I hope I’m turning a corner on how I approach taking time off as a full-time freelancer. I feel very lucky that so far I’ve had enough work come through that I don’t have to say yes to every opportunity at the expense of a trip I’d planned to take or a weekend I’d wanted to keep free. At the same time, when things slow down considerably it can be hard to remember that they will pick back up again. I really try to keep that in mind. Because not to sound cliché but it feels important now more than ever to make a point to not delay a trip or time to relax. Last summer, two different disasters destroyed places that hold such good memories for me - the flooding in Central Texas that killed over a 100 people and caused devastation and death at Camp Mystic where I worked three summers during and after college, and the fire at the Grand Canyon that destroyed acres of old growth trees and vegetation as well as the North Rim Lodge where I stayed with my parents during a trip there several years ago. Camp Mystic was planning to celebrate its 100 year anniversary in 2026 with a big gathering and I’d really thought about attending. After contentious litigation between the camp and the parents of the children who died, the camp is not even open this summer and its future is uncertain. At the North Rim, plans seem to already be in place to rebuild the lodge but there’s nothing to be done about the 100-year old ponderosa pines that burned in the fire and parts of the park that have become unrecognizable. I’ve talked for years about wanting to do a rim-to-rim hike that would include a visit to the lodge that still has such a presence in my mind. I never imagined a time when these two places would be so transformed by tragedy and potentially gone completely.

All this to say that I am trying to have a better perspective on the value of taking opportunities to do and see things when they come around. When I started this Substack in 2024, it was during a year when I felt like I took too much time away from home and work and that stressed me out in a different way. I guess like so many things it will be about finding a balance. I don’t want to look back on my life and see a pattern of choosing not to do things.

Thankfully I had lots of really exciting jobs and projects come my way during the first half of this year, and I want to give them an encore!

Live stitching at the Phillies Preview Event

My love for the Phillies has only grown so I cannot tell you how thrilled I was for the opportunity to return to Citizens Bank Park (where the Phillies play) to do live stitching during the Phillies Preview Event, celebrating renovations to the stadium and the beginning of baseball season. Attendees included players and their families, plus executive staff members, local influencers, etc.—a guest list that left me pretty starstruck, I will readily admit! This was also the first event where I had to assemble a team to help me with the demand. I brought on three additional chainstitchers, two assistants, and one runner to act as a buffer between guests and the stitchers. Figuring out all the logistics was quite the undertaking but the hard work paid off and the team did an incredible job—things went really smoothly and folks seemed so excited about the activation. It was also so fun to work directly with other chainstitchers, two of which I had not met in person before though I’d admired their work from afar/on Instagram. It felt great to break the seal on organizing such an operation with an event that felt like a major success!

Stitching a jacket for Hayley Williams

I got to check off another very exciting bucket list item this year - stitching a gift piece for a visiting artist! Hayley Williams of Paramore sold out two shows at Franklin Music Hall here in Philly, and The Bowery Presents asked if I could design and chainstitch a custom piece to give to her as a thank you. I’ve seen several other chainstitchers do this kind of work (and create some really cool pieces in the process) and had always hoped I’d get a chance to do it myself. For this piece, I was given her Y2K-inspired website as inspiration to create something to commemorate the dates she was playing in Philly this year, plus the dates she performed in the same venue when it was known as the Electric Factory with Paramore back in 2007. The jacket I was stitching on was a vintage piece from the Electric Factory, so I also added a Franklin Music Hall chenille patch to bring it all full circle. This was my first time stitching pixels and I think it all turned out pretty well!

I wasn’t sure how she would receive the jacket or if I would ever know her reaction to it. But the day after her first concert, I was sent a video of her wearing it at her afterparty, eating ice cream and absolutely getting down (there was also an article in the Inquirer about the party, where she was photographed wearing the jacket). I think that’s a good sign :)

Illustrating and stitching the Bok Spring Open Studios flyer

Something I’m always trying to do more of is combining my own illustrations with chainstitching, and this project was able to be the perfect opportunity for that. Kelley of Scout (the managing company at Bok, where I have my studio) approached me about creating the flyer used to advertise the upcoming Open Studios and was really excited to incorporate chainstitching into the design. The result was a true labor of love - I got to illustrate my first impressions of attending Open Studios as a visitor, back before I was a Bok tenant and knew my way around. I wanted the design to reflect how I felt then, wandering around the building without a clear idea of where I was going, finding stairways that led to something unique, fun, and always unexpected. I also wanted the design to highlight Philly’s collective emergence from one of the darkest and coldest winters in my recent memory. It was finally spring, and Open Studios was the perfect reason to get out of the house and see some cool spaces before inevitably ending up on the rooftop at Bok Bar for the best view in the city. I’m really grateful for this project which pushed my skills and style in a way I didn’t know I needed!

