Meet the mother and daughter putting a modern spin on an old pastime

For Wendy Newman and her daughter Maisie lockdown saw the pair living under the same roof again and resulted in them starting a business together.

Wendy said: “We were unexpectedly living together again during lockdown (Maisie had been living in London but moved home at the start of lockdown); we have always tried different crafts together, and we found we both loved cross stitching – BUT we couldn’t find any designs we wanted to display in our homes.

“We wanted designs and products we could actually live with. So we designed our own.”

After friends and family commented about how much they loved the designs the pair decided to put some kits together and set up an online shop on etsy.com

And so during the Covid-19 pandemic Mills and Fred was born.

The mother and daughter duo have created contemporary cross-stitch kits which combine colours picked to work with modern interiors, and simple positive timeless messages.

The detailed finished items can be framed as a picture, hung as a wall-hanging or made up into a cushion.

Each one contains everything to make the cross-stitch design only, with no frame or cushion.

The kits are made up of Appletons 100 per cent pure English wool, sturdy fabric, needle, practice fabric, detailed instruction sheet, colour chart.

They are supplied in a recycled brown paper carrier and posted in recyclable packaging.

The larger kits are 25cm x 25cm and include the Good Times, Hello Sunshine, Home designs. Each one is priced at £35.

The smaller kits are 12cm x 17cm and include the personalised Year design, which costs £25.

The designs are created by the pair who live in Broad Oak Brede near Hastings and Rye.

Wendy has a background in interior design, and they use interior colour and design for inspiration.

Maisie said: “We discuss ideas then mum (Wendy) draws up the designs.

“We choose the colours together, aiming to create something that either of us would be happy to have in our homes.”

Wendy added: “I love a retro aesthetic but we have deliberately created designs that would work in many different styles of interior or colour schemes.”

Crafting hobbies have had a resurgence during the pandemic and retailer Hobbycraft recorded a 200 per cent increase in traffic in its website during lockdown.

Wendy said: “Cross stitching is having a real resurgence – it’s an old fashioned hobby/craft, brought bang up to date with our contemporary designs.

“With everyone spending more time in their homes, anyone could make a beautiful and personal picture, cushion or wall-hanging with cross stitch that they’d really like to have in their home.

“It is relaxing and calming, Maisie calls it ‘busy hands, quiet minds’.

“You need to concentrate, so it clears your mind of all the other stuff going on.

“You can do cross-stitch at any time of day, from picking it up for a few minutes in your lunch hour, to getting lost in it for hours on a cosy autumn weekend.

“We chose to do kits to appeal to people who want to make something themselves, put their own time and love into it, it’s not a ‘one day and you’re finished’ thing and that shows in the finished item.”

Maisie added: “Anyone who can count, follow a chart and love your home you will enjoy making one of our kits.”

But what exactly is cross-stitch?

It is described as a form of counted thread embroidery, and it is seen as one of the easiest forms of hand embroidery to learn.

Cross-stitch is comprised of X-shaped stitches done on fabric with an even and open weave like Aida or linen.

When creating their kits Maisie and Wendy wanted them to have universal appeal from those aged from ten plus, and from a beginner to someone who is more experienced.

Wendy said: “Some people are buying these kits to make themselves, some are giving them as gifts – our very first sale was a Good Times kit given as a wedding gift.

“The personalised Year kits are perfect to give to someone celebrating a special anniversary, birthday or event – we offer the option to have the design created for any year you want; and in a choice of two colourways, so it becomes a very personal finished product.

“They look really cute as a wall hanging or more contemporary mounted in a box frame.

“The larger text designs – Good Times, Hello Sunshine, Home – feature lovely positive text in bright contemporary graphic designs which look amazing framed or made up into a cushion.

“The designs all work together from a shared colour palette, so you could have several together in one room.”

Each design comes with detailed instructions and a colour chart.

Wendy explained: “So even if you’ve never picked up a cross stitch before, we show you how to do everything from threading the needle onwards.”

So how have the mother and daughter found working together?

Maisie said: “It is good fun – we’ve found we have complementary skills, Wendy is the more creative and comes up with the designs and colours.”

Wendy added: “Maisie is great at the technical side and social media, and we both do the marketing.

“It works well having two generations to understand different markets and aspects of the business.”

Mills & Fred has already had some amazing, positive reviews and they are excited to see where the business goes next.

For more information: Follow them on Instagram: @millsandfredOr visit their etsy shop: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/millsandfredshop