Reader Story
Sew loving
Jaimee overcame adversity to stitch and sew her mum Andrea the advent calendar she’d never had and always longed for
Clockwise left to right: Jaimee’s cat added a helping paw; Andrea and Jaimee; Jaimee with ‘Knitty Knit’, Bothy Threads*
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s a child, Andrea Mallion’s family travelled a lot because of her dad’s work, and spent most Christmases abroad, which meant that she never had an advent calendar. Unbeknownst to Andrea, her daughter Jaimee who’d recently started cross stitching again, decided to make her mum an advent calendar in secret. But not only was Jaimee new to stitching she was new to sewing too, so had to learn how to master a sewing machine, which is not so straightforward as Jaimee has a condition that means she has to use the machine in a different way. “As a child Jaimee had a spinal injury and since developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome,” Andrea explains. “These limit mobility in her legs, which means she is unable to use a foot pedal so instead, Jaimee uses one hand to control the foot pedal, while using the other to control the
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“I didn’t think it would be finished in time and was finding it increasingly difficult to keep it secret!” material. It can be tricky in places and requires a great deal of patience, pins and plenty of unpicking at times!” Not to be deterred, Jaimee taught herself how to use the sewing machine using YouTube and stitched a refillable advent calendar for her mum last Christmas. Each pocket has a miniChristmas cross stitch, many of them from The World of Cross Stitching. Jaimee designed the advent calendar herself, giving each pocket a unique Christmas design and lining them with different festive-themed material. The advent calendar has a felt backing, with number buttons for each date and then finished with ribbons. It took a total of five months to complete. Proud mum Andrea says, “I must admit I cried a bit when she gave me the advent calendar. It was very
emotional mainly because I could see how much effort and thought had gone into it. Especially since I knew it would have been challenging physically for her to sew this.” “Apparently, it’s a lot bigger than she first imagined, but I don’t mind because it means I get bigger presents in each pocket! Last year, she filled each pocket with a crafting related treat for me. I have handed it back to Jaimee so she can refill it again this year, and this is the plan for many years to come! I can’t wait to see what she puts in it year after year.” Jaimee says, “I was relieved to give the advent calendar to mum. I didn’t think it would ever be finished in time and was finding it increasingly difficult to keep it secret, especially as she kept randomly popping in to see me!”
The World of Cross Stitching 67
