Maria Diaz

Hello my name is Maria Diaz and I am a widely published needlecraft designer.

Cross stitch and embroidery have been a love of mine since childhood. I remember the sound of my great grandmother clicking away on her knitting needles whilst my Nana patiently showed me how to work a running stitch along the edge of an old tea towel. Knitting was something I never really grasped but drawing pictures with thread really appealed.

And who would have guessed that even now having been a cross stitch and hand embroidery designer for over 25 years it still excites and challenges me. I love how the simplicity of cross stitch makes it so accessible. Whether you are a complete novice or experienced embroiderer, this basic stitch offers endless delights, from simple motifs to ornate artworks, it is such a versatile medium, with which you can achieve amazing things.

It has been a long time since I picked up a paint brush, these days I like to quench my creative thirst with thread. I love the way the light reflects of the thread and the way different threads perform differently, you can appreciate artistic merit on screen or in print but the real magic to embroidery can only really be realized when it is actually in front of you and you can see the way it reacts with the changing light and then there is the tactile quality.

I hope you enjoy my pattern books as much as I enjoyed working on them.

Happy Stitching, Maria x