In the Beginning

Debbie Hodge crocheted and sewed doll clothing as a child before venturing into cross stitching, fiction writing, photography, and scrapbooking in her later years. Before starting Stitched Stories, she wrote for and designed scrapbooking magazines while running her scrapbooking education site (GetItScrapped.com) as a side hustle.

Returning to What She Enjoyed: Embroidery

During the last few years, embroidery designs appeared in her Instagram feed more frequently. No matter how inspired she was to work on an embroidery project, there was little to no time. When Covid struck, she had free time and decided to give it a try. She quickly discovered a problem with the kit selections available. None of them appealed to her taste, nor did the kits give her a desirable experience. 

If You Can’t Find What You Like, Design Your Own

She started designing her embroidery kits after a few disappointments. Stitched Stories came out of Debbie’s love for personal storytelling and belief that people choose to create with motifs and colors that speak to them. Specifically, stories of the past, present, and hoped-for future.

Stitched Stories serve those who want to embrace their crafty side with a craft that’s relaxing and easily portable. It also benefits those who want more time to complete projects, offer some complexity, and contain color.

In the year since her shop opened, Debbie discovered that many crafters regularly incorporate embroidery projects into their lives and like to give their finished work as a gift. 

Hearing about her customers’ passions and what they do with their finished creations is something that excites Debbie.

To serve her customers well and happily, she keeps a narrow focus. Embroidery kits are 8-inch rounds only. The projects include 12 classic embroidery stitches, and the packaging for all of them is very similar. The kit selections allow her to create new designs without having production difficulties.

She’s also big on the process and getting support to keep the work manageable. She’s friendly with her audience, who have been kind and generous in sharing their creative preferences and endeavors.

Debbie Hodge is the founder of StitchedStories.com, where she designs, produces, and sells embroidery kits. Debbie is also the owner of the digital product business TeachWhatYouDo.com and the founder of GetItScrapped.com, where she educated scrapbookers online for over a dozen years.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stitchedstories.embroidery

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitchedstories.embroidery/