mimilove

www.mimilove.net /  mimiforever / etsy


I approached mimi when I first got into embroidery on Flickr, I have always been a huge fan of her work, and she is a lovely friend to ask for advice and opinions.  I asked her if I could interview her for an online magazine I started up at university for a final year at university project to share her design experiences and to share a little bit more about herself, enjoy. 

What attracted you to illustration/design?

I’ve alway had a love of art from a very early age and alwasy painted etc but the sitching didnt really come along til many years later

I remember watching a programme on tv, way back in the mists of time in the 70’s about stitching, handicrafts and so forth; a kind of a *”Paint Along with Nancy” but with sewing! That whetted my appetite, then as time passed, pocket money increased and I was allowed access to sharp objects, I decided to stitch myself a bed cover. I had visions of flowers in all sorts of glorious colours, encrusted with jewels and sequins etc. Unfortunately I bit off a bit more than I could chew and alI I managed was a very ropey satin stitch “rose” and when push came to shove the pocket money invariably went on the latest Smash Hits or Jackie and that was the beginning/end of my stitching career until fairly recently!

So I’ve always had a love of embroidery/stitching but never actually got round to trying it again; I just felt a bit intimidated by it after the bed sheet experience!

But my nan and dad were pretty nifty with a needle, (my dad made some of my mum’s maternity clothes when she was pregnant with me so it could be osmosis!) and I’ve since found out that a great uncle was also a dab hand at embroidery, which was a surprise, so it’s in the genes...and jeans! :)

What aspects of design are you interested in?

Magazine design and publishing are what I’m most keen to keep on. Currently, I work for CrossStitcher magazine so I’ve had to immerse myself in the stitching side of craft, in particularly sewing and cross stitching. I’ve become increasingly interested in the design of lifestyle and home magazines, markets which as a stitching magazine we overlap into quite a bit with our decorative and contemporary home projects.

Who or what inspires you?

Other makers, bloggers, places I’ve visited and people I’ve met. We went to the Clothes Show last year and I met so many interesting stitchy people who totally inspired what I’m making today. I saw a lovely girl wearing bangles made out of knitting needles at the Stitch & Craft Show and all I could think about for the rest of the show was running home and digging out mine so I could have a go! I find websites such as Pinterest, Flickr and Etsy very inspiring. They’re great for sharing ideas and seeing what other people in the world are making right now.

Future plans and projects?

Because I work on a magazine, a lot of my time is spent designing, charting, blogging, attending shows and writing so there’s never that much time left for personal projects. At the moment I’m all about promoting my own little blog and keeping a small number of little projects on the back burner. I’ve been playing with some 3D paper birds in box frames and I’d like to learn to crochet too... but apart from that I think I’m going to concentrate on re-opening my Etsy shop and filling it with lovely crafty goodies from my blog. 

Best kept secrets for inspiration and supplies? 

Antique shops and Australia. There’s a huge world of second hand stuff out there, just waiting to be picked up and painted, varnished, cut up and re-used. Whenever I’m in Suffolk, I always make sure I visit as many antique shops as possible... it’s the best county in the world for second hand crafty goodies! I bought a whole stack of vintage sewing cards and bobbins for just a few pounds. Talking of the world, the Australian craft scene is alive and kicking with trendy magazines.

To see more check out www.mimilove.net /  mimiforever / etsy