Welcome to my Studio at Pinks Barn
I am writing this on a very wet November evening and I am thinking, yet again, just how lucky I am working here rather than in our old warehouse.
Bill, my husband and I have lived in Fairford in Gloucestershire for 26 years, not always at Pinks Barn, but always within walking distance of the village. When I started my little cross stitch business we lived in a cottage called Inglestone which is how we came up with the original name for our wholesale company, The Inglestone Collection. This is now all part of the same thing - The Cross Stitch Guild
Do keep an eye out for class dates and Stitching Days here at Pinks Barn. We do have a lovely time!See Events and Classes
My lovely office!
This lovely room, now known as the Studio, is where all the designing, writing and kit production takes place and is in use day and night. This spring, I watched the baby blue tits taking their first flight from the bird box to the left of the door . Today I have been watching the young blackbirds robbing my pretty vine - I think they have stripped the grapes completely!
Mailing Day
This is what actually happens when we do a mailing here at HQ! I go in to town to collect dozens of mail bags and bring back the best chocolate brownies in the history of the world! I defy anyone to find any better ! On this occasion ,Daphne and Sarah were eating brownies with Crunchie or with Smarties baked in to the mixture! What can I say!
Our building was originally built as a double garage and functioned as one for seven years but when Helen (our CSG administrator) decided to emigrate to New Zealand and Bill, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I realised that we needed to move out of our large warehouse and rearrange our lives. It was the best decision we have ever made. When you come to class here one day you will see how successful it is.
High tables for fabric cutting and lots of Ikea shelving
I can if I choose go to work in my pyjamas.....
I was warned that I would end up working all the time and turn in to a workaholic but who is kidding who? I was doing that already and often late at night in a cold and creepy warehouse!
We live in Fairford which is at the lower end of the Cotswolds and is an area of outstanding beauty which we never take for granted. There are some disadvantages of living in the country, but as I write this I cannot think of them! We have lots of visitors to the area and I thought you would like to see a picture of this one.
I went back the office one morning and a fox was sitting under my desk! I have no idea where she had come from but after some coaxing she went in to the garden where she played with our dogs!
As I sure you know, I am a self confessed stitching addict and you can imagine how thrilled I was when my husband presented me with my fiftieth birthday present. A stork scissor weather vane made from copper which now perches on top of the studio.
We decided to put it there so that I could see it from the house but at the time, we did not know that I would end up spending all day with it above my head!
