Dedicated to Dorothy May Williams
20th April 1931 – 25th February 2021
Sacred Threads by Corrina is dedicated to my extraordinary grandmother, Nin.
Nin always showed up - with guiding words, a silly sense of humour, and unwavering support. She taught me that being eccentric was a gift, that thinking outside the box was a talent, and that daring to be different was exactly what made me special. A role model of true feminine strength, she was and always will be my idol.
Nin was more than a grandmother - she parented. When I was just a baby, my parents separated, and in the 1980s that was still quite unusual. They shared custody and both remained very present in our lives, but while my dad was navigating life as a single father, Nin stepped into a maternal role alongside him, guiding and supporting both of her granddaughters through the years. She was incredibly fair - loving us both equally and supporting our relationship with both of our parents, never choosing sides but always choosing what was right for us.
Parent, best friend, confidant - she was my whole world. I’ve spoken elsewhere on this site about how my handwritten energy cards are a homage to her, and so are the bluebells woven throughout my designs. They’re more than just flowers to me - they’re a nod to the silly little songs she used to make up and sing about bluebells when I was little, moments of pure joy and laughter that still live in my heart today.
If I’m asked to describe what she was like as a person, I always say the same thing: picture an older, wiser, and definitely dafter version of me - and I say that with so much affection. Her sense of humour was one of her greatest qualities, and I’m proud to say I’ve inherited it. But don’t get it twisted - she was also one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. She knew her stuff, and she encouraged her granddaughters to reach for the stars, work hard, and always be proud of who they are.
Nin also embraced the supernatural and the spiritual. Even though she was a dedicated churchgoer, she was deeply attuned to the unseen world. I’ll never forget one holiday when we stayed in a house that was most definitely haunted. My sister and I, aged 14 and 17, took her out for coffee and nervously told her everything we had heard and seen, expecting a logical explanation. Instead, she simply looked at us and said, “I know. I hear him walking around at night.”
As I grew older and learned more about her sensitivity to the spirit world, I realised I follow her bloodline. She may not have been born into a generation that embraced it - but I was.
If Nin were still here today, she would adore what I’ve created. She’d wear bracelets up to her armpits, cherish every single handwritten card, and proudly tell everyone how clever I am - and that I clearly got her brains. I have woven, or perhaps more accurately threaded, Nin into every part of my brand, and I believe its success flows from her magic running through my veins.
She was a wonderful, kind, no-nonsense, beautiful person - and my life hasn’t been quite the same without her. It is my greatest honour to dedicate my small business to Dorothy May Williams, my Nin. May you feel her kind of magic in every piece, and know that both her heartbeat and mine are at the very centre of it all.
I will love and honour you always.
