2025 review - A Year of Rediscovery

In 2025 I found a part of myself I thought I had lost for good. After becoming a mother in 2024 so much of my energy and identity shifted towards caring for our beautiful bundle of joy while physically recovering, however my creativity quietly took a back seat. This didn't just happen after she was born either. My entire pregnancy was the same, filled with pain, pregnancy insomnia and planning (you can read more about those struggles in my 2023 review). Part of me envies those other creatives who retain their creativity during pregnancy and the newborn stages, but another, more compassionate part of me knows that my energy was exactly where it was meant to be.

Thankfully, at the beginning of 2025, in small and unexpected ways, my creativity began to creep back through moments of inspiration, creating just for myself, and remembering how good it feels to design again. This year wasn't loud or dramatic as with the previous two years, but it was deeply meaningful. In essence it reminded me that growth doesn't mean losing who you were, it can mean rediscovering yourself in a new way. So, here is my 2025 review!

January began with an almost forgotten sense of calm. I had no events, web sales started to slow, we were all illness free, I had time to enjoy my own hobbies again (not linked to TSK), breastfeeding was becoming less frequent (side note for those who read 2024's review and wondering how I got on with my breastfeeding goal, I made it! 14months!) and Little Miss TSK was once again sleeping through the night. (Not to mention I was given a little confidence boost when I was featured in Cross Stitcher Magazine!) It was like I could see clearly again for the first time since before I was pregnant. And the first order of business? Plan Little Miss TSK's first birthday party!

This was the start of my road back to creativity. There was no external pressure, no-one expecting anything, so I could do as much or as little as I liked. It began with the small things (the invites, table decorations etc), then every creative decision I made seemed to ignite those little grey cells (as Poirot would call them) that had been dormant. One idea would lead to another, and another, and another. Before I know it I had so many ideas, including for TSK, that I couldn't wait to get started!

By the end of March I had designed and stitched two new landmark designs, two new free patterns, and two new needleminders. I'd even had ideas for two completely new product ranges! But most importantly of all, after 7 whole months of no new designs (except the Follow The Compass free pattern), I was ready to release not only a brand new landmark kit, but also a matching needleminder. Daffodils at Warkworth Cross Stitch Kit with it's matching Northumberland Flag Needleminder was the perfect addition to our growing Northumberland collection, and I was so thankful for the response to it. This was it, it felt like the beginning... again and once again I began to believe in myself. Maybe I do still have it in me? Maybe I haven't lost my creativity completely?

As a thank you for all the support I released another free pattern in April to add to the Northumberland collection. It always surprises me how many people don't know that Northumberland has it's own tartan, and I think it's important that we celebrate these local cultural nuances, so I created the super simple Northumberland tartan heart free pattern.

This monochrome, pattern-based design sparked yet another idea, and it was a big one. Anyone who knows me knows I love patterns and symmetry, so I designed something totally new and I had an absolute ball doing so! With this new design I could celebrate pattern and historical design principles (still in a modern way), while celebrating the love of place that is so integral to TSK. While a few have seen my progress on this project at events over the past few months, and those who view my Facebook or Instagram stories may have seen the odd snippet, that's all the info you're getting from me on that one at the moment!

With all this creativity resulting in more kits, space in the workroom began to become an issue again, so in May the decision was made to put a couple of kits into clearance at 40% off. There are a few left of each but when the remaining stock is gone the kits wont be returning.

I've definitely found the constraints of my attic room (also used as a spare room and as a space for drying clothes) more restrictive than ever this year. While I would love to have a dedicated studio space, I just don't know if it's the right decision for us at the moment, financially and logistically. So, for now, I'll just have to work with what we have!

Speaking of risks, I did take a pretty big one this year. I built TSK by creating cross stitch kits that celebrate the places we know and love in the North East, and as such have developed a predominantly North East audience. However, I often get asked to create kits of elsewhere, and it was always my goal to create kits of the places people love all over the UK. There is never a consensus as to which place to do, so I decided in the spirit of creating for myself this year, to create a design that means something to me. Problem was, it's far from the North East... like really really far, so I was convinced it would go down like a lead balloon (pun not intended). How wrong I was! At the end of June I released our Clifton Suspension Bridge cross stitch kit with matching Hot Air Balloon Needleminder AND matching free children's cross stitch pattern, also featuring a Hot Air Balloon. I knew I loved this one but I wasn't prepared for how much my audience would love it too! Even my wonderful North East customers were snapping it up!