There have been many other really wonderful live events (like this super fun collab with Wawa, and working with my pal Kylie on this World Cup-themed evening) and fun studio projects (like this shop jacket and this personal project for my band) that have come my way so far this year. Check out my website and Instagram to see more!

Life updates

Here are a few other things I’ve been up to, in no particular order:

• I started swimming! I’d been looking for ways to mix up my workouts with the intent on building strength and preventing injury and so in addition to running, biking, and lifting weights, I’ve added swimming to my weekly routine. It’s quite something to be truly alone with your thoughts for a solid 30 minutes (yes, I’ll admit am considering getting waterproof headphones) and swimming is an activity that exhausts me like no other but mostly in a really good way. I almost always come away from it feeling stronger, gently stretched out, and glad that I did it. Now I want to sign up for a triathlon!

• I’m all in on audiobooks. Sometimes the narrator’s voice annoys me but only once has it prevented me from finishing a book (and that wasn’t the only issue). I love having a way to read while I am working and have joined the masses in extolling the qualities of Libby, which is primarily where I get my audiobooks if I have the patience to wait for them. Highlights this year include The Possession of Alba Diaz, American Wife, Wild Dark Shore, God Spare the Girls, and Yesteryear (which I will admit I read via Spotify because the wait time seemed endless)

• I got refitted for a bra for the first time since high school. Yep, that’s right! Not sure what took me so long but I definitely believed that underwire bras would never fit properly and always make me feel awful and turns out that was just a lie that Victoria’s Secret sold us all back in 2004. I’m not bitter at all!!! But I am very grateful for the lovely folks at Je Suis Jolie who helped me find my correct size and some bras that make me feel amazing.

• I’m determined to learn basic sewing skills. I have a sewing machine, I do chainstitch embroidery for a living, my mom is a great sewist - I really have no excuse. I finally sat down and reminded myself how to thread my machine and do a basic stitch (thank you to everyone who has shown me this in the past; I promptly forgot lol but it did come back as I retaught myself more recently). My goal is to be able to make banners and include that as part of my customs offerings. It’s finally feeling within reach, and I plan to do some kind of 101 lessons to solidify those skills.

• Manny and I have been playing catch, and it’s awesome. This started when we went to my family reunion in Texas where half of the relatives on my mom’s side are baseball-obsessed. We threw the ball around with my cousin’s kids (who are young but GOOD) and my uncle, and it was a highlight of the trip. Manny and I promptly got an extra glove and some bats from Play It Again Sports when we got back to Philly and have actually convinced a few of our friends to join us!

I love summer and plan to keep soaking it up as much as I can with more baseball games, time spent outside, drinks on rooftops and stoops, and taking advantage of not being so busy with work - shifting my perspective to really see it as a blessing in the moment. Hope y’all are also able to bask in the beauty of summer this year!

Milestones

First, some personal news - I ran my first half marathon and it went great!

I ran fairly consistently for years pre-pandemic but took a break partly due to developing plantar fasciitis, partly due to feeling drawn back to roller skating during the pandemic. Now I’m skating less to make more room for returning to running and the changes feel good. I trained for and ran several fun runs, including the Philly 10K for which I designed the poster. That was a major highlight of the illustration work I’ve gotten to do this year!

I met Rita Carroll of Out & Back Creative through all this - she recommended me for the poster and also suggested I run the Philadelphia Distance Run half marathon at the end of September (she’s an organizer for both races). Now seemed like it was finally time for me to go for it and I’m so glad I did. I ran a 8:56 pace and had a “sub 2” time (under two hours) of 1:57:04 and honestly feel very proud of that! More importantly felt strong and happy throughout. I’m already thinking about my next one, though I still cannot fathom doing a full marathon. Maybe someday. Or maybe not!

Another highlight of the Philadelphia Distance Run was getting to stitch at the Brooks Running booth during the expo. This felt like a major win in several ways - I got to combine chainstitching with running, and this was the first gig where I can directly trace getting the work back to a cold email where I correctly guessed the email address (shout-out to Shannon Maldonado for the encouragement to do this!). The Brooks team was fantastic to work with - their enthusiasm matched my own in having someone running the race as part of their activation. The weekend was a whirlwind - I stitched at the expo on Friday, stitched another gig at the Talbots in King of Prussia Mall on Saturday, and ran the half marathon on Sunday. I was very happy to have all of Monday to relax.

