Hey owl fans!

 

I should probably introduce myself, my name is Anna and I own the Owl Stitchery. This little shop began on the 4th December 2020, so this is very new! however the journey that led to the opening of this online shop started a long time ago.

 

Before Covid-19 began spreading misery and mayhem everywhere, I was a musician. I toured all over the world playing music, meeting new people and earning a very basic living. Of course that all changed with the introduction of lockdowns and the closure of venues and airports etc. I could no longer perform music to a live audience and my partner (also a musician) was in the same position. 

 

With the boredom of sitting inside all the time, I decided to return to an old hobby of mine - sewing! I used to knit and sew in my early 20s and even though my friends said it was lame (especially for a guitarist in a band) I continued with it from time to time as I found it to be really relaxing.

 

I remember when our band first travelled to New York, I actually took my knitting with me so I'd have something to do on the plane. Sadly I got paranoid that airport security would think the needles could be used as some kind of weapon so I moved my knitting supplies out of my carry on luggage and into my suitcase. I still found the time to knit in between shows though.

 

During the first UK lockdown I realised that I truly enjoy making things, I am a creative person and so if I couldn't write songs and perform them, then I'd sew things and give them to my friends and family. 

 

One of the main things I found myself making was little owls. I gave them to my partner to cheer him up. He missed playing live shows maybe even more than I did and I think the only thing that kept him sane was his love of owls! He must have watched every owl documentary/TV show/film there is during the lockdowns. 

 

It was around April time this year when a friend of mine who has her own online business suggested that I try needle felting. Coincidentally another friend of mine sent me a needle felting kit the very next day. He knew that I'd been making owls with felt and so he came across a needle felting kit that made a large barn owl and thought of me. I tried it out and I couldn't believe how fun it was. It is of course incredibly time consuming and involves a lot of needle stabbing into wool, but it was very therapeutic as well as exciting to see how a ball of wool could be transformed into anything you could imagine.

 

I didn't consider selling my owls at first.. I assumed that no one would really want them. It wasn't until several people requested that I make them a bag with an owl on it (I made bags and dolls for a little while)  that I realised how much people like owls, maybe because they are so cute! 

 

As the months went by, I found myself making an owl on an almost daily basis. You could say that I'm obsessed with making them. I design an owl in my journal and go to bed planning the method of making the owl until I drift off to sleep. It's a bit of a niche and I am well aware that this is never going to make me rich but throughout the years, I've realised that I don't really care about money, just as long as I can get by. I only care about doing the things I love and enjoy, and as mad as it seems, I love making owls!!!