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Hand Embroidering with Tiff – The Asian Sewist Collective Podcast
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Transcript
ADA:
Thank you to Madam Sew for sponsoring this episode. More on them later.
ADA:
Welcome to the Asian Sewist Collective Podcast. The Asian Sewist Collective is a group of Asian people from around the world brought together by our shared appreciation for fiber and textile arts and our desire to see more Asian representation in the sewing community.
NICOLE:
In this podcast we explore the intersection of identities and our shared sewing practice as we create a space for Asian Sewists and our allies.
ADA:
I’m your co-host, Ada Chen, and I’m recording from Denver, Colorado. Denver is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. I’m a Taiwanese American marketer turned entrepreneur, and these days you’ll find me running my natural skincare brand, Erleia. That’s E-R-L-E-I-A. Find us on social media at Erleia Skin. Most importantly for this podcast, you can find my sewing at i.hope.sew on Instagram.
NICOLE:
And I’m your co-host, Nicole. I’m recording outside of Chicago, Illinois, the original homelands of the Council of the Three Fires, the Ojibwe, the Potawatomi, and the Odawa people. I’m a Philippine American lawyer who loves to sew, and you can find me on Instagram at Nicoleangelinesews.
ADA:
All right, Nicole, we’ve had a few weeks between recording sessions. There’s been a lot of changes in our own lives and what is happening outside of the podcast, but what are you sewing right now? What’s on your sewing table?
NICOLE:
So I have a wedding coming up here in a couple of weekends. I will say that since we last sort talked about my sewing habits and practice, I just realized I don’t really like sewing clothes right now. That’s not the season of my life and that’s okay.
But it’s a wedding. So I’m like, oh yeah, there’s always, there’s like the novelty of course of wearing something new, you know, something special. But then there’s also the reality that I don’t really fit in any of my clothes anymore. So I was trying on outfits and I was like, huh, okay, well, maybe I should think about making something. And my husband is going to wear his barong, which is a Filipino formal wear shirt.
He wore it to my cousin’s wedding in Mexico last year. and it’s not a traditional barong. It’s really more like a, it’s a cotton linen blend, which kind of makes it remarkable.
But it has a, like what’s, I think what’s commonly called a Mandarin collar.
ADA:
Yep.
NICOLE:
And my friend who has a business, I hired her to custom make, custom embroider, two rows of embroidery on it. It was the first time anyone’s ever asked her to do it. And I was like, yeah, sure.
I’ll get you the shirts and we’ll just play around with it. She actually launched some of like a product line the idea, which is really cool, but he’s going to wear it again. And I want, feels like I need to wear something Filipino because I’m the Filipino one.
Like,
ADA:
You could pull a switch and then morning suit.
NICOLE:
Yeah, oh my gosh, it’d be too hot. It’s going to be in Calgary. And so even though it’s Canada, August and in Canada is pretty warm and they’re not as prolific with the air conditioning as I’m used to and as I necessitate.
ADA:
Okay.
NICOLE:
But I purchased the pattern called the Tulip Top from Fortiv Fortiv Patterns, F-O-R-T-I-V. And I will link to it in the show notes, of course.
And this company came to my attention because they were participating in the Patterns for Palestine fundraiser. think the second or third week of it, it was originally started by Neighborhood Patterns. And they had what they did was offer 20% off all their patterns and 100% of the proceeds from those sales will go Makers for Mutual Aid, which supports several different Palestinian families who I believe are in Gaza specifically. And so I was like, I would like to support this cause. Give me a reason to spend money. That’s never a bad thing.
is a bad thing sometimes. However… I took a look at Fortiv and I might be pronouncing it wrong. And they have this tulip top, which is pseudo corset. I say pseudo because it is a tank top with princess seams, and it’s meant to be structured.
ADA:
Okay. Okay.
NICOLE:
And there’s no boning or anything like that. It’s got a square neck. And what makes it tulippy are the petals at the bottom. So there’s one, two, wait, one. There’s six pieces, center front, center back, and two side pieces.
And it laces up on the side. So what I also took a look at the, i was was looking at the, the arm scye And was like, I think that’s a good arm scye for a butterfly sleeve for a terno sleeve.
ADA:
Ooooo.
NICOLE:
Yeah. And what I, when I look at a pattern and I think, okay, maybe I can make this into one. It’s where the arm scye is wider than like a standard tank top.
because the edge of the terno has to clear my shoulders.
ADA:
Right.
NICOLE:
And so if it’s a wider strap and wider set strap, I should say, then it would be really simple for me to throw on a sleeve on there or anything with a sleeve, like a jacket, which is what I’ve done in the past.
So I am toile-ing it right now. I just cut out some purple denim. which is remainders from my purple jeans that I made earlier this summer. i don’t know if we talked about it, but maybe we can talk about it.