On October 25th, I was pleasantly surprised by last-year-me who remembered to mark the anniversary of starting Loop 306 on my calendar. It was wild to realize I’ve been chainstitching almost full-time as Loop 306 for one full year. It prompted me to look back at how I felt at this time last year - tentatively hopeful, cautiously optimistic about this new pivot, but also very worried about my finances and my professional future in general. This was at the end of a year of constant worry and doubt, feeling like I was not doing the right things to move myself forward. I was relieved to get booked for some exciting gigs during the holiday season at the end of last year and I am grateful that business has actually been remarkably steady ever since. In fact, I have recently reached my financial goal for 2025 and actually might be…monetarily stable for the moment? That felt pretty out of reach not that long ago. I cannot stress enough how I really did not see this as a possibility for myself in a freelance career!

Through this I learned that I actually enjoy making frequent, small updates to my website, something I used to absolutely dread. It’s actually been fun getting into a rhythm of uploading new images (with SEO-friendly file names, of course), add a new client logo to my growing list, updating descriptions to better list my services, reformatting things to flow more naturally, etc. I also learned that as with any industry or life experience, people can still ghost you - I had my first experience with that this summer. It was a bummer, but thankfully it was a small blip on an otherwise really successful year.

New studio at Bok

I am so excited to share that I am officially in studio space 517 at Bok! When I bought my second chainstitch machine this summer from Griffen at Chareco Sew (great guy, great experience, great product), it was with the intention of keeping it in a place that would be public-facing, allowing me to trade in pop-ups around town for regular studio hours. Bok has become such an institution in Philly that it seemed like the natural choice for this goal. The opportunity to share a studio with Justine Kelley and Sue Liedke came along just at the right time. To celebrate this new chapter, I asked Ryder Griffith to take some new headshots of me. You can see more shots from our fabulous session here!

I’m planning for the established studio hours for drop-ins & drop-offs to start by 2026 and know that will help make my life much easier. I don’t want to stop taking on small stitching projects but these are the tasks that can be the most stressful when I am trying to keep track of all the details & coordination that come with each project.

I am also just so excited to constantly be around other creatives, reminding me of how much I enjoyed working in the studio while in grad school. It’s going to be a blast to put together a cozy working space and we’ve already discussed future collaborations and events. Stay tuned for more on that!

Overall this year has been undeniably a success but there have also been aspects where life has become less than great. It’s a pretty clear reminder that professional success does not solve all problems (obviously, but sometimes it can feel it’s the only key to so many things that are otherwise out of reach). As I find myself pouring more time into work I’ve felt a significant imbalance with the other parts of my life. Keeping myself and our house clean & organized, taking breaks, making time to cook at home (or eat at all), being active, and getting good consistent rest have all been challenges, especially as the holidays approach. I feel myself being stretched not quite to the breaking point but to a place where I might need to reassess how I structure my days. Just yesterday, I realized I had done one full step of a stitching project in the wrong color and had to spend two hours taking it out and then restitching it. If there was ever a sign I might be overwhelmed, I’d say that was it. I’m hoping that was just the wake-up call I needed to refocus and power through the end of this busy season.

I also hope that January brings a chance to take a deep breath and direct my attention to items on my to do list that have been sitting on the back burner for quite some time. I want to revamp the long-neglected illustration side my website, update my web store to include some pre-stitched and customizable items, and stitch my first banner (maybe also invest in a grommet press?). I also want to start swimming regularly and adding strength training into my routine in addition to running. I want to sign up for another half marathon! And I want to properly celebrate my birthday, even if it’s a month late.

Emily recommends

Throwing in some of the things I’ve enjoyed this year:

• Audiobooks: mostly to fill the silence & hold my attention when I’ve run out of podcasts, which is surprisingly often. I’ve been listening to a lot of very digest-able mystery/thrillers while I stitch that have done the job (the audio versions of Lisa Jewell books have been great) but I particularly enjoyed God of the Woods, Yellowface, A Walk in the Park and A Walk in the Woods :)

• Movies: Manny and I watched a number of spooky movies during October and by far the best was Weapons. It was scary, sad, wild, and also funny? Interesting coincidence - one of the actors (Whitmer Thomas) from the movie is also comedian currently doing a tour, and he reached out to me about stitching some items to sell during his stop in Philly. I unfortunately wasn’t able to fulfill the request but he still put us on the list for his show and as a comedy hater, I actually genuinely enjoyed it!

