Frédérique Paulien is another of our overseas readers who loves to read CrossStitcher for inspiration, with stitchers’ sets and mindful makes her go-to projects…
Frédérique Paulien first caught the cross stitch bug back in 2005, starting with a magazine kit, which got her hooked. Now cross stitch provides her with an opportunity for mindfulness…
Frédérique lives in France, in a hamlet, 2km away from a little village in south Burgundy, half way from Lyon and Dijon. Consequently, feeling part of a stitching scene can be more of a challenge. “There are less and less shops around me,” she explains. “They shut down one by one since Covid. I also used to stitch with a group of quilters with whom I learned not really how to stitch so much, but how to find pretty charts. Unfortunately, I have no longer the time to go and chat with them since I’ve changed my job.”
Frédérique started cross stitching back in 2005, with a little kit that was in a magazine about creative activities that she was buying from time to time. These days cross stitch is a therapeutic activity for her. “It’s hard to explain, it’s like a suspended moment. I am fully focused and yet I’m totally empty-minded. And when it’s done – I made something with my hands. I don’t like staying doing nothing and I hate doing the same thing twice (or more). My routine for stitching is to first make a cup of tea, then lay on my side on the sofa, lean my elbow and the chart on a pillow, with threads and scissors on my leg. I stitch... and I forget the tea!
“I bought my first CrossStitcher in December 2022 while I was in London with my sons and their girlfriends – in Victoria Station, while waiting for a coach to go to Harry Potter Studios! I wanted to subscribe for a long time and I was disappointed when I thought that I couldn’t because I live in France. Back home, I found out on the internet how to do it and here I am!
“My favourite projects are often those which are labelled ‘just for fun’. I like doing crosswords to improve my English, and I read probably all the articles for the same reason. Take A Tea Break and Ready, Steady, Stitch are the first I glance at. I’ve stitched all the Take A Tea Break charts (except for the last one, I’m running out of time!). I use them to make little gifts such as bookmarks and needle cases.
“Through CrossStitcher I’ve learned how to make unique li
