Frequently Asked Questions

HELP - I have a specific sewing question/problem can you please help me with it!?
Sorry - I really can't. I have an audience of more than half a million people, which doesn't leave me a lot of time to provide specific sewing advice to individuals. If I do it for one person, I'll have to do it for every person - so to keep it fair, I can't give individualized sewing advice. Google is going to be your best friend here - seriously, whenever I have a sewing question, I just google my problem and more often than not I find the answer!

What is a good beginner's sewing machine?
I can only recommend from my own experience, but I have found the Brother JS series (either the 1400, 1700 or whatever is the newest available model!) to be an extremely easy-to-use and versatile sewing machine. It usually retails for around $100-$200, has all the stitches you'll need for the first few years of sewing, is quiet, smooth and works like a breeze!

[BY THE WAY they don't sponsor me in any shape or form - these opinions are totally my own!]

Can you wish my friend/partner a happy birthday/help me propose to my partner/send my friend a message?
Sorry! I can't do this. The reason I can't do this is because I get too many of these requests, and if I were to say yes to all of them I would spend ALL my time wishing people happy birthdays and therefore wouldn't ever be able to make any content. And I don't want to be an unpaid birthday-wisher/proposal helper just isn't what I envision my life's work being. Sorry!

What is your chronic illness?
Takayasu's artertis. Read more about it here.

Can I send you stuff? Do you have a PO box?
Not at the moment. I live in a pretty small apartment and while it's so awesome that you want to send me stuff, I'd very quickly have no room if people were sending me things!! Maybe I will sometime in the future ;) If you're a company and want to send me stuff, please email my agent (email addresses on my home page).

Can I interview you for X?
Sometimes. Depends who is asking and for what purpose. Email me. Mostly I can't, because I simply don't have the time, and I will likely read your email and never respond and feel bad about that and so here is my apology in advance. Sometimes I am able to do interviews. If your interview has interesting questions in it, then I'm more likely to say yes!

Can you help me with my school project?
Again, the answer is probably no! And again, I'm going to feel bad about it. But I get requests like this every day and I simply can't respond to every single one!

Can I make/send you fan art?
Yes, always. I love getting fan art. Instagram/twitter are the best places to reach me (and tag it with #drawpineneedle on instagram so I don't miss it). But feel free to email me if you want to send me a higher-resolution picture!

How can I show you the things I've made using your tutorials?
Tweet at me @annikavictoria_ or tag your creation #diyannika on Instagram! (Your profile needs to be public for me to see it). I LOVE seeing the things people have made using my tutorials.