• TV: My friends Marlena and Troy both worked on the new HBO show Task and asked me to create some special wrap gifts for the crew. For this reason alone I would have watched the show but beyond my personal connection, I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the full package of great TV - a slow burn mystery, complex characters, nuanced storylines alongside the main plot, great music, and great acting. And it takes place in Delco, so the accents and references are amazingly familiar.

Thanks for being here, and hope your holiday season is filled with warmth, good feelings, and special people!

I’ve felt really energized by this work in a way I haven’t in a while. Lately it’s felt like the perfect balance of creativity and craft for what I need right now - less on the conceptualizing front which feels like the most personal part of the process but also the hardest (and usually what makes me procrastinate), and more on head down, locked in side of things that puts me in a state where I can just create. I had a moment the other day where I felt guilty for taking a break from writing emails and other administrative tasks to work on a chainstitch project when I realized that this was also part of my work, something I actually needed to make progress on since someone had paid me to do it.

I had another moment of realization the other day that feels kind of embarrassing to admit. Part of what had seemed so unattainable with the prospect of becoming a full-time freelance illustrator was that each project would be different and therefore would require a reevaluation of pricing, terms, contract, etc. This is the part I absolutely hate - it’s hard for me to understand and so it makes me feel stupid and then guilty for not trying harder to figure it out. Having to do this over and over should make it easier over time but still, I dreaded the learning period (which, for the record, I feel like I’m still in) where I would stumble around in my attempt to appropriately quote each new project. I still really struggle with this and appreciate each seasoned freelancer who offers advice or a rubric to use for calculation (like this great one from Jessica Hische), or just assurance that this part is hard. But what I’ve found with chainstitching is that there is just enough standardized pricing for particular services that I can go into quoting a gig with a confidence I never had with quoting illustration projects. It’s decreased the amount of time I spend agonizing over whether a quote is too high or too low - I can reply to an inquiry immediately with only a few variables to calculate like travel expenses. Getting paid for what I know I am worth as an artist is a really powerful feeling!

A brief recap of May and June

As I got my chainstitching business off the ground last year, I did lots of pop-ups with local shops. This year I’ve gained 5+ new national retailer clients, doing retail activations, private events, and studio projects. I still love to work with local businesses but frankly am very grateful for the financial boost that comes from working with larger companies. Here are some highlights:

Anthropologie Denim Day

This was the event where I feel like I learned the most (did you see my notes above on how people thrive off of limitations? This event is where that lesson was learned!). It was a fun but hectic afternoon where my assistant Sharon Hillman and I stitched for members of the Anthro team at this employee engagement event. We were very grateful for the enthusiasm of everyone who got something stitched; however we were also frankly overwhelmed due to offering basically unlimited options to the number of people within a relatively short time period. I’d love to return for this event next year armed with what I know now, confident that things would run more efficiently. All in all, it was still very cool to have my first experience on the URBN campus and work with the great folks at Anthropolgie!

Frank & Eileen trunk show

This had the distinction of being Loop 306’s first out-of-state event! Manny came with me down to Washington D.C. and helped me set up and break down at The Phoenix, a lovely women’s boutique in Georgetown. Purchased F&E garments came with complimentary chainstitching, and my cherry blossom flash design was especially a hit.

Boot Barn Wilmington, DE grand opening

A new location of Boot Barn (which is exactly what it sounds like - there are practically enough boots in the store to fill a barn) opened in Wilmington and I was asked to provide chainstitch embroidery on bandanas and tote bags, complimentary to guests. I stitched on both Saturday and Sunday and both days could not have gone more smoothly. The drive was a breeze, parking close to the entrance was easy, and customers were a delight to stitch for. I hope they’ll have me back!

Natural Lands’ Stardust fundraiser

I stitched in the middle of a field, under the stars (well, under a tent under the stars - close enough) for this beautiful Natural Lands fundraiser event. Going into this event, it felt like an opportunity to put some lessons I’d learned along the way into play. I would be stitching on bandanas over the course of three hours, so limitations were going to be my friend. I set out instructions that each guest could have one thing stitched onto one bandana, and all the stitching was done in gold (one of my most popular thread colors). The night was crazy - the stitching was a huge hit and I did not stop to take any photos after orders started coming in, but the formula worked. By the end of the night I think I had stitched around 50 bandanas and only had a few requests I was not able to get to before the end of the night. It was a great experience and felt like a major success!