My first pair of jeans, it was wild, but purple denim. And the inside is going to be this remnant that I found that I purchased, who knows how long, 100% polyester, of course, but it’s a satin, crepe back satin in like a baby pink.
To go on the inside. And it’s fully reversible because it’s just tied and all the seams are enclosed. And so this is going to be my toile I had to grade the waist out. I did talk to the designer about grading because I was like, there’s so many pieces. How do I grade?
She said that I could just do the size up and tie it tighter at the top. I decided to try to just grade the sides in a little bit so I can give myself some structure. So I’m going to toile that.
And if it turns out nice, then I’ll see if I can make it in a like I have a gold satin and like a grayish brown satin.
That’s a terrible way to describe it. But listeners, if you what did you call it?
ADA:
Taupe.
ADA:
Taupe.
NICOLE:
Oh, taupe. So classy. Yes, it’s a taupe satin. And it’s got a substantial hand, but because it has to be lined, like I could line it with something heavier and then that way can give it structure.
But it’s the same satin that I used for my dress for Chicago Frocktails in 2024. So listeners, if you go on my feed, you’ll see the taupe gown. I might even cut up the gown because honestly, I haven’t worn it since then. It’s not really something. I’m not a dress person anyway. I wear pants to my brother’s wedding. Yeah, actually i might because it only takes, it only requires less than one yard and one meter of fabric, one for the lining and one for the outer. And so everything is cut and we’ll just see how it goes. And maybe I’ll have myself at least a corset top with, you know, terno sleeves. And if I’ve got extra, then maybe I’ll make like a flowy pair of pants or
ADA:
Shorts.
NICOLE:
is that is that you think that’s cocktail appropriate?
ADA:
If they’re made out satin, yeah.
NICOLE:
Yeah. OK, I’m into shorts. I’m into that.
ADA:
Like, you know, a trouser top kind of looking short with a nice wide cut.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
Oh, there’s peppermint patterns short that I have looked at in the past and I bought it. It’s without having in front of me, I want to say it’s called the Skye short because it has structured waistband and like a flowy bottom. Are you looking it up right now?
ADA:
Yep, it is Skye SKYE.
NICOLE:
Am I right? Yeah. Ooh, maybe that I do have that pattern. so that,
ADA:
Elastic in the back.
NICOLE:
Yeah, that’s what’s up. We get a level good elastic waistband and I love a flat front and an elastic waistband. But you think that would work for cocktail with this tulip top?
ADA:
Absolutely.
NICOLE:
Okay, well.
ADA:
If you’re doing it in satin, again, like we were talking just about bridesmaids, dresses and hemming before we started recording. No one’s looking at you.
NICOLE:
True, very true.
ADA:
It’s a wedding for somebody else. They’re looking at the person getting married.
NICOLE:
Very true. Well, listeners, maybe you’ll see it on my grid because I’ve been terrible about posting. I think my profile picture was from last year’s wedding that I made something for. So it’ll get an update. I don’t know.
But that’s what I’m working on right now. What about you, Ada?
ADA:
I am also wearing or working on a wedding outfit. We are going to my partner’s friend’s multi-day wedding extravaganza in Italy. And one of the traditions that we have been told that is on the schedule is the serenata or serenade.
And the dress code for that, I’m making different outfits for different days, but the dress code for the serenata is like fun, breezy, colorful.
NICOLE:
Of course.
ADA:
It starts at 8.30 at night. So I’m usually in bed by an hour after that. So let’s see. But I wanted it to be something colorful. So if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I did a wearable toile of the Just Patterns Inez dress back in April, May. And that toile…
I must confess that I cut it out. I cut the pattern itself out maybe the weekend after I had ACL surgery, so very high on narcotics. Then cut out the actual fabric on my floor because I couldn’t really move around on a table the week after when I was not on narcotics, but I was still on a lot of different meds.
And there were various, now that I’m doing this pattern again, for real, steps that I took and alterations that I took and steps that I skipped that I will fully chalk up to the fact that I was not completely there when was doing this toile.
Do I still love the toile? Yes. Do want to make some adjustments to that specific garment? Absolutely. But we are back with version two, the first wearable version or not toile I would say, because I had two fabrics that matched perfectly together and I really wanted to make something bright and colorful for this. So I have batik from one of my travels. I believe it was picked up in Kauai, I will link the fabric shop in the notes once I remember. i think it’s actually called Vicky’s Fabrics. And it was like a batik specifically made for that store. If you go back to our batik episode, you will remember that the width of that fabric is usually somewhere in the like 40 inches range, 40 to 44, 45. So it’s quite narrow and I’d already actually cut into a piece of it for another sample for something else.
So I knew I wanted to use that on the inside. And then on the outside, there was actually piece of polyester brocade. One might say that it could have probably been used for like a haul, or like ao dai kind of style dress.
