Megan Eckman is the owner and designer at Studio MME. She “creates approachable embroidery for modern stitchers.” She believes embroidery should be “fun and not frustrating. Both in design and execution, her aim is to create a project that can be sewn in a day instead of a week.”

How did you get into embroidery?

When I was about nine, my grandmother taught me how to stitch. We made tea towels and travel laundry bags together. However, we didn’t get very far in terms of stitches because I proved more apt at making rats’ nests than beautiful embroidery. It wasn’t until I was 27 that I took up the art form again as a way to take a creative break from my fine art.

 

What are some of your favourite stitches to work with?

Since I didn’t get very far into my grandmother’s lessons before we both gave up, the basic stitches are my favourite. It might be funny to say, but the running stitch is my absolute favourite. There’s a lot of beauty in a single, straight line.

 

If you do, what books or websites do you look at for textiles ideas and inspiration?

I love going to my local bookstore and looking through books on William Morris and other arts and crafts movement designers for inspiration. 

What other textiles would you like to explore?

I’ve just started designing my own line of fabric and I’m exploring ways to make the fabric more interactive. I want people to be able to use the fabric as a wall map or a play mat or a calendar; something that serves a functional purpose as well as being beautiful.

 

Where do you buy your materials?

I’m a HUGE fan of Spoonflower. They sell designs from people all over the world and you’re able to buy the patterns in whatever fabric you like. I also recently visited my parents who now live in Hawaii and they have a wholesale fabric store there that just sells Hawaiian prints. It was so cool to see an entire warehouse full of florals, boats, and water prints.

 

You mentioned on your site that you “want to live in a world where we come home from work and decompress on the couch with a fun embroidery project” what’s your day job?

I’m actually the designer and owner of Studio MME so I make embroidery kits for a living! That means I get to spend my days helping new people embrace textiles as their favourite hobby.

 

I’m really into listening to podcasts when I’m embroidering. What’s your background noise?

I love podcasts too! I always have Radio Lab ready for long design sessions. I am also a huge fan of Open Culture, which offers links to hundreds of college courses from Yale, Harvard, Stanford, etc.

 

What are your plans and goals for 2017 in terms of being a textiles designer?

This year I’m launching my first line of textiles. The designs will feature fun flamingos, intricate florals, and quite silly buffalos. I’ll be learning how to sew so that I can share some project ideas with my fans. My goal is to encourage others like me, who haven’t sewn anything but pant hems, to embrace their creativity this year.

 

Lastly, what do you love about textiles?

I love their ability to transform a room, an outfit, and a person. Sometimes all it takes is the right textile.

Shop Studio MME here and follow the studio on Instagram here.