The Wishing Thorn

One of my favorite quotes is by Honoré de Balzac

“From the manner in which a woman draws her thread at every stitch of her needlework, any other woman can surmise her thoughts.”

I am passionate about sampler stitching and saving some of their histories. This is a lifelong journey that I love sharing with you. I want you to see the different stitches and think of ways you can change them to suit you.

I was born in Germany, and girls were required to learn stitching and sewing skills from the first grade onward – so yes I have 50+ years of skill to draw from. I excelled in stitching, knitting, and crochet. 

My mother was a master seamstress and always encouraged me to make my own designs. Upon entering college I majored in art. What does one do with an art degree? Why, design and carve graveyard headstones, of course! Painting, carving, and sculpting were my creative outlets but did not provide me with what my soul yearned for.  I was reintroduced to the world of stitching and discovered Eileen Bennett and Darlene O’Steen, they were the beginning of my spirited adventure.  Creating wall-worthy reproductions and original designs made me fall in love all over again with stitching.

I adore combining old-world stitchery and techniques with new designs, using inspirational colors and artful organization to forge unusual, one-of-a-kind creations. For a time I sold my patterns through my company, Moonlight Stitches, reflective of my habit of staying up through the wee hours to finish “just one more section.” That company sadly closed after some life-altering events.

I have never been far from my love of stitching and designing, waiting for the right time to share the boundless ideas again. With the opening of The Wishing Thorn, I am able to realize my dream of sharing my creative talents with you once again. Helping to preserve history of these lovely ladies' work and sharing this path with you. Hoping it brings you just as much joy.

New Patterns are always in the making, it is a slow process as I try to stitch as many of my own patterns as I can. We all know we can never have too many patterns in our stash!

My soul is fed with needle and thread, the thread that connects historic needlework to contemporary needle art ❤️

much love,

Birgit