I grew up in the former USSR and repairing is a big part of my cultural background. Treating my possessions with appreciation is just part of who I am. After my studies in communication design, I fell in love with embroidery.

My favorite way to use my embroidery is when it can be used to enhance a damaged garment. Any piece of fabric that stays alive longer because of it is a joy to me. I am engaged in traditional and contemporary methods of textile repair.

In addition to using my experience and knowledge privately and for embroidery orders I receive, I also enjoy sharing this knowledge in upcycling workshops.

Visible Mending is a repair technique that I stumbled upon by accident.

When I first started embroidering, I didn't own any knitting tools. Being the pragmatic person that I am, I started by embroidering stubborn stains on my own t-shirts.

Eventually, I discovered that this is called 'Visible Mending'. Now I am proud to be a part of an ever-growing community engaging in value-preserving and educational work all about maintaining beloved garments.

I specialize in small, colorful embroideries to either repair or enhance a garment. Often, I take inspiration from the shape or origin of the defect and then continue to work free hand (without a preliminary drawing), with great attention to detail.

Tessa Perlow - her diligence and ability to create large scale images using embroidery, patching and beading threads has long inspired me.

Molly Martin - an illustrator, author, art stuffer who specializes in dainty Sashiko repairs.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, preferably creative interviews.

If it's worth buying a garment, it's worth repairing it.