LOFT in Center Valley, PA

I’ve seen several other chainstitchers do activations at LOFT and was thrilled to have my opportunity come in June. They provided a great setup for my stitching station and sent me samples to stitch ahead of time to provide ideas for customers. Great day all around, and I hope to get the chance to stitch at other locations around Philly.

And finally…the GUESS x Note to Self event at the Phillies game!

The highlight of this busy season came near the end when I was asked to stitch at a private event for Payton Sartain (influencer, fianceé to Phillies relief pitcher Joe Ross, and all-around lovely person) in partnership with GUESS to highlight her podcast Note to Self. This event was such a blast - the guests were wonderful and it was just very cool to be stitch actually at the stadium, hearing the live reaction of the crowd just feet away. There were two photographers hired for the event - the awesome images you see below are by Mara Friedman. I’m grateful for all of my events but this was was extra special - I’ve become a real Phillies fan and amazed that this kind of work can exist for me.

If you’ve made it this far - I’m impressed (lol) and also thankful for your support! I’m really proud of the way this endeavor has shaped up so far. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for what the rest of the year holds for me but I also feel more confident every day in my skills and ability to earn this for myself.

Until next time,

emily

It’s 2025 and this is the second January in a row that I can say I feel the winter blues I’ve heard people talk about for years. I’d never been able to point to a particular season of emotional funk until the beginning of 2024 when I feel absolutely blah for the first few months. This year I’m annoyed to find myself experiencing it again, though this time perhaps with some burnout thrown into the mix. I’m finding it hard to muster up the energy to do much of anything that involves the extra step of leaving my house and so I’m worried about either isolating myself too much or resenting having agreed to hangouts, dinners, events, etc. If I stay out late on a Friday night, it takes an enormous amount of effort to be productive at all the next day (and I can’t even blame it on a hangover). I don’t think this is concerning yet but it sure is frustrating - I’m used to being perpetually in motion and I find myself slowing down more and more.

I was talking about this with a friend the other day and her advice was to be attentive to these feelings while also just letting them wash over me. Trying to work against them may result in feeling more tired, more burned out. Admittedly, this feels harder to do as a freelancer when I am solely responsible for getting work and making my own income, but it also feels like a valid reminder that even if I mostly really enjoy the work I need to set aside time to not do that, to not overload myself. I worked 21 live chainstitching events in the second half of the year and they were both exhilarating (people are paying me to do this!) and exhausting (my 30-ish lb machine gets heavier every time). Before chainstitching, I’d sell at maybe 2-4 markets per year, so this was a major increase and a big lesson in learning how to work through the long days. One of my goals for this year is to always plan ahead for when gigs overlap with lunchtime (so many unintentionally skipped meals). I want to make sure this business is sustainable for the long term and this feels like a small but significant way to make sure I am not utterly drained by the end of my event.

Fast-forward to May and I’m happy to say that my mindset and mood have improved significantly since January. I think a large part of it had to do with the weather - Philly finally started to thaw after months of a brutally cold winter and with that came more motivation to make changes to how I approached each day. I’m thankful to have found more rhythm in my days spent freelancing by sometimes working a little later if I take a few hours in the middle of the day to exercise, run errands, or have a leisurely lunch. This has been working for me. I’m trying to make more time for days off that might not fall on the actual weekend now that I spend many Saturdays working events. The schedule is still somewhat in flux but it’s been feeling so much better.

I’ve also just had more to do—more projects, more emails, more events—and that feels awesome since it comes as a result of the work I’ve put into making it happen. Emerging from my funk, I also wanted to channel frustration at both lack of work and not getting gigs into something much more positive and productive. I did not want to get hung up on constantly comparing my own success to others in my industry so here were some ways that I tried mitigating those feelings:

1. I signed up for some workshops. I took two business-focused workshops aimed at creatives: one from Nate Padavick of Illustrators for Hire that was all about SEO and how to make even small changes to your website to increase the likelihood of coming up in a Google search, and another led by Shannon Maldonado of YOWIE about pitching to brands and collaborators. Both were incredibly helpful and gave me the boost I needed to refocus the ways I can have more control over my success.

