Already as a child I had a deep love for colors and textures, and textile arts as well as painting were an important part of my life since then. Educated in crafts and needlework in school as well as at home, it was very natural to me that I took up embroidery and stitching during schooltime, university, and later after being at home with my (then) little baby in 1989.
I took up stitching again then, but I changed ready bought patterns so they accomodated my own taste of color and shape and soon friends and family proposed that I make my own :)) The first designs were made with crayons on math graph paper and from there I went on. From these first designs, I self-published and worked additionally freelance for some German craft magazines and stitching companies for a few years.
After finding what was available in USA in materials compared to Germany – I thought I was in “designer’s heaven” and my imagination ran wild with variegated threads, silks, metallics, beads and all the pretty Stash Stuff available for embroidery! I tried my fingers and needles at many different techniques – one particular love of mine is Silk Ribbon Embroidery.
My goal as a designer is to incorporate many interesting and challenging materials as well as stitches “beyond” cross stitch to make the finished embroidery worth the time and money which is involved with them.
Over the years I invented the “Mandala Gardens” which are my “trademark” and began to publish designs and projects online in classes and “Mysteries”.
Chatelaine Designs has become not only a very important part of my life and dreams but as well popular among stitchers and embroiderers – and each year I try to invent new, challenging and entertaining designs for your stitching pleasure! My designs are inspired and influenced by gardens of the world (and my own little one, which lives in a certain chaos) as well as art and architecture of all kinds of places and times. You could as well say: All things around me influence my ideas and designs.
Yours,
Martina Rosenberg
Châtelaine
Martina died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2017. We mourn for her.