The first International Women's Day (IWD) was celebrated on March 19th, 1911, by over one million people in Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
IWD initially had no set date - typically, it was celebrated in late February or early March. The United Nations began celebrating IWD in 1975, and in 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim 8th March as the official holiday for women's rights.
Now, 8th March every year is marked as International Women's Day! A global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
A simple way to celebrate International Women's Day 2024 is by honouring the women in your life! Get in touch and let them know they're special and the ways they inspire you.
You could also support women-owned businesses - cheer them on by liking, commenting, and sharing their content, or purchase one of their creations. Some of our favourites are Martha Brook, Mustard Made, Crafter's Companion, Steel City Stitchers, Slabb Chocolates, Cotton Twist, Nutmeg and Arlo, Cosy Chocolate, Jenerates, and Crystal Parade.
Did you know needlecrafts were once viewed as unimportant 'women's work'? You can easily pay homage to the fantastic work of stitchers that came before us by picking up a WIP of your choice and thinking about them and their history while stitching.
Purple is the colour of International Women's Day! Put on your favourite purple jumper today and proudly show your support.
Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love today. Maybe treat yourself to that item you've had your eye on for a while, do that one thing you've been putting off, and have the courage to try that new creative endeavour. You can do it!
Today, we're celebrating by putting a spotlight on the women behind Caterpillar Cross Stitch and our awesome community.
Sally Wilson founded Caterpillar Cross Stitch in November 2015. Whilst on maternity leave, Sally left her career in law behind and bravely decided to pursue her real passion - designing bright, modern, beginner-friendly cross stitch kits.
Long hours were spent in 2015 hand-winding thread cards at her kitchen table, until the first official Caterpillar office opened in January 2020.
9 years later, Sally has received multiple awards and been shortlisted in the British Craft Awards, Woman Who Achieves, Natwest Every Woman, Best of Craft, and Craft Business Awards, the Caterpillar Facebook community has over 19,000 friendly, supportive stitchers, and we have a wonderful team of 15 people across 2 offices and remote!
Katherine, our fantastic Fulfilment Lead, is the reason your orders arrive so quickly!
A real life super woman, Katherine continued to work right up until she had her beautiful daughter in February 2023. She has recently returned from maternity leave and we're absolutely delighted to have her back!
So many brilliant ideas, including some of the thoughtful items you find in your cross stitch Advent calendar or Caterpillar Club Boxes, were thought of by the lovely Hannah.
Hannah leads the superb Production team, guaranteeing your needle minders are glued, and orders are prepared and packed to perfection. Hannah is an extremely talented baker, and is always making cakes for friends or family members. Not only do her cakes look the part, they taste absolutely delicious too!
Working alongside me for the last 9 years, Samm has been here since the very beginning and is Caterpillar's longest team member!
In the beginning, a lot of people thought I was mad for leaving a stable career in law to open a cross stitch company. Not Samm! Her positive attitude helped me to believe in the Caterpillar vision, and lead me to where we are today.
Thank you for your invaluable contributions, hard-work, and dedication, Samm.
Hard-working, creative, and an incredible team-player, we are so lucky to have Sophie on the Production team helping to prepare, pack and perfect your orders.
We're delighted to have someone as special as Sophie on the Caterpillar team.
Our lovely Production Assistant, Lucy, is a proud Liverpudlian. A creative at heart, Lucy has a particular interest and talent for photographing people, pottery, sewing, and baking.
Lucy is one of the most hard-working, dedicated people I have ever met! She is a real asset to the team and always willing to go above and beyond.
Production and Creative Assistant Olivia is the youngest person on the Caterpillar team! Olivia is responsible for filming reels, thinking of innovative ideas, naming designs, and more.
Starting 8th April, Olivia will be running an exciting 'Stitch Outside the Box' challenge! Take your crafting to the next level and sign-up to Olivia's 21-day challenge here.
Molly joined Caterpillar in January 2023 as a Creative Assistant, and was promoted to Marketing Lead in January 2024!
Working closely with Sally and Olivia, Molly's role is all things creative, social media, and marketing.
No challenge is too big for Love It Stitch It Sales and Marketing Manager, Sophie.
Helping to build cross stitch design platform Love It Stitch It from the ground up, Sophie has achieved so much in a short space of time. She really is a superstar.
Need to contact the customer service team? Chances are the lovely Natasha will be handling your query.
No matter what the day brings, Natasha always has a smile on her face. Her positive attitude is awe-inspiring!
If you are a part of our friendly cross stitch community, you will likely have spoken to our friendly Social Media Assistant, Carla.
A truly special person, Carla is happy to help everyone and anyone!
A special mention for our wonderful Facebook group admins - Carla, Charlie, Claire, and Nicky, and of course, our wonderful Stitching Social hosts, Carla, Annie, Charlie, Nicky, Mandi, and Sue.
A huge thank you to these wonderful women, companies dream of hiring people like you.
Brand NEW 'North American Adventure' SAL opens for pre-order on Friday 12th April at 5pm UK time and we're so excited to share the details with you.
Calling all cross stitchers! Come with us on a stitchy road trip around North America, where creativity meets adventure. Join a supportive community of crafters, celebrate milestones, and share the joy of creating a fun, travel-inspired masterpiece.
Maybe you're a crafting fanatic, or maybe you're a complete beginner looking for a new, creative hobby? Either way, you will adore the fuss-free Caterpillar Club subscription boxes!
The quirky design features decorative bookshelves where colourful novels, a plant, and a globe, are wearing adorable happy faces. The project is complete with easy-to-follow instructions, an A4 colour printed pattern, DMC stranded cotton, 1 DMC branded needle, white Zweigart 14 count aida fabric (recommended for beginners), and a pre-sorted Carlos the Caterpillar thread holder.
Caterpillar Cross Stitch are honoured to be the next crafty small business chosen to help raise money for Cats Protection! We have designed 3 unique, wooden, cat-shaped decorations for you to personalise with little cross stitches.
You'll have heaps of fun, learn a new, crafty skill, and have a beautiful, finished craft project to show off to your family and friends, all while raising vital funds for the UK's leading cat charity.