2. I started cold-emailing again. Specifically at the encouragement of Shannon during her workshop (and with tips she recommended on how to format emails and what to include or not), I used her advice to “be a good detective” and use this to find, or straight-up guess, the emails of people you want to reach. I’ve had some hits and a lot of misses with this, but it’s been motivating enough to keep doing it. The payoff of guessing an email correctly and getting a positive response is always so worth it!

I can’t point to the exact reason for this - I’d like to think it’s a combination of the work I’ve put in since these workshops and growing my presence as a chainstitcher in Philly via the pop-ups I’ve done since last year - but the stars have started to align and I’ve booked some really exciting gigs for the next few months. I made a loose goal to work with three new major retail clients in 2025 and I’ve already surpassed that, just for my bookings through June. This comes as a huge relief in so many ways. I feel like to some degree I can relax a little now that business has picked up, but I also feel more motivated to keep up this momentum. I’m hopeful that this is the next stage of freelancing for me, feeling like I really know how to use the tools to obtain consistent work while also knowing how to reset and regroup during slower seasons.

Speaking of exciting bookings on the horizon, here’s where you can find me in and around Philly during May and June:

• May 17 - stitching from 11-6 for the Frank & Eileen trunk show at The Phoenix in Washington D.C.

• May 23 and 30 - stitching at At My House during their late night shopping hours on the 23rd, and on the 30th from 2-3 PM, WHYY will be filming clips for an upcoming segment featuring Loop 306!

• May 31 & June 1 - stitching from 12-4 each day to celebrate the opening of Boot Barn in Wilmington, DE

• June 7 - stitching from 10-4 at LOFT in Center Valley, PA

• June 28 - stitching from 1-4 at Tecovas in King of Prussia Mall and then later stitching from 5:30-8 at Sweet Juice Fest at Awbury Arboretum in Philly

It’s going to be a hectic few weeks but I couldn’t be more grateful for all these opportunities. I’m excited to share images from these events and more!

~

While I’ve been focusing on getting live chainstitching gigs, I’ve also been busy in my studio. Here are a few highlights of larger pieces I’ve had the pleasure of creating:

While most of my recent energy has gone into chainstitching, I’ve also been hired for some fun illustrations that have made me exercise creative muscles that were feeling a bit rusty. Once those pieces have been published, I’ll share them here as well. For now, please enjoy the shirt I design for our massive family trip to Hawaii in March:

Until next time!

-emily

There’s a lot about 2024 that I’d like to do differently in 2025. I’m hoping that next year will be lighter on travel and that the trips I do take are fun, diverse experiences. I’d like to scale back slightly on live stitching at markets and do more paid stitching events and studio projects. I’d like to spend a week in January or February just for myself at home, pouring concentrated time into strengthening my illustration portfolio, stitching new projects, and indulging in a TV series that I’ve never felt I had the time to watch (I’m open to suggestions on what this should be). I want to apply to grants and residencies. I’d like to diversify my workout routine and split it more evenly between skating, biking, and running - and adding some strength-building into that somehow. I want to cook more and host dinners and pick up where I left off on decorating our home to feel specific to us, unique, cozy, and warm. And I want to make more money in 2025. I’m sure I’ll set more goals when I make the “More/Less” list I’ve been creating annually but this feels like a good start.

But before the year wraps up, I have a lot to do. I’m in the middle of a solid month of booked-up weekends working markets and retail activations. If you are local to the Philly area and would like to get something stitched before the holidays, here is where you can find me:

• 12/6: live stitching for the grand opening celebration of the Souk, 6-9

• 12/7: live stitching at Three Potato Four in Media, PA, 12-3

• 12/14: live stitching (and maybe selling prints) at Good Goods Market in Lancaster, PA, 10-3

• 12/15: retail activation live stitching at the Reformation on Walnut St., 1-4

• 12/20-21: retail activation live stitching at Tecovas in King of Prussia Mall, 1-4

I’m really excited about all of these opportunities. It’s been such a joy getting to know and work with so many small businesses this year through live stitching. And it’s really exciting to know I’ll have several retail activations under my belt going into 2025. Those are the most profitable of all my stitching events or projects and I’m very grateful to have gotten those gigs. I’m looking forward to more in the new year!

A few recommendations from my year

Here are a few pieces of media I consumed in 2024 that really stuck with me.

Books: I spent the entirety of the flights back from Japan reading The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. It’s unusual for me to be so engrossed by a book for such stretches of time, but the storytelling was great, the story itself was the perfect balance of fantasy, magical realism, and historical fiction, and the characters were so fun that it held my attention for hours on end. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by Bardugo and was delighted that this measured up in a great way. I also read Wild by Cheryl Strayed via audiobook earlier this year and have not stopped thinking about it since. So much of it resonated with me in ways I wasn’t quite prepared for: facing turning points in life, examining self-destructive behaviors, and a need to be both alone and in nature. It feels like a book I will return to.

