Getting started
‘If I could, I would stitch all day every day’, I said recently to someone who was quite surprised to hear about my passion for embroidery. I meant it. Although I love my ‘real job’ and my ‘real colleagues’, I’ve always been dreaming of a creative life. About a year ago I enrolled onto a course ‘Mastering Broderie d’Art’ and although I do not think I have reached master embroidery level yet, it has given me the final push to just go for it. I decided I have nothing to lose and plenty to gain. That is not to say it is not scary. But that is ok. I like not knowing where it will lead me, which challenges I will have to overcome, in how many ways I can fail and, more importantly, in how many ways I can succeed. So now I am an entrepreneur (not yet a very good one, but I will learn) and I have a business. And though small it may be, I cannot wait to share my creative endeavours with anyone who is interested.
The name ‘A Dutch Stitcher Design’ comes from my first YouTube channel, where I have been sharing my passion for needlework for almost three years with a very international community of stitchers… cross stitchers mostly. It seemed fitting that my first entrepreneurial steps were into cross stitch design and reproduction. It led to an Etsy shop where I sell my cross stitch designs all over the world. And it also led to making a reproduction of a 200 year old design at a Dutch museum (with a second one in the making), and to many heartwarming connections with a tight knit group of avid international stitchers.
But I wanted to expand my needlework skills and so I ended up at the Dutch Couture Academy, delving into haute couture embroidery. And not just that. The course focuses not only on techniques with a needle, but also on how to design and on entrepreneurial ambitions. It gave me the tools to come up with a business that is close to my heart: thrifting second-hand clothes, upcycling them with hand embroidery, and selling them as one-of-a-kind garments. I love it. I love thirfting, I love designing and embroidering. As for the the business side of things…. well, let’s just say I will get better at that with time ;). So please have look at my new website where you can browse the first items in my shop, or you can contact me if you would like for one of your own clothing items to be upcycled with hand embroidery. It can give any garment a completely different look and we can work together to create a design that fully resembles you. And if you wish to just pick up a needle of your own and get started, then do check out my Etsy shop. Plenty designs to get you started!
If you have any advice for me, as a starting creative entrepreneur I am all ears. If you have any questions please get in touch!
Happy Stitching!
Hanneke
