We Interview Mila Koira
Mila Koira runs super-popular cross stitch shop Velvet Pony. She told us all about how she found her personal stitching style
We love Russian designer Mila Koira’s fresh combination of adorable animals with cool geometric patterns. Now based in Saint Petersburg, her love of nature is rooted in a childhood growing up near the woods. She chatted to CrossStitcher about how she developed her business and what inspires her today…
What do you love about cross stitch?
For me cross stitching is a sort of meditation. I like watching how step by step my design appears on the canvas. I also love messing around with threads and picking out beautiful colour combinations.
Why did you decide to start selling cross stitch patterns?
I learned how to cross stitch when I was a girl and it quickly became my Interview by Katie Allen main hobby. A few years ago I started creating my own patterns and they seemed to be not that bad! About the same time I found Etsy and decided that I was ready to share my designs.
We love the name Velvet Pony, how did you come up with it?
There’s no story behind the name, I just like the way it sounds. Well, and I like ponies! I wish I could say the same about velvet, but actually there’s not a single velvet piece in my wardrobe!
How did you grow the shop?
The first patterns were very different and, in fact, not very popular! It took a lot of time to find my own style. The first thing that sparked interest was the first set of geometric animal portraits. Also my Instagram has done a great job – I’ve posted works in progress, photos of finished pieces, asked my subscribers which designs they would like to see and so on. It really helps.
About a year ago I started selling cross stitch kits and they seemed to reach a wider audience, too.
I really like working with simple geometric shapes to make up complex images
Can you tell us more about your geometric patterns?
I really love working with simple geometric shapes to make up complex images. I like the way the colourful triangles are always fresh and bright.
My first geometric portraits were of animals from the north of Russia. I was born and spent my childhood in a small town in woodlands there, where people are very close to nature. I’ve only seen foxes and hares a few times but they have always been around in the forests, meadows, hills and local fairytales as well, so these designs are very personal to me.
Where did the idea for custom dog projects come from?
When I released the pug pattern, I received lots of comments like, “Oh, I like it a lot, but could you please make a dachshund?” or “Are you going to create a pattern of a chocolate lab?”. I decided that I’m not actually able to cross stitch all the dogs and cats in the world but I can help anyone to make a portrait of his own pet. The customer sends me photos of the pet and then I create a sketch. We discuss it and fix the details. Then I make a pattern, manually picking up the colours of the threads, and send the PDF to the customer. There’s a kit option too.
How long does it take you to create a pattern?
When I’ve got an idea in my head it takes two to three days to make a proper sketch. Then I make a pattern and start stitching. I always cross stitch all the designs myself, replacing the colours and redoing the finished parts of the embroidery if it’s needed. It usually takes 10-15 days to finish the piece, depending on the size and the complexity of the design.
Right now I’m working on a portrait of a red panda. I hadn’t heard about this wonderful animal until recently and now it’s one of my favourites!
Can you tell us more about Saint Petersburg – do people like crafting there generally?
Saint Petersburg is a huge and sometimes pretty noisy city, but there are a lot of quiet and beautiful areas. I often visit local museums or have long walks in the older parts of the city or the parks. There are many birds and very few people on week days.
The crafty scene is growing up here now. Some stores have opened and there are so many workshops, pop-up sales and flea markets.
What are your dreams for the future of Velvet Pony – do you thinking about expanding it further?
As I run Velvet Pony almost all by myself (with a little help from my husband, a graphic designer) I don’t dream about the shop becoming really big with thousands of listings. I think I just want to keep it real and make more good stuff.