, patiently with the knowledge that they will be kept and taken care of for many years. They won’t be collecting mould and dust, they won’t be added to any decluttering pile or thrown out when fashions change.

The beauty of such hand stitched pieces is undeniable, they tell stories and the human hand and soul is deeply felt in the fibres.

Thousands of times I have imagined my home like that linen cupboard from over a hundred years ago. Where each item has a purpose, it is cared for, it was made with love and it is beautiful.

Now I’m on a mission, a quiet, unhurried and mindful mission, to systematically add things to my life, home and wardrobe which are hand made by me. At the end of my life, I would love everything I own to be kept and used and enjoyed with nothing having to be discarded. That’s quite a mission I know, but I have many years ahead of me.

A beautiful, meaningful and useful world without clutter or waste.

My embroidery work, my fabric printing, my sewing, my painting and decorating is now all directed towards that purpose; to build my beautiful, meaningful and useful world without clutter or waste. To hand-make items that are a joy to use and look at. Essentially to create my great great grandmother's linen cupboard.

Below are just some of my favourite pieces in my home and wardrobe.

Hey there!

Progressing well on this quilt project and feeling quite nostalgic while stitching it.

That texture of fabric and threads under my fingers seems to be a physical, tangible connection back to my childhood home; a small village in the south-east of Poland. Maybe it’s what I remember most about it? The textures of woollen blankets, crisp starched cotton sheets? I’m not sure, but I know that each time I finish an embroidered project I feel a tiny bit like I’ve come home. Whatever that means considering I live in Sydney.

When I finish this whole quilt I will sleep under it and with my head on the matching pillow and see how it makes me feel. I’ll report back!

Oh I just had a thought (btw I write this unedited, as stuff comes into my head, haha!), I just thought that whenever I hold something that is handmade it always makes me feel connected to others, to the past, to another place. Makes me feel less alone. Sounds kind of weird now that I read it but hey, feelings aren’t exactly rational right?

Do you ever feel something similar?

Anyway, here is a more pragmatic description of the quilt project.

Finished almost eleven out of twenty square panels which is pretty good considering I have not had all that much time to get to it.

I’ve been keeping the stitching very simple but still while I stitch this I think of making the next one with even fewer stitches. I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve but you’ll have to wait to see the next one. Need to finish this one first haha!

I’ve finished the pillowcase part of the project and I love love love it. I slept on it too.

The quilting on this project will be the same as how I did it on the pillowcase.

The timing, if you’re interested, has been about 2-3 hours per square panel. I’m hoping to bring that down to about an hour when I simplify the stitching even more on future quilts.

The below are from the pillowcase on the “Autumn” colour way.

Great great grandmother Maria's linen cupboard.

My hand embroidered quilt progress.