A Marvellous Maker: The Sisterhood of the Stitch Meets Eppie Thompson

Creative confidence, sewing and stress, and inspirational stitchers: to celebrate the launch of our recent collaboration with embroidery kit start-up The Fabled Thread, Sabbara’s Tashy Hughes talks to their founder, creative maverick Eppie Thompson.

Tashy: Your work celebrates the inherent joy in making and sewing, and its power to bring us closer both to ourselves and to others. This power is what Sabbara is all about, and we would love to hear about how this journey started for you. What drew you to sewing; what was the process of founding The Fabled Thread like; and how did you end up making sitting on the sofa sewing the way to spend an evening in 2021 (thank you!!)?

Eppie: Before The Fabled Thread I was working in finance for about seven years and in my last job I was working pretty long hours and in a very stressful environment- people hold no punches in banking, and are always looking over your shoulder asking ‘have you done it yet?’. Each day was very intense, and there’s no such thing as non-office hours: if you get an email at 11pm you’re expected to respond there and then. 

At the same time as working in that job, a couple of my closest friends got engaged and I wanted to make a nice personal wedding gift for them. Though I’d never sewn before, my granny has always sewn, and inspired by her I started sewing to make them a gift.  From then on, it just became such a stress reliever for me. It was a real antidote for me from the day to day hustle and bustle. Partly, on a purely physical level because sewing controls your hands and so whilst you’re sewing you can’t look at your phone. Sewing stopped me from checking my emails and gave me just an hour or two where I could think about something else.  

There’s also something special about the meditative process of using needle and thread, and slowly seeing the image come to life. It’s not like other crafts I’ve tried. I draw a lot and make lots of other things, but I find drawing quite stressful because you want it to turn out a certain way, and if it doesn’t you don’t quite know how to fix it. But sewing is so controllable. If you have the right colours and you’ve drawn out your design it will look nice, it just will! And so, I just fell in love with it. 

I started sewing about three years ago now. Pretty quickly after I started, I thought there must be other people like me who would really enjoy this. I was mainly thinking about young people working in the city who maybe don’t have a grandmother who sews and so would never think to do this, but who needed and wanted a creative stress reliever like I did. 

I started looking at the products that you could buy on the market, and there was nothing out there that I wanted to make. As I’m not a completely unique person, I thought that there must be lots of people who have the same taste as me. So I started out quite early on thinking that there must be an opportunity here to make a business that could get other people sewing. That was when the idea for The Fabled Thread was formed. It was about 18 months after that realisation that I left my job to start the business.

Tashy: Do you feel like the arrival of COVID19 and lockdown has had any kind of effect on the launching the business?

Eppie: I think the appetite for handicrafts was growing anyway. There was quite a level of fatigue building up with how switched on everything has become. You watch TV, you sit on your phone, maybe you’ll have your laptop on at the same time too.  So, I think even before Covid there was a general trend of people wanting to find a way to switch off, but I think Covid massively exacerbated that because people’s normal activities were taken away from them. You’re stuck in your house and so you’re willing to try something new. I think with sewing, once you start it becomes a habit. In the evenings, if you haven’t got any sewing to do you become really aware of it. So whilst I think Covid sort of drove sales up a bit, I think this trend is here to stay. People have been sewing for generations. 

Tashy: That makes me think of my MA dissertation, which was about reframing the figure of the needlewoman. We tend to view her throughout history as a very passive woman wearing her bonnet and sewing in front of the fire (awaiting the return of her husband). My dissertation used examples to show that sewing is and has always been an incredible creative outlet, it’s how women communicated and expressed themselves and I think an appreciation of that is back again. 

Eppie: I do too, though I think it’s such a shame that it’s stereotyped to women because there’s so much men would get out of sewing. I think the stereotype is shifting in knitting, it’s such a shame that it’s not happening yet with sewing because there’s a reason women have sewn for a long term, yes there’s necessity but equally there’s lots of hobbies for women to do in the house and not lots for men to do in the house. 

Tashy: Hopefully The Fabled Thread will change that!

Eppie: Well, more often than not I’ll get an order from a man and then he’ll email saying ‘Hello, this is a gift for my wife’, and I always think ah come on!

Tashy: We’ll get them eventually! As you mentioned, you really understand the power of sewing as a creative outlet- what do you find it does for you, and are you hearing from your customers that it’s having a similar effect for them?

Eppie: Personally, it’s my creative outlet. I love every single one of my creations. I find it incredibly hard to part with them once I’ve finished them, in fact I have never parted with any of them… except for one I’ve given to my sister (but that’s on long-term loan so that’s okay!). 

I think if you’re confident creatively, you’re unlikely to learn from a kit. If you are lacking in creative confidence, you’re my customer. What I’m hearing is that a lot of people start with the basic kits and work their way up, and then they get in touch saying I want to make something for my niece and I want to know what kind of fabric to get. Part of what I’m doing for my community is helping people to become confident in their own ability to do this. I don’t want people to remain customers forever – that’s why the sewing supplies shop is important. I want people to buy our fabric and threads and make their own creations. 

There are also the people who are going through stressful periods, and particularly in the last year with Covid, there’s been a lot of people who are really struggling. For them, it’s offered a bit of space, and time to sit and sew. You don’t have to think, it’s engaging enough that it makes you switch off, but it’s not so engaging that it’s stressful. It’s the perfect balance. In particular, if you put something on to listen to, then you’re completely engulfed in activity and removed for a while from all the other things that might be going on in your life. Since I started sewing, I have become a more relaxed person, better able to deal with stress. 