Video games: I played Hogwarts Legacy nearly to completion and enjoyed every minute of it. I’m not really a gamer gal but Manny has a PlayStation 4 and got me the game in the depths of an unexpectedly morose period I experienced in January. I grew up reading and rereading the Harry Potter books and loved being able to reenter that world in a way that felt both familiar and new. I had to relearn how to actually play a video game and was lucky to have Manny offer an immense amount of guidance in that department. I also enjoyed watching him play The Last of Us 2 and Life is Strange which was way more dark than I was expecting.

Music: I saw that a local wine bar and music venue called Solar Myth was doing a screening of The Last Waltz the day before Christmas so I convinced Manny to join me in watching it again for the first time in at least a decade (for me - he had never seen it). It’s a concert documentary by Martin Scorsese, recording The Band’s last concert after 16 years of touring together. The music is of course incredible and the number of high-profile musical guests they brought out on stage was staggering: Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Van Morrison, and more, all in one night. It was great to watch it with a crowd who appropriately clapped after the songs and cheered for their favorite guest musicians, and it was really fun to share it with Manny (who enjoyed it!)

Thank you for joining me as I process life and career on this new platform - your support means the world to me. Wishing you all a cozy holiday season and I’ll be back in 2025 with new updates!

emily

Fast-forward to now, almost a year and a half into full-time freelancing. It’s been an interesting journey, to say the least. Turns out that when you have the time to spend hours crafting emails and reaching out to art directors for editorial illustration work, there’s a much higher likelihood of actually getting the gig. While at my old job, I relished not feeling like I had to spend time outside of work contacting potential freelance clients. I found the process of cold emailing and sending out mailers both tedious and daunting (honestly those feelings haven’t really changed) and was happy for an excuse to do it only minimally. I’m glad I gave myself a break but ultimately ended up regretting this move, feeling like I was starting from scratch on building my client list. So I tried to devote time each day to scouring the internet for people to contact, writing and sending emails to potential clients, and finally giving my website a much-needed update (…still a work in progress). And maybe most importantly - I put aside any reservations I had about using personal connections to my advantage. I took what I hope was a respectful approach to this, being clear about the kind of work I was looking for and just thankful for their consideration. In all cases each person was very gracious and it led to good conversations and sometimes exciting assignments!

In the first half of 2024, I was lucky to work on some great projects. I did a cover illustration for Texas Observer, a page+ piece for St. Olaf Magazine, and two illustrations for the Washington Post, an editorial illustration and a comic. As the most known publication of the bunch, doing these WP pieces felt like a huge milestone for my illustration career. One even got printed in the paper!

You can see a PDF of the full comic here.

While I was working to build my client list for editorial illustration, I was also learning how to use the chainstitch embroidery machine I bought last October. I bought this machine knowing that I could figure out how to use it but was still quite daunted by the task - I’d never worked so closely and regularly with a machine like that before (I don’t even know how to sew and while this machine is not the same as a regular sewing machine, I suspect having that knowledge might have helped). I was learning to adjust the tension, stitch on different materials, and perfect my cursive handwriting in order to confidently stitch in script. By mid May I was determined to be ready to do live stitching at my friends’ new vintage shop grand opening event. And by some miracle, it went off without a hitch. This began a run of pop-ups all over town at various boutiques, markets, and events. I had days of only one customer and other days where I could barely keep with orders coming in over a 5-hour period. Each live stitching event has gotten better each time and I can see myself improving with each event, and that feels amazing.

In general, all of this added up to feeling like I was making good moves with both my illustration and chainstitching careers. However, one thing I have learned about myself in this experiment of freelancing full-time is that I can very easily get so distracted throughout the day, and when I lose momentum due to an interruption it can be really hard to get back into focus mode. And there was no bigger way I felt this than with all the travel I did this year.

I want to preface this by saying that I was very, very fortunate to take many trips in 2024. And to be frank: many of them would not have been possible if it were not for the financial support from my partner Manny, Manny’s family, and my own immediate family. I am extremely grateful for that generosity and what I was able to experience as a result of it - I do not take this for granted. I have many treasured memories of these new places, traveling with friends, spending time with family, trying new foods, exploring places I never thought I’d visit. Here’s a small sampling of those moments.

