There was once an elf named Fae who lived in a small village deep in rural New Zealand.
Fae had a secret passion for sewing and creating beautiful bags, but she could never let anyone know. You see, in Fae's village, elves were not supposed to have such interests as they were expected to focus on more practical tasks like farming, sheep shearing and forestry.
One day, Fae noticed a lady in the village who sewed bags to sell at the market. Fae was amazed by the lady's talent and wanted to help her in some way. She saw that it took the lady almost as long to cut the fabric for a bag as it did for her to sew one.
So, every night, Fae snuck into the lady's home and cut out all the fabric, stabilizer and interfacing she would need to make bags for the market. If she had time she fused the interfacing as well. Fae made sure to be as quiet as possible and never got caught.
The lady noticed that the amount of fabric she needed was always perfectly cut and ready for her to use. She wondered who could be helping her but didn't have any clue. She suspected that it was a magical occurrence and didn't think too much about it.
Months went by, and Fae continued to help the lady. The bags the lady made were becoming more popular, and she was selling more than ever before. Everyone loved the high-quality finish and shiny bag hardware.
Eventually, the lady went to the market and asked the other stall-holders if they knew who was helping her. One of the vendors told her that they thought they had seen an elf sneaking into her home every night.
The lady was surprised to hear this, but she was very grateful for the elf's help. She went to Fae's home to thank her and was surprised to find Fae sewing a bag.
Fae was embarrassed and worried the lady would be angry and think she was trying to compete with her or would laugh at her attempt. But the lady was thrilled. She offered to teach Fae some new sewing techniques and even gave her some fabric and zippers as a gift.
From that day on, Fae and the lady became close friends, and Fae was no longer afraid to share her passion for sewing with others.
And so, Fae's secret was no longer a secret. She had found a friend who appreciated her talent fir cutting fabric, and together they created beautiful bags that brought joy to everyone who saw them.
The bags the lady made were still the talk of the market, but now everyone knew they were made with the help of a talented little elf named Fae.
Story and images created by Katey Rudlin and DALL·E
