One of my fondest memories at the start of my company over 7 years ago was when my mom first showed me how to chain stitch. I got a little obsessed with it and began stitching on everything. I loved the way they became stems for flowers on tank tops (wife beaters to be exact). It’s what started a little tee shirt business (along with Cindy Crawford showing up in Glamour Magazine wearing one of our tank tops) that grew to selling wholesale hand embroidered tee shirts to high-end boutiques across the country. Pretty soon we were shipping out boxes to department stores like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. We shipped internationally and enjoyed every bit of growing the little business. We never sold directly to consumers on a website, but that may soon change. (I always go back and forth about distribution.) We welcome custom orders and always try to keep the messages on our shirts positive.

Embroidering on shirts quickly changed from being a hobby into a business. Hopefully this little tutorial will spark some inspiration for you. Even if it’s just to pick up a needle and stitch on paper (my new obsession). Or it may inspire you to embellish something you already have. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. Happy Holidays! Thank you, Utterly Engaged, for having me contribute to your beautiful magazine.




If you’re thinking of turning your hobby into a business, read this article in the New York Times.