It bright, bright yellow. Butter yellow is in right now, but I’m telling you this is not butter yellow. is This is like bright, not quite even marigold. Like it’s bright yellow.
And those two, the batik is like an just off white kind of egg shell-y yellow. They go really well together. And I had always struggled with what to do with that piece of fabric that I had kind of rescued from the Creative reuse store because I was like, somebody, this would be inappropriate if somebody took this and made something that, no, it’s coming home with me.
It’s been in in my stash for years. And I was like, oh, this pattern, And this dress would actually work really well if I shorten it a bit because I believe it’s kind of a midi length on the normal one. My toile was very mini and this will kind of fall around knee length.
I am looking at the measurements and it goes from a 31 and a half inch bust all the way up to a 57 and a a half. inch bust the hip is 33 and 7 8 all the way up to 59 and 7 8 so not the most inclusive but more inclusive than some of the other patterns we’re seeing out there especially for a pattern coming from i believe just patterns is french so especially coming kind of out of europe In general, I’m kind of i was honestly pleasantly surprised to see that the size band went up that far.
So not a huge kudos but a hey, i can get behind telling you this name of the pattern and not keep it from me because I think they could do better.
NICOLE:
cute
ADA:
And so we are at the stage of Sewing together the straps, which I did incorrectly on the toile. The zipper has been fully inserted. i do not have a butter yellow or bright yellow zipper, so it’s a bright blue zipper, contrast zipper for you.
NICOLE:
Cute.
ADA:
And all I have to do is finish pressing it and hemming it.
we’re start.
The straps on this dress are very thin, unlike the tulip top that I just pulled up. So there is no way you could put a bra in unless you’ve made little, you know, thread hooks and did the little loop. And it’s going to be about 95 degrees during this. So I don’t think that’s, now we’re going to insert some bra cups or figure that out.
It’s looking honestly not bad. The one mistake I did make, or two, one was sewing the sleeves. I caught it because it’s an inside out kind of construction with the lining.
Got it on itself, had to seam rip, do it again. And then when I was interfacing some pieces, which I, again, did somehow I skipped that step on the toile. is the first step.
I do not know what was happening in my brain when I was doing this toile.
NICOLE:
More narcotics
ADA:
Honestly, I think it was just…
NICOLE:
legal for injury recovery.
ADA:
I think I was just happy to be sewing anything. I had like cabin fever. When I was ironing it on, I might have gotten some onto the back of one of the straps.
So right now I’m doing the whole like, well, if I press it again and have some other fabric, will it like transfer to that fabric?
NICOLE:
How’s that going?
ADA:
It’s going, we’re getting there. I’m honestly not fussed because it’s not too noticeable, think. And again, No one’s going looking at me. We’re not serenading me.
NICOLE:
True.
ADA:
And yeah, I was very excited to tell you about it because I’ve been working more mindfully, i think, on these, especially when I was like rereading it doing it. I was like, I did not do this the first can’t wait to show you a picture of it.
NICOLE:
It sounds so cute. I can’t wait to see it.
ADA:
I can’t wait to show you a picture of it.
NICOLE:
Yay.
NICOLE:
Our guest for today is Tiffany Tiff Tzeng. She is an artist, instructor, and owner of Stitches by Tiff, a hand embroidery kit and pattern company. So welcome Tiff.
TIFFANY:
Hi, Nicole. Thanks for having me.
NICOLE:
We’re really glad to have you on. And in your profile on your website, you say that like you are an artist or you are an artist. Apart from hand embroidery, what other types of art expression do you partake in?
TIFFANY:
So I’ve always been really into fiber art in general. So I would consider myself a sort of—I focus in embroidery, but I love experimenting with lots of different fiber arts. So crochet is another one of my major fiber arts loves, I guess. And I know how to machine sew. And I know how to do basic mending, but I also recently learned how to spin yarn and stuff like that. So I always love picking up lots of different styles of fiber art, but I always come back to embroidery.
NICOLE:
It’s your love then.
TIFFANY:
It’s my love, yes.
NICOLE:
I am not multi-dextrous. That’s not a word, but I’m currently not capable of doing as many different types of art. Sewing is like my jam, but I want so badly to dabble in hand embroidery and to dabble in crochet. So, but I’m glad that you have your love and then the ability to do so many other things. That is very cool. So, what’s your origin story for your hand embroidering passion?
