My mother used to sew all my dresses when I was a child. She always made my Halloween costumes, too. I loved the year that I was a unicorn... She constructed a headdress that snapped under my chin, like a helmet, out of pink and white felt with a mane of pink taffeta. then she attached a horn to forehead. The horn was covered in sparkly, gold fabric that I LOVED and had chosen myself at the fabric store. The horn ended up being a bit heavy, so it drooped a little, but I absolutely adored that costume and I barely noticed this teeny flaw.

Yet, I never wanted to learn to sew. I remember thinking it was magical how my mother could produce lovely Sunday dresses, even fancier Easter dresses, costumes for plays or simply repair the hole in Teddy's little foot just by whipping out her green sewing box. I'm the youngest of 7 children and we grew up in the Mormon faith. So, being the black sheep that I was, I shunned anything that even suggested domestication or motherhood or wholesome.

But last summer, when I was 28, I stumbled upon a cross stitch pattern right here on Etsy. It was a little Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winfield in my favorite movie, "Pulp Fiction." And this sweet little guy was stitched next to "ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER, DO YOU SPEAK IT?"

I fell in love.

I ordered the pattern, doggedly finished the pattern, and even though it turned out pretty damn ugly and definitely messy, I was hooked. I devoured this website and any other I could find, reading about techniques, floss, crafters, philosophies, and history. I quickly discovered a gift for hand embroidery and began to assemble a collection of DMC embroidery floss, fabrics, needles, memberships to different websites and community crafter groups... I suddenly understood those people who used to baffle me: the ones who spent every penny they had on their "hobby." Because I finally felt what they did-- that NEED to be getting better, learning, never thinking, "Ok, I know enough now." I am always striving to learn a new skill. I bought my own sewing machine. I began making stitches for my friends, they started to request them, they started to offer me money for them. They suggested I open a shop and I didn't think I could possibly stand up to the ones already here. But then I realized that I don't suck. I'm good at this. And I love to do it. How many more chances would I have in my life to do something I truly enjoy AND get paid for it? Who knows? So I turned my fear over and found a little confidence. And HELLAstitchy became just that.