Welcome to Victory Stitches

Welcome to my little blog! What is Victory Stitches and who am I? Well stick around and find out 🙂 I am hoping to update on a regular bases – wish me luck!

Victory Stitches in my little shop in Hillsborough New Brunswick Canada. I carry hard to find in Canada Riley Blake lines, lots of Lori Holt, Liberty of London & more. Where is Hillsborough? Well its pretty easy to find, follow the FUNDY signs on the highway in Moncton, follow Route 114, otherwise known as The Fundy Trail. you will go through Hillsborough on your way to amazing places like Hopewell Rocks (10 mins down the road), Albert County Museum & Fundy National Park to name a few amazing places.. however there are more.. lots more!

My shop is a mix of quilting, sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery & cross stitch. I have 2 locations, why? because who wants to be simple? lol! In the warmer months I am in the blue studio hut at the Artisan Village near the visitors center in Hillsborough. The cooler months I’m in the main shop, 2840 Main street, part of the Gateway Market complex.

Artisan Hut – You will find me there days in May & June, all of July & August, most days of September and October. I carry quilting cotton by Riley Blake, Liberty of London, Lori Holt and more in fat quarters, 1/2 yard and 1 yard cuts. Its like a candy store for quilters! I also have lots of local handmade items, cross stitch & embroidery kits & supplies, Sue Daley English Paper Piecing, and this coming year.. some yarn too! I provide tourism information as well.. if you want the full tour of this part of the Fundy trail.. come on by for the full map tour, you wont be disappointed! Be prepared for a full days adventure, or two.. or three.. its worth staying for a few days so honestly just plan to be here for a few days 😀

The Shop – The shop is a full shop, bolts, fat quarters, 1/2 yard cuts, lots of notions, a stitching section, a yarn nook, classes etc. I am there Jan, Feb, March, April & days in May… then back for some days in Sept & Oct, and full time again Nov & Dec. In the summer months I will be open by request on any hours outside of artisan hut hours if you want to see the full place or for any of my local customers.

Stitch & Tea – This is a fun stitch night at the Hillsborough Legion on Tuesday nights 7-8:30. Its bring a mug and a project and chat away!

Who am I? Im Vall. Together with my husband Klaus, we grew up in Milton Ontario and moved here to Hillsborough Nov 2021. My background is not in the crafting industry, but industrial automation, the world of sensors, manufacturing & the supply chain. I have found the change hard and do miss a lot of aspects of my former career, but it was time to move on from Southern Ontario. It was scary to change everything, we miss friends, family & some places but its been for the better. Our dogs Scouse and Ella have much better lives here, we love the area, the people have been amazing and life is much less stressful. I do have kids, they are both grown, married and left Ontario way before us with no hope of moving back due to the high cost of living, I miss them a lot, but we are still a plane flight away, just like before.

I love my gardens here and the history in this area is mind blowing. I’m a history buff with a fascination of 1920s- 1940s. Planes, politics, axis & allies, battles & the home front. I can’t wait to share some of the incredible stories and places around here with you all.

Why open a shop? I have always knit, sewn & crafted but found it hard to get the fabric I wanted in Canada,. When we decided to make the big change I wanted to open a shop so there was a good source for vintage modern fabric. My main creative influences have been wartime home front, art deco, art nouveau, more modern Cath Kidston & Tilda. I browse through my vintage craft books all the time and always on the look out for more.

I’m not sure what all the directions this blog will take but expect a mix of projects, history, places to explore, pretty pictures, a few recipes, what’s new in the shop etc.

Cheers! Vall.