At the same time, being away from home so much in 2024 left me feeling like I had fallen far behind in what I was trying to build for myself as a freelancer. By the end of September I had gone to Austin, TX; Buffalo, NY; Wellsboro, PA; Grand Rapids, MI; New York, NY; Boston, MA; Minneapolis, MN; Los Angeles, CA; Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, Japan; and New River Gorge Nat’l Park, WV. I began to feel the full weight of how at this stage of my career, my own efforts as a freelancer are the only way to ensuring steady income. When I came back from a trip and realized I hadn’t lined up any projects or pop-ups because I just hadn’t had the mental focus to sit down and make that happen, I would panic. As the year progressed, I would find myself stressed to the breaking point ahead of my next trip, knowing that travel was supposed to be fun and exciting but unable to think of anything besides my dwindling bank account.

If you’ve had an in-person conversation with me this year, I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this already (and I apologize for you having to read this again). It’s been difficult for me to articulate exactly how exactly this had made me feel without just sounding like I am whining about the privilege of being able to travel far and wide. I’ve been reflecting on all of this to figure out why exactly I felt this way. Right after being laid off I definitely felt like now was the time to take advantage of not being tied to a 9-5 work schedule - freelancing meant I could “work from anywhere” (right?) and so why not say yes to every travel opportunity? However, in doing this I learned that for me personally, working on most projects away from my home studio was difficult, and the lack of structure and frequent breaks in my days and weeks meant that I was not meeting the goals I had set for myself. I think that was ultimately the explanation for my feelings of panic and stress before and after each trip. I came back to reality to realize my personal and financial goals were way off course and I didn’t have anyone to blame but myself.

I’m still working through those feelings. In late summer, I started setting more of a regimented work schedule for myself and started slowly ticking off items from my to do list. When I came home from my last bit of travel at the end of September, I got back to work with a level of focus I hadn’t had in months. I desperately wanted to officially launch my chainstitch embroidery business by the end of October, and that meant I needed to design my branding, order business cards, create new pages on my website, accumulate and organize examples of work, among other tasks. And I’m really proud to say that this time, I was able to meet my goal. My website pages went live ahead of schedule and I was even able to make myself some personal swag to advertise this launch. I’m calling my new business Loop 306, a nod to both the craft of chainstitching and my hometown of San Angelo, TX. You can read more about my studio and what I can do, and even fill out an order form if you’d like to commission something or book me for an event.

And so far, it feels like this work has paid off. I booked my first retail activation at the Tecovas store in King of Prussia Mall and was really proud of how smoothly it went (once my hands finally stopped shaking). I’m hoping to do more events like this in the near future.

I don’t want my life to be centered around work. I do want to go into 2025 with more of a plan based on my experience this year and be intentional about scheduling trips, hoping it feels more like a welcome moment to take a break. I’ve also thought taking a week or two in January where I just say “no” to everything - social engagements, weekend trips, hangouts. I’m not trying to isolate myself but I am interested to see how making these intentional choices will help me feel more prepared/less stressed to approach the year ahead and help me be able to more fully enjoy the moments away from work. Because while freelancing full-time as been tough, it’s also been extremely rewarding and I want to keep going to see what else I can accomplish on my own.

And on that note, thank you so much for sticking with me to the end! I promise not every post will be this long - I just had a lot to say this time around. I’m grateful for your readership and support and would love to hear if you have any similar experiences you’d like to share. Thank you again for being here.

Welcome to Sketches & Stitches! I’m delighted you’re here.

I have considered starting a newsletter or some similar way of chronicling my life and career for a few years, and it hasn’t ever quite felt right until now. I’m a year+ into my first real foray into freelancing full-time and I have a lot of feelings about it that I’d like to publicly share in a space that is not Instagram. This feels like the right place!

I am working as an illustrator and now also as a chainstitch embroidery artist, and I am excited to share my new website page and inquiry form dedicated to this relatively new practice. I’m calling this branch of my business Loop 306 as a reference to the work itself and my hometown of San Angelo, TX. I would really appreciate if you checked out these pages and my Instagram, shared them with friends, or recommended me to a person or business who might be interested in hiring me for my services!

Stay tuned for more - my first official post with more details about these new developments is coming very soon. And subscribe to continue to hear about new projects and life updates, get dates on where I’m popping up next with my chainstitch machine around Philly, and what I’ve been reading, listening to, or watching lately.

Thanks, and talk soon!

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