A little more about me

Hello! I’m so glad you’re here. My name is Sarah and I’m the designer and creator behind I Heart Stitch Art.

How it started:

It all started back in 2014. I was struggling through a very stressful season of life; we had just moved for the 9th time in 9 years, when my husband was unexpectedly let go from his job. We had 3 children under age 5. To top it off, our newborn was diagnosed with a devastating genetic disease (Cystic Fibrosis). To say I needed stress relief is an understatement, and I went looking for handwork.

I remembered liking embroidery as a child, but I didn’t have much time or energy to look for all the supplies I needed. And when I looked fo a kit to make it easy, I couldn’t find anything that I liked - the designs were outdated and the materials uninspiring. So… I decided to make my own, using beautiful rustic linen, sturdy wooden hoops, and the designs that were resting in my heart. I quickly learned that others were also seeking inspiring embroidery kits. I launched I Heart Stitch Art in 2014, from a corner of my kids’ playroom. Since then, we've booked over 16,000 sales on Etsy and have been featured by Etsy, Better Homes & Gardens, the Holderness Family, and more!

Today, I design and create embroidery patterns, then turn those patterns into easy and beautiful embroidery kits that make stitching fun and accessible. I know how healing hand embroidery can be, and I want to share it; my goal is to help others inject a little creativity into their lives!

How it’s going:

In case you’re curious, it turns out running a small creative business requires a huge variety of skill sets! On any given day, you will find me wearing any of these hats:

-photographer

-artist/designer

-webmaster

-customer service manager

-shipping/warehouse manager

-graphic designer/illustrator

-workroom/production manager

-workroom/production assistant

-supply order-er

-embroidery sample-stitcher

And more. Phew! Most days involve allll of those jobs, in some aspect or another. I have learned so much doing this and continue to learn.

Some random facts about me:

-I have a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Art History, but never thought about making art until starting this business.

-I am a mother of three amazing children - two daughters and a son. My eldest daughter is 16, my son is 14, and my youngest is 10. They all help a lot in the studio, doing fun and important things like taking stickers off hoops, sticking needles on cards, giving input and advice on colour selections, and so on. I’m quite certain all three of them are smarter than I am. Two out of three are now taller than me. Being their mom is really cool.

-My husband John and I have been married for almost 20 years now - where that time has gone, I have no idea! We’ve had a lot of adventures. I am the creative, disorganized side of our business; he is the sensible, make-sure-the-numbers-add-up side. Needless to say, I couldn’t do this without him! He can juggle and was once hit by lightning, just so you know some cool facts about him too.

-We live on the West Coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island. My husband grew up here. I didn’t grow up here but my father did, and so as a child we would come here every summer. Because of this, it feels like home and it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth!

-We’ve been renovating a house for about five years now - I keep threatening to blog about it, but that hasn’t quite happened yet. One day! I love farmhouse decorating but we are still light-years away from actually decorating a thing here. Still, it’s a home that suits our needs very well right now and we love our neighbourhood.

-I have travelled around Europe three times; twice with my family growing up, and once with my husband as newlyweds. These days, I love the idea of travelling, but really my favourite thing to do is stay home. Preferably in cozy jeggings and a large sweater.

-That being said, if I did go on a trip, my ideal vacation would combine wine tours, walks on beautiful beaches, and a lot of cheese. And my husband.

-My favourite places to shop are thrift stores. You just never know what you’re going to find!

-I am a huge Friends fan - I think I can probably recite each episode by heart. My favourite movie is Pride & Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version, of course).

-My favourite hot beverage is an extra-hot Americano with lots of cream. Buuuut, I can’t do caffeine any more so it has to be decaf.

-I am allergic to bananas.

-I love cooking. But I am really bad at following recipes. I really love reading recipe books, though! Sometimes I will just check them out of the library and flip through them at night.

-I have read every. Organizing. Book. And guess what? I’m still not organized.

-I once won a pub’s Hallowe’en costume contest dressed as Marge Simpson (which I made from scratch, including a green dress and a giant blue wig... It was epic.)

Most of all:

Most of all, I am so thankful for you! And I seriously mean that, from the bottom of my heart. Without you, none of this would exist. I am thankful that I get to share the joy of hand embroidery with you.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I Heart Stitch Art has since outgrown the playroom!