"You can't tell a book by its cover." This certainly applied to the creations of our latest speaker, Sybilla Davis. With Anglo-Danish origins, Sybilla learnt her art of cross-stitching at an early age, from her Danish grandmother.

Once her two children had started school, Sybilla found the time to concentrate on her passion and decided to make and market her cross-stitch designs. Easier said than done. The learning curve was immense, but she was lucky as she met many very helpful people on her journey.

Apart from the actual designs, (using graph paper at first and then learning to use computer programmes), sourcing the right materials took much time and effort too. Needles, threads, colour coded cards, the correct amount of each thread needed, which type of canvas to use, the completed design, stitched and photographed, even the bags needed to put the materials in - all went through the trial and error process.

Nineteen years on, Sybilla's cross-stitch kits continue to be popular. With over 100 designs now available, the Cornish collection includes 57 well-known places such as Custom House Quay, Falmouth, Glendurgan Gardens Sampler, Pendennis Castle, St Ives, Mousehole and St Michael's Mount.

So you go into a craft shop and buy a cross-stitch kit, but who is behind it all? Sybilla Davis modestly explained how she had started from scratch, with meagre resources, to move on into the world of mail orders and on-line shopping. So much unrecognised effort behind the scenes. A true example of courage and determination.

The Gylly Girls meet in the Lounge at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Western Terrace, Falmouth on the second Monday of the month, starting at 7.30pm. A warm welcome is guaranteed.