Apart from the Clifton Suspension Bridge release, and designing a new Christmas cross stitch kit (more about that later), June and July were spent enjoying summer days with Little Miss TSK. She's fully entered her toddler era and it's so much fun! I love our little chats as she's learning to talk, our adventures now she's steady on her feet (though we're still working on walking in the right direction). We spent our days at the park or on the beach, getting to know the wonderful person she was becoming.

There was no big summer holiday abroad this year, instead we spent more time enjoying what the UK has to offer. We had long weekends in North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire with friends, and Edinburgh (our first childfree weekend to celebrate 10 years since Mr TSK and I met), and day trips including to Warkworth in Spring and Kielder at the end of Summer to celebrate the release of our Ospreys Over Kielder cross stitch kit in August. (Let's just say if you read those blogs about our days out you will see how much of a learning curve we are on!)

The Kielder Water design actually means a heck of a lot to me, not only because I love the place (even though I do), but because this design was the first one I created this year, the first one in years that I'd designed purely because I wanted to, and it was the first evidence my creativity was returning, giving me so much hope. However, no-one, and I mean no-one had ever requested that I do a kit of Kielder, but I did it anyway. And yet, it's since been one of my best sellers this year!

Not only that, but a funny thing happened when I released Kielder... I suddenly got a HUGE unexpected surge in all the other kits, in particular the Bamburgh Castle kit. This surge made August 2025 my third most successful month on the website EVER! Thankfully, my lovely friend Anna was there to help for a few days, otherwise I'm not sure how I would have coped.

September marked the beginning of Christmas at TSK, with the Christmas bauble kits returning, then in October a brand new Christmas cross stitch kit, Saltburn By The Sea Baubles, was released. Again, creating a new bauble kit was something I just couldn't managed last year, so I was thrilled to create and release this one. I know the pink isn't everyone's cup of tea, but personally I love it, and to be honest, this year, that's what mattered the most!

October also saw the release of our new limited edition Tyne Bridge needleminder, after which we dived head first into Christmas market season. I feel like I barely looked up for the next two months, and yet again, by December I found myself exhausted and ill.

I described it to a friend like from August to December I constantly felt like I was being chased. Chased by the fear of not making enough money to see me through the inevitable quiet period, not making enough kits for markets, not being able to keep up with web orders, or of unexpected wholesale orders coming in at the most inconvenient times (I actually cried at one point when one massive wholesale order came in less than a week after one of a similar size, both of which were either side of Living North Christmas Fair). It's no wonder really that I've now had a cough for 5 weeks, tonsillitis for 3 weeks and am currently on my second lot of anitbiotics in 3 weeks. It's made me realise that something needs to give, not only for my health's sake but also for my family's sake. So, next year, there will be some big changes, particularly with the amount of markets I attend.

One thing I wont be removing from the 2026 itinerary, however, is the TSK Cross Stitch Christmas Party! One of my crazy ideas this year was to host a Christmas party for my customers, and honestly I thought it was all going to fail at one point. However, our Stitch & Sparkle event with drinks, treats, cross-stitch themed crackers, goody bags and wonderful company turned out to be the best ending to the Christmas season!

Since I finished for Christmas Mr TSK, Little Miss TSK and I have enjoyed some much needed family time, including time with extended family, seeing Little Miss TSK properly engage in the Christmas traditions that I loved as a kid, and even having a child-free night away to Matfen Hall, which seems to have become a welcome tradition for Mr TSK and I.

Overall, 2025 has been full of creativity and overflowing with ideas while regaining my hope for the future of TSK. I designed and released 3 free patterns, 3 needleminders, 4 new kits, and I even have not one, not two, but THREE new designs ready to go for 2026 (including two totally new product ranges!). I also had my best annual web sales ever, my best sales month ever (November), my best summer sales ever, and gained 6 new stockists!

As ever, I wouldn't be where I am without a lot of supporters, so thank you to my customers who have continued to buy from me, read my emails and join me at events. Thank you to my wonderful friend Anna for helping me keep on top of making kits. Thank you to my Mum who at the beginning of the year gave up a lot of her own time to look after Little Miss TSK so I could work. And the biggest thank you goes to Mr TSK who remains TSK's biggest supporter and has taken on a hefty amount of parenting over the past few months.

2026 will be different and full of change, it has to be, but I fully believe that it's going to be a brilliant year!

See you next year!

J xx