My Story
Hello! I’m Amy, the textile artist and illustrator behind Cheese Before Bedtime. I’m so glad you’ve discovered me and my quirky stitchings and illustrations. My aim is to create unique pieces of art for your walls and introduce you to a more modern take on traditional embroidery. I can’t guarantee that things won’t get a little strange around here!
I live in a town called Alexandra in the lower South Island of New Zealand with my husband and 2 young children. I’ve converted a corner of our lounge into my studio space, but truth be told you’ll likely find me stitching on the couch most days or wherever the sun hits best.
My passion for modern hand embroidery, illustrations and textiles has consumed me for the last 12 years.
I have always been crafty and come from a long line of artistically talented females, but embroidery came about by accident. Instead of painting a picture for a family members birthday I thought why not paint with a needle and thread? So off I went to buy a hoop and some floss. After some experimentation I fell in love with the process. It is slow and meditative and had me hooked.
With a degree in Spatial Design, I initially headed down a Visual Merchandising career path in fashion and homewares. The pace was fast and exhilarating as there were sales constantly and windows to change out, but retail is tough and I was made redundant 3 times. I’d had enough and decided to work part time and try and sell my art on the side. I began selling work through Etsy from 2012 and this is now my full time job and I am so grateful!
What’s in the name?
I find inspiration most often hits right before I fall asleep or when dreaming. I love the myth that eating cheese before bedtime gives you strange dreams and hence my brand name was born. I’m currently inspired by nature (birds especially), plant filled interiors, chunky knit jerseys and girls with bobs, preferably pink! Quirky, whimsical, strange and delightful are all feelings I aim to create in my designs.
I won the 2019 Lawrence Summer Art Awards and made the finals for the Art Gold Awards 2019. I love advocating embroidery as ‘art’ rather than just ‘craft’ so will continue to enter art competitions as time allows.
For sneak peeks head to my Instagram page @cheese.before.bedtime