i van Niekerk lives in Newlands, Cape Town, and much of her latest inspiration comes from the breathtaking scenes on this side of Table Mountain. Di began with needlecrafts at a very young age and is passionate about all embroidery but ribbon embroidery combined with stumpwork is her absolute favourite. She has taught all types of needlecraft for more than 20 years throughout South Africa, training self-help groups in the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, teaching them candlewicking, quilting and ribbon embroidery. Battling to cope with the long waiting list for classes Di decided to package designs with step by step instructions in kit form so that different groups could start their own classes secure in the knowledge that the instructions would guide them. This soon developed into a fully-fledged mail order business with orders for ribbons, books and designs dispatched all over the world. In addition to hand painting her own range of silk and organza ribbons and marketing them to retail outlets worldwide, she runs two busy embroidery shops in Cape Town. Author of several books on needlecrafts, Di&＃039;s 5th book, Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork, has become an international bestseller.