Embroiderer Michelle Galletta wants to spread the joys of crafting, giving others the chance to make something precious with their own hands. Her way of going about such goal: launching Kiriki Press–a company that produces D.I.Y. embroidery kits, screenprints, and other goods, meant to teach others how to embroider.
A printmaking graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, Galletta realized there was a need for a brand like Kiriki Press after failing to find a good enough (cute enough) pattern to make her niece an embroidered doll.
“I couldn’t afford to buy her anything, but I hoped to make up for it with my time,” she explained in a short piece she posted on her website. Alas, she soon found out that it was difficult to find contemporary embroidery patterns that weren’t overly simplistic, let alone embroidered doll patterns. And so, she ended up designing her own. “As I was making Madeleine’s owls, I became fascinated with embroidery: the vibrant colors, the countless variety of stitches, the calming effect it had on me,” she writes.
A couple years later, and Kiriki Press has amassed thousands of followers on Instagram and has been featured in publications like Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Bust Magazine, and Homespun. Scrolling through the brand’s Instagram page might just get you inspired to start embroidering!
