Life & Work with Nataliia Steele of Vulcan, Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nataliia Steele

Hi Nataliia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi everybody. I will tell you my story now. I was born in beautiful and big city of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Which is very close to russian border. There were many theaters, universities, libraries, restaurants, museums etc. After my parents got married they rented little room in very little underground house. I and my brother were born there. I remember I could see people’s feet through our windows , because those windows were exactly on a ground.
We lived there for 7 years and it was my happy land.
The lady who owned that house loved me and my brother as her own grandkids. And I can tell she was my Angel who shared with me so many creative skills. She was born in 1893 and she was 70 yo when my parents started living there. Her name was Anisiya and she had so many talents doing embroidery, making laces, baking, cooking etc.
Maybe I was born with needle in my hand, maybe I was blessed having Anisiya in my life . But creation is my everything.
I started sewing in 5th grade of school when they started to teach us and fell in love with it. After school I worked in fashion studio for one year and then entered University and received education in engineering technology of sewing industry. I worked for many years making dresses for my customers and I loved it. As I lived in big city my clients went from simple working folks to famous opera singers.
In 2012 I merried American man and moved to US.
I live in little village in Upper Peninsula of Michigan now. No big cities near me and no opera singers here.
My life is full of miracles. I met one amazing girl on internet and we started to make ballroom dresses. She lives in Georgia. She had clients there. She took measurements, I made dresses and shipped it there.
After 3 years of this amazing cooperating my friend found another job and we stopped making ballroom dresses. Later, suddenly I wanted to make some bracelet for my friend. I watched videos on You Tube how to do it and fell in love with it.
I started making jewelry. I make brooches, bracelets, necklaces etc. I use different techniques and still enjoy learning something new. I still have little sewing projects, making something from scratch or doing alterations. Creation is my healing, my therapy, my everything. Especially now, while my Motherland is in danger , in War.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course as many other people I had difficult periods in my life. I was single Mom of two boys for 12 years. And my creations helped me not only to stay happy and enjoy my life… it helped me and my sons survive…

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I said in my lifestory I can do many things. But now I like to make jewelry. I always liked to make something complicated , high quality things. This is why doing my jewelry takes many hours. I love to make embroidered brooches. Some brooches have 2 mm long stitches.
Also I like to do necklaces with natural stones. I opened a new world . It seems I started to feel our Nature touching those stones.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love to create. It’s my passion. I always have different ideas. And I am very happy when I manage doing something very difficult, what I never did before.

Pricing:

• Necklace with natural stone 90-150 $
• Embroidered brooches 75-150 $
• Bracelets 25-60 $

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverstopcharming?igsh=bm9hN2tocXN2bTNw
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1MkUeFXJwM/?mibextid=qi2Omg

Image Credits
Nataliia Steele