My name is Milona Suominen, I am a self-employed seamstress from Turku and I teach handicrafts at adult education centres in Naantali, Turku and Raisio.

In addition to my training as a seamstress, I am both an artisan specialising in ancient techniques and an apprentice in traditional craft techniques relating to historical costume design and the making of national costumes. Alongside my teaching work, I create theatre costumes and undertake commissioned work under my own business name.

The history of costume and traditional textile craft skills are close to my heart. When sewing by hand – whether embroidery, leatherwork or a national costume – you get a real sense of the skills of days gone by and can see the results of your work straight away. Working at a calm, unhurried pace helps to relax the mind, perhaps after a hectic day at work.

In leatherwork, you can start with a key ring and work your way up to making a bag. Traditional embroidery patterns can be brought into the modern day as wall hangings with bold designs or as traditional interior textiles, as well as being incorporated into clothing. In addition to Finnish designs, Slavic, Viking and Celtic motifs are popular not only in embroidery but also in leatherwork.

The best thing about teaching is meeting different people, seeing course participants develop as their work progresses, and ultimately watching them admire their own magnificent creations in the mirror.