Milou Stella
This week we are celebrating Milou Stella from Moody Bright designs!
Milou & THE CREATE PLACE
Milou is the creative mind behind Moody Bright Designs, through which she facilitates both our Embroidery for Wellbeing and the Embroidery Loop workshops in the Create Place. The Embroidery Loop normally runs monthly on a Saturday or Sunday, whilst Embroidery for Wellbeing is normally held on the first three Wednesday evenings of each month.
When the first lockdown began, Milou was quick to reimagine her workshops to function in a digital capacity, including arranging to post materials and equipment to participants. She also developed a new digital event series, the Creative Resistance Craft Klub and has been active in facilitating workshops for our Heritage Lottery Funded project Mollies Masquerade.
Milou’s creative background is in painting and creative writing, but in 2015 she fell in love with embroidery. Not only did she enjoy the activity and its tactile aspects, but the different embroidery traditions, histories and mediums existing across the world made her all the more committed to learn, experiment and share her skills.
In 2017 Milou started a small embroidery and mending service at the Create Place, and started selling DIY zero waste embroidery kits. But it was only after she started facilitating workshops that, she says, “I had a ‘eureka’ moment.”
Milou realised that, these days, there is little opportunity for making connections and bonds with complete strangers, or people whose path you wouldn’t normally cross. She was determined to create a creative space to facilitate just that, and soon the Embroidery Loop was born. Milou has created a close-knit community of embroidery lovers, and is a committed volunteer and regular collaborator with other Create Place and St Margaret’s House projects.
We caught up with Milou to hear about her experiences of running workshops during the pandemic
Milou Stella: IN CONVERSATION
When St Margaret’s House, like so many venues, had to close last March you were quick to establish online alternatives for the community. What inspired you to start doing so?
When the first lockdown kicked in I was genuinely concerned about everyone who relied, even if only to wind down or practice a skill and meet people, on either the Embroidery Loop or the Embroidery for Wellbeing workshops. There’s a certain reliability of pace that I believe to be so important for our wellbeing as humans: conversations are established, processes are shared, we become aware of each other’s taste and we learn to trust each other and basically have fun together.
To be suddenly deprived of that seemed wrong and shocking too, so I did my best to be able to go online and continue to be there. I knew lots of people would be shielding and be feeling anxious at home alone. I actually felt that being connected online would make us feel safer, me included. It felt like a new adventure, but I hoped it would give us strength and allow us to be patient whilst the world unravelled. It was something we could all hold onto. We’re a bit zoomed out now though.
2. What have been the benefits and challenges with this new way of delivering creative activities? Has anything surprised you?
It’s still such a roller coaster! I’ve learnt a lot and challenged myself using mediums I never seriously considered before, like using Power Point to share research on the 18th century London Molly houses! Or recording myself on video, improvising myself a hybrid between a vlogger/ actor/script-writer and post-production person with absolutely no clue about any of those things. It’s been improv from day one! The cringe has been intense at times.
Delivering content and instructions when live was a bit of a challenge. Makers heavily rely on physical presence to offer support. Still though, I loved the opportunities that came my way, like making a video tutorial for East London Care and having regular C.R.C.K. sessions.
And it’s been good to have people join my workshops from other parts of the UK too. I was surprised by the amount of people who fancied a bit of embroidery and a chat. In a good way. It made me aware of how online is, in some instances, a way to be accessible for less able people. I think my understanding of my practice has shifted in new directions, and the scope too is bigger than before.
3. You delivered a wide range of workshops, have been working on the SMH Mollies Masquerade project, and also started The Creative Resistance Craft Klub. Tell us more about those and your own highlights of the year.
This whole year has been a long meditation on the importance of support and care in our society, alternating with burnout and worry and various mixed feelings.
However, C.R.C.K. was instrumental for me. It was quite a small group, but the conversations we had felt like they were the beginning of something much bigger.
The time we spent making and talking and listening to each other on Zoom showed me, once again, how important creative activities are for our wellbeing, and actually how political and urgent it is to make sure artists and communities can work together in a safe and supportive way. Creativity shouldn’t be considered a luxury for anyone, ever. It’s part of the fabric of what keeps us human.
It stirred a lot of research from my part, and a desire to engage further into art and wellbeing conversations. One of my highlights, in fact, was finding the Arts & Health Hub, a platform for creative practitioners whose work intersects with health and wellbeing practices. Being a socially engaged artist can be quite lonely, we lead precarious lives, so finding a supportive hub with people who share visions, ambitions and who can understand my practice feels like a milestone.
4. What advice would you give to someone who is interested in learning to sew or embroider but doesn’t know where to begin?
I would say: get a needle threader, so that you don’t lose your patience before you’ve even started. Let go of preconceived notions of what embroidery and sewing are meant to look like. Learn from your mistakes and remember: your mistakes are precious as they might become the best part of what makes your work original and interesting. Look for inspiration around you: shapes, colours, styles, history, whatever makes you tick. Start from that. Go with the process and you’ll get results. Also, get in touch! Follow me @moodybrightdesigns or check out my Pinterest board for inspiration
I usually share lots of Pinterest examples during my workshops, as the variety of what embroidery and stitching can be is so inspiring. I love encouraging people to think out of the box and be brave and experiment. It’s half of the fun.
Good luck!