I want to share a little about myself, my roots, and my passion for handicraft.

So, who am I?

I am a successful accountant and still work in this profession as my main job. I have two sons, four grandchildren, a dog, and two cats 😊 I live in the countryside and have a deep love for flowers and handicraft. I love flowers so much that at one point I even had a small garden business called Repsu Taimetalu. These days, I only garden as a hobby.

My ancestors

I don’t remember my great-grandmother, as I was too young, but according to my mother, she was a craftswoman. I do remember my grandmother, though. She sewed clothes and embroidered extensively. She mastered the art of machine embroidery, which was very different back then – not like today where machines follow programmed designs. No, my grandmother did everything on a regular foot-pedal Singer sewing machine. Grandmother Lilli had multiple embroidered doilies for every table and shelf. Some of her works I still have, but unfortunately, most of them ended up in strangers’ hands due to circumstances, and I have no idea what became of them.

My grandfather was a furniture carpenter who made elaborately carved solid wood furniture. He also worked for many years as a trainer in a furniture factory. Sadly, I never met him, but perhaps I inherited my love for wood and furniture restoration from him.

My childhood and handicraft

As far back as I can remember, I always saw my mother either at the knitting machine making jumpers or at the sewing machine. We were a family of four children, and life during the Soviet era was tough for a large household. My parents had to work very hard. Clients from all over Estonia came to my mother for tailored clothing. She could make perfectly fitting garments for any complicated figure. When clients became fewer, she started working at the ARS art factory, making flags. At the time, all flags were made of velvet and satin, with emblems and lettering applied using appliqué. The emblems were embroidered by hand, the edges fringed, and the cords and large tassels were handmade. It was a large and complex task.

All the travelling red banners of Estonia, as well as flags of institutions and cities, were made by my mother. After Estonia regained independence, this work continued for a while, but eventually, her eyesight failed, and she was forced to stop and retire. My mother could do everything: knitting, crocheting, embroidery, sewing – there was nothing she couldn’t master. If necessary, she would read a book and build a functioning oven or fireplace.

She also painted, though due to her large family, she never had time for it. Now, in her old age, she has finally fulfilled her dream and spends her retirement behind an easel and canvas. Over the past 15 years, she has painted about 700 works. Many of them are very good, and I hope to share some of them on this website 😊

Growing up in such an environment, I naturally became interested in handicraft from an early age. I also have a bit of talent for drawing and painting, though I always lack the time to pursue art more thoroughly.

My first experiences with handicraft involved sewing clothes for my dolls. In a large family, everyone had to contribute, so once I gained a bit more skill, my job was to make sewing patterns and baste together the cut pieces. Of course, I was also the model on whom half-finished garments were tested. As I got older, I helped with flag-making: I copied and basted, cleaned appliqué work, and later, under my mother’s guidance, even embroidered emblems. My mother also did silk painting, which I learned as well.

I remember that I understood all the sewing procedures so well just by watching my mother that I was able to sew my first skirt perfectly without needing instructions.

Adulthood and handicraft

My first job was as a weaver at the ARS art factory. I wove fringed sofa covers. Later, I was given a new task – to weave plaid skirt fabric from fine wool yarn. This process had to be done entirely from scratch: winding the warp, threading, tying, and finally weaving the fabric. I remember the fabric was dark blue with red and white checks. It was sold at the ARS store on Town Hall Square in Tartu and was very, very expensive. I dreamed of buying a piece for myself to sew a skirt, but the price was too high, and the dream remained just that.

Later, I had children and left ARS. Life took me in other directions for many years, but I never gave up handicraft. I sewed a lot for my family, knitted, crocheted, embroidered. I painted and drew, mostly as gifts.

Today and handicraft

These days, I do handicraft as a hobby. Sometimes I create things together with my grandchildren. For me, handicraft is entertainment and a highly meditative and calming activity.

But how long can you keep making things just to store them away? The drawers got full, and I decided to open an online store to share my creations with others.

A little preview of the next blog post

A couple of decades ago, I found a dusty portfolio in my mother’s attic, filled to the brim with my grandmother Lilli’s embroidery patterns. In my next post, I will share how I have brought those patterns back to life.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you find something inspiring here on my blog!