HELEN STUBBINGS
Where do you live and work? I live in a 1901
weatherboard house in Hobart; a tad draughty
and cold but just right for us. I built a home
studio into the carport and connected it to the
home and for 11 years this has been the home of
Hugs ’n Kisses, shipping patterns and products
all over the world. This year, I’ve given my house
back to the family, purchased a building and
moved into another 1900s weatherboard
building in North Hobart. It is now the home of
Hugs ’n Kisses – the backend operations, a little
cafe and soon-to-be-finished learning centre.
What’s your family structure? I have three
beautiful girls – the oldest has just left us to
begin a nursing career; the youngest, our little
‘oopsie’, is in Grade 6. They can all stitch; they
may not – with many other distractions, such
as Minecraft and YouTube – BUT, they all can,
and that makes me very happy. We have a
puppy, named Mr Bentley, and two guinea pigs,
Pip and Squeak. My husband is still in the army
and, although he doesn’t stitch, he does cook
and clean, so I can keep working.
Who taught you your crafting skills? I grew
up with my grandmother showing me all of her
skills. I inherited her fancywork box and also
had my own, which she started for me when I
was young. She taught me knitting, crocheting,
embroidery and she was a dressmaker. She
didn’t find patchwork, however, until her 70s,
so it was nice that my sister and I had this to
work on and learn together.
Any good stories from those lessons? As my
grandmother aged and was living in an
aged-care community, I sent her lots of
leftovers and my designs printed on fabric,ready for her to stitch to pass the time. I found
out later she was making them up into quilts
and selling them to her fellow residents until
management found out and put an abrupt stop
to it. I then got back many of the half-stitched
or unfinished designs, which I still have now.
Why this particular craft? I have tried so many
other crafts and I didn’t actually choose to get
into quilting – I was more of a fine embroiderer
and was doing a two-year Certificate IV in
needlework when the class had to vote on the
final elective; I voted for Elizabethan blackwork,
but the majority ruled and patchwork it was.
Have you tried plenty of others? Oh, yes – tole
painting, tissue boxes, folk-art terracotta pots,
macramé, Hobbytex, doll making, Knitwit –
stretch sewing my own knickers! – you name it.
I’ve also tried any kind of embroidery I could
get my hands on – silk ribbon, Brazilian,
stumpwork, goldwork, wool, crewel, hardanger,
tatting, blackwork, cross stitch and more.
If you weren’t doing this, what else would
occupy your time? Mmmm, maybe I’d still be
in the Army. I was a full-time musician for 13
years and got a lot of stitching done on buses,
much to the amusement of the mainly male
unit members. They soon got used to me; they
had to. I wasn’t wasting all that time on a bus
travelling without something else to do.
What does this craft mean to you?
My daily therapy.
Is it hard to find time to do your stitching or is
it a profession? For me, it’s a full-time job. And
that’s a risk, as once you make art your living, the
passion can go. I do spend 80% of my day doing
business bits and only a small portion actually
doing what I love – stitching. To keep the passion
and enjoyment, I love to share through teaching
and meeting with others with the same addiction.
Do you think of your craft as passion or a
spare-time filler? It’s a passion, it’s my therapy,
and I need to achieve something for myself
each day to make me whole. But I also know
how short life can be, and hate to waste a
minute of it, so although I can sit and watch a
TV show with the kids, I can also stitch at the
same time, making the most of every chance- and they are well used to pins in the carpet
and thread on all of their clothes.
From where do you draw inspiration? My
inspiration is everywhere. I always carry
a camera (now a phone) whenever I travel.
I take photographs of a lot of design elements,
from architecture to nature. I research and
take a lot from embroidery and design of
other cultures – eg Hungarian embroidery,
Scandinavian design and vintage designs.
Why this skill – and this style? I like so many
styles and so many techniques. I just can’t do
one. I seem to have settled into four main
techniques now – needleturn appliqué,
embroidery, Colourqué (a technique of colouring
pencil on fabric to look like appliqué) and English
paper piecing. I have, over the years, perfected
my methods to make them the easiest, most
achievable and most enjoyable for myself and
for all levels of my students. I’ve taken out the
bits that aren’t fun (eg. removing English paper
piecing papers) and adapt techniques so they
work for machine or hand workers.
What are your favourite materials to work
with? I can’t live without: my appliqué paper;
my English paper piecing iron-ons; my iron-on
transfers; my special Hugs ’n Kisses needles;
my glue pen; and my Karen K. Buckley scissors.
Of course, it’s also very nice to have my very
own fabrics to play with, too.
Do you ever see yourself stopping or
diversifying? I really can’t see an end to this- that’s something I do need to work on. But
even if the business does end, I will never stop
stitching while I still physically can. I’ve been
lucky to be able to combine my passion with
my work, but it’s not an easy road. I work
harder and longer than I ever did in my ‘real’
jobs and for a lot less pay. I do dream of one
day being a lady of leisure, just quietly
stitching for myself each day, but I doubt
my personality will ever allow me to stop.
Do you teach your skills to others? I teach all over
the world. I love teaching. Everyone is just like me - passionate and totally addicted, with a hunger
to learn, to create, to make a difference through
stitching. I have two special gathering days a year
in Hobart – indulgence for a day – plus I run a
five-star retreat each year with Gail Pan. I have
taught to groups, shops, guilds, even individuals
from the very top of Norway, to Switzerland,
across the USA and Australia. And, of course, I’m
also always teaching online with a Craftsy class,
YouTube videos and lots of tutorials on my blog.
Once our learning centre is opened, I’ll also be
teaching in our store from time to time. There
is nothing nicer than seeing that look of ‘You just
changed my life’ when I teach a new skill or show
a tip that they had never seen before.
What is your advice for beginners? Everything
can be achieved just one stitch at a time. Nothing
is unachievable, when you break the task down
into small chunks. Anyone can achieve a result - and that result gives us pleasure, satisfaction,
pride and self-worth ... it is daily therapy and will
make a difference to your life and those around
you. It’s scientifically proven.
Gett ing to know ...
25
Trim the cushion backs to
match the cushion fronts.26
Open the zippers about
halfway. Match a cushion front
and back, right sides together, and
sew all the way around the edge witha^11 ⁄ 4 in seam allowance. The seams
should catch the raw edges of the
Cushion 1 squares and just sit
immediately next to the outer edges
of the end pentagons in the arcs on
Cushion 2. Neaten the raw edges ifdesired, clip the corners and turn
the covers right side out.27
Push the inserts inside the
covers, making sure that
the corners are well fi lled, and close
the zippers to fi nish.