Tashy: I think that’s so evident in the fluidity and joy of your designs, and the way in which they completely immerse the maker in their story. There are stories at the heart of everything you create.  What is the story of this collaboration, of what drew you towards working with Sabbara, and of the inspiration behind the embroidery designs themselves? 

Eppie: For quite a long time I’ve been looking for something meaningful to support through my business. I think it’s really important to understand the impact a business can have, and as my business grows I really want to have a positive influence. Yes, you’re having a good impact on your customers, but obviously that’s limited to people who can afford to buy a relatively expensive kit. So, when I first heard what you do, I thought it was wonderful.

Sabbara shows that sewing is a way of bringing people together through shared interest, and more importantly demonstrates the sense of self-worth you can get out of creating a piece, finishing it, and even more so of selling it. Sabbara’s work makes people feel like they have the ability to be independent, and create something beautiful. 

The fact that Sabbara supports women who come from such difficult backgrounds to do this is a really tangible thing that I wanted to help with. And so, from the moment we first started talking I wanted to do something with you and for you. 

This is especially true when thinking about the ready-made embroideries that are included in this collaboration [coming soon!], as these are made by Sabbara’s artisans. Of course, the Kalila and Dimna kits are great because the profits will help the charity to run, but the sales of the finished framed embroideries are something that directly empower the women. I want people to understand who stitched their kits for them, and the experience they had. It’s so powerful. 

Regarding the design, all of the previous designs featured in the Fable range have been inspired by the Greek philosopher Aesop. But, with Sabbara it didn’t feel appropriate to use Aesop’s stories. I wanted to turn to stories that felt more influenced by the Middle East. That’s why Kalila and Dimna felt right. Originally, it was an Indian story, but was then translated into Arabic and Persian. It feels very appropriate to Sabbara. The design itself is from a scene that depicts Kalila and Dimna (who are wild dogs) speaking with a lion who is king of the jungle. But for me, it’s more about finding an image that portrays the whole feeling of the Kalila and Dimna stories. You’re not going to look at it and think oh it’s that moment from the story. Instead, I’ve picked out motifs and elements taken from the early manuscripts. 

Tashy: As you mentioned earlier, you’re a huge fan of listening to stories while you sew. Do you have any audible recommendations while we sew this new design?

Eppie: I listen to an awful lot of audiobooks. I’m in a really boring phase at the moment for anyone who isn’t me. I’m listening to a load of books on financial crime. I’ve gone into an accountancy scandal hole! Books that I’ve loved recently, aside from these which I can’t imagine will appeal to everyone, are ‘The Midnight Library’, which is very soothing, and  ‘I Capture The Castle’, which is very evocative. We’re currently listening to ‘Rebecca’ at home, which is really nicely done. I think with audible, the secret is not to go too high brow. You want a book that has a real narrative. 

Tashy: You need Harry Potter!

Eppie: I’ll be honest, that’s mainly what we listen to. 

Tashy: I think we would all like to know where you find the inspiration for your wonderful designs, so we can find ours too!

Eppie: I’m not inspired by any particular artists themselves. For me, it’s more any kind of outsider, naïve artist from around the world. I’m always most excited by seeing work by untrained people. Where it’s got a naivety and simplicity and the composition is always a bit kooky and weird. So, turning to books, museums and galleries. Don’t be constrained by your medium when finding inspiration- look at ceramics and find a ceramics shape you like. I think it’s about being open minded to where you might find your inspiration. If you open a book you might just spot the tiniest motif which might inspire you to create something much bigger. I feel like I will never be short of inspiration, I’m only short of time! 

If anyone is on the hunt, there’s an author called John Gillow. he’s done books on Indian and Islamic world textiles, and his books are full of wonderful images and are a great place to start. 

Tashy: Thanks Eppie, I’ll be sure to look him up after this. This blog series is about the sisterhood of the stitch, so it feels only right to ask if you have a stitcher that really especially inspires you? 

Eppie: My main inspiration is my mum. She sews, and is amazing with textiles. But more than anything, she’s an incredible creative. One of the reasons I’m confident creatively is because it’s always been encouraged and my family home is completely full of colour. Her creations are all over the place, and it means that I am confident creatively where other people aren’t, and it’s all because of her. She’s definitely my biggest cheerleader and inspiration. She’s a wonder! 

Tashy: She sounds amazing! You’re clearly so busy with all of your projects, so what’s next Eppie? 

Eppie: Now we’ve got our heads down for Christmas. But one of the great things about starting the Sewing Supplies Shop is that it enables me a bit more creativity in my practice. To this point I’ve been very focussed on creating enough kits so that there’s enough to take people on every step on the way. We’re at a point where we have a good number of ranges, so I want to have a bit more freedom with my own work, to be able to play around and experiment. So I think it’s a really exciting time for me, to be able to take some of the tools we stock and have a go at creating something new. My hope is that I could share my creations with my followers, and people could see all the materials I’ve used and be inspired to design and create their own. The Fabled Thread is all about trying to get more people inspired to make things.  Next year is going to be an amazing opportunity to start exploring ideas I haven’t had time to at the moment. 

Tashy: Thanks so much! We can’t wait to see what you come up with next. As you have previously said- ‘To me, there’s no such thing as people who don’t enjoy sewing. There are simply people who haven’t tried it yet,’  – hopefully, this collaboration will change that! 

The second part of The Fabled Thread x Sabbara will launch later this year. If this interview has inspired you to start sewing, find the design here!

Sisterhood of the Stitch blog series by Tashy Hughes.