This week’s Friday Feature is the lovely Sarah from Thread The Word. With a passion for using reclaimed textiles whenever possible (that would otherwise go to landfill), Sarah hand embroiders bespoke gifts and artwork for people to cherish and treasure for years to come.
Let’s get to know more about the creative woman behind the small business…
Absolutely. And not just in the sense of my embroidery work, in lots of aspects of my life I’m looking at things through a lens of wondering if and how I can tweak them to make them different/more fun/work better for me.
I’ve always really loved making things – drawing, collage, friendship bracelets, whatever. My parents aren’t especially arty but have always been really encouraging of it as an interest, whether or not it was very good (spoiler: it rarely was) because that’s never the point. So I feel lucky I was always given space to explore those things from a very young age, even though it was probably so annoying having it all over the kitchen table.
I’ve always said that using my hands opens a space in my brain that I have never found another way to access. And the nature of hand embroidery is such a slow process that it feels like one of the few things in life that you just can’t do in a hurry, which feels special. Also I get bored quite easily so doing bespoke projects is so fun because truly no two pieces are the same, I get so much out of bringing my clients’ ideas to life.
I was already newly unemployed when the pandemic started (0/10 would not recommend) so I never “made the leap” into self employment. It was much more of a trip/stumble/fall situation. I left London to stay with my family the day before lockdown started with a bag packed for about 2 weeks (the idea of this new thing lasting longer than that seemed inconceivable) and at the last minute threw in a bag of embroidery threads because I had no idea how I’d be spending my days.
I had recently been creating wedding presents for the few friends who had started getting married (mostly because I couldn’t afford what was on their wedding lists, it’s the thought that counts etc etc), usually a stitched version of an illustration on their wedding invitation which I then framed.
I started the Thread The Word instagram that first week of lockdown and started posting old projects as though they were commissions for clients (pants on fire!) and slowly kept at it from there. No business plan or anything like that, mostly just thinking I would just do that until lockdown was over and I could get back to finding/doing a “real job”. And that just never happened and I’m still at it!
At the moment it’s pretty non stop because it’s the busiest time of year right before Christmas. But generally speaking, I don’t really work Monday to Friday anyway, I’m kind of all over the place depending on what projects I have, if I’m teaching workshops and anything else that’s going on. I love being able to have the flexibility of meeting a friend for lunch or going to an exhibition on a weekday when it’s not so busy. I’m a big night owl so if I’m in my studio I try to go for a long walk (normally via a post office to post out that day’s completed projects) in the afternoon and then have a second wind later which can go quite late depending on how into a project I get!
Probably how long they take! Hand embroidery is SLOW. But also how much time I spend choosing what base fabric to use and how certain elements of the design will look based on what stitch I do them in. I love how all those steps come together for the final piece to look the way it does.
Everyone always asks me if I make my own clothes and the truth is very rarely. My brain just doesn’t compute patterns, I find it so difficult. If I do make something to wear, I usually use something I already have as my template and try to work with that instead of a paper pattern to bring it to life. But even then, I never enjoy the process as much as I think I will.
So much everyday stuff! I’m a huge lover of typography and signage, I’m always noticing interesting fonts and colour combinations on branding of things. Also this year I’ve been doing a lot more painting which is a fun way to be creative for fun without needing to be concerned with what a client will think or if someone will want to buy it. And I’ve found I often have good embroidery ideas while I’m painting because it gives me a bit of space from it while still using that part of my brain.
A roller coaster for sure. My previous jobs had been for very small creative brands so I was used to the “if you don’t do it, it won’t get done” way of working but there are always new things to adapt to, as soon as you think you’ve finally got the hang of something!
I don’t know if there’s one thing I can say is the best thing, but every day I come into my studio and I can’t really believe I’ve made this life for myself. Doing something I used to look forward to doing at the end of my work day or on a weekend, now it’s all day every day. I’m so lucky to spend my days creating really special pieces for people’s homes that will long outlive me and will be part of children’s memories of growing up.
It’s always so amazing to hear when someone’s hobby or passion just kind of organically rolls into becoming their business. It’s also great to know that Sarah has found another creative outlet (painting) to give her that space when needed and keep her creativity feeling fresh and joyful.
If you would like to find out more about commissioning Sarah to create a special piece for you or a loved one, or see some of her hand-embroidered originals available to buy, head to her website: threadthewordembroidery.com – and for fun behind-the-scenes, take a look at her Instagram: @thread.the.word
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