TIFFANY:
Good question. I started actually with cross stitch, which is a very specific type of embroidery. I started cross stitching maybe in middle school. And then, I guess once you have the materials, I’m sure you understand as well. Once you have the materials to cross stitch, you start picking up little sewing skills, little embroidery embellishments that you add to cross stitch. And then from there, I realized that I actually just really like the sewing, like the embellishment parts of cross stitch because it’s a little bit more freeform. And from there, I would say my embroidery journey really started around 2018. I was a junior in college at that point. I had extra materials. I think I was making a birthday gift for someone. I was just like, you know what? Let’s try a new craft and at the very least, if it doesn’t turn out well, then I can at least show that it’s made from the heart. And from there, it wasn’t perfect, but it’s sentimental and it kind of just blossomed from there. Starting with just a few stitches, I started being like, oh, what else can I make with this? What other cool motifs, what other flowers, whatever. And yeah, it just kind of blossomed from there. And from there, I realized that, honestly, it’s really hard to find good tutorials on how to embroider that’s in a way that’s updated for modern times. A lot of tutorials on YouTube are like years old. So I realized that I kind of want to share my love of embroidery and make it a little bit more accessible for people of our generation, younger or even older who just want something that doesn’t feel so stuffy. And from there, it just kind of blossomed. And that’s kind of how I ended up the way that I am.
NICOLE:
That is really cool.
TIFFANY:
Just, yeah, thank you.
NICOLE:
So how did you learn how to hand embroider? Are you self-taught?
TIFFANY:
Yeah, so I’m basically self-taught. I kind of just found a bunch of tutorials online, honestly. Like, there’s nothing too fancy about it. Like I mentioned before, it was, like, I found a few motifs that I wanted to do, and I kind of reverse-engineered them. I looked up some tutorials online. There’s some pretty nice, just, like, online databases that… do teach some tutorials on how to do certain techniques. But yeah, it was mostly self-taught. But as I started getting more into it, I did look, I did start downloading patterns from other people and just learning on the fly. Yeah.
NICOLE:
And that makes, you know, that’s the world we live in. And that’s really remarkable that like we can all just pick up and learn. We’re so cool. And so for my next question, you know, do you find that your Asian American identity influences your embroidery work in any way?
TIFFANY:
So that I feel is a very complicated question. As someone who is a first-generation Asian American, I’m sure you probably understand the whole diaspora of it all. So the type of embroidery that I do is more Western style, but I’ve always been battling with the idea that I really should be doing something more related to my culture as well, bringing things in. But I guess the issue, so I’m Taiwanese American. So that makes it extra difficult because I would love to find information, ah, information on how to do Taiwanese embroidery, which is a thing. But without having to go back to Taiwan and like speak directly with the experts in the craft, it’s so difficult to. But in the meantime, I guess what I can do is I guess, be visible on social media and just not be shy about the fact that I am Asian American. And that is definitely something that I am still working on and to improve.
NICOLE:
I had not considered that hand embroidery, that there is a distinct Western style versus other hand embroidery tradition, which is silly now but now that I’m like, wait, of course there are. Is there anything, I know that you’re early in your journey about like Taiwanese style hand embroidery. Is there anything that you can share with us now? Like just a small thing that might be different than how you do, like what’s different, one small aspect of Taiwanese embroidery that might be different from what we consider to be Western embroidery?
TIFFANY:
I think the biggest difference just from like me, a cursory look, everything’s in Chinese. It’s so hard. But there’s multiple different types, overlaps a lot with Chinese embroidery, of course. But I guess the most famous is called silk embroidery. So a lot of it is double-sided. First, silk embroidery is meant to be viewed on both sides. And sometimes it’s like two completely different images. And unfortunately, I am the type of embroiderer who believes in the no one needs to look at what the back looks like. So like the back of my embroidery is completely covered in knots and it’s a huge mess. But I would love to learn the techniques like in theory, I know how it works. But in practice, I don’t know how, you know, but it is something that I would love to learn. Right. And then again, I don’t know what it is in English, but just from looking, it looks like there’s a lot of overlap between something called cruel embroidery, which is like a sort of 3D, like lots of applique, like 3D plush, very plush beaded embroidery, you know, just a lot of like multimedia elements. There’s something very similar in very religious Taiwanese, like Buddhist embroidery. Like when I was looking this up, they also have a lot of like tradition in doing some really intricate, really 3D, very sumptuous kind of textile work. And there’s really no way to learn it unless you are there. You know, like with Western embroidery, you can take classes. Like obviously, I’m teaching in Western embroidery, but also there’s the British School of Needlework. And relatively easily accessible, if kind of expensive, ways to traditionally learn how to embroider. But like Asian embroidery, unless you speak to the people, like visit the country, and like actually meet these people in real life and actually learn, it’s kind of difficult.
NICOLE:
Yeah, I can understand that. And there is a part of me that I think the vast, of a large part of me is good with that. Like, it should be hard.
TIFFANY:
Yeah. Like, yes, we should gatekeep it.
NICOLE:
Yeah. I mean, like it’s, it’s something that should be hard to learn. It’s, it’s an art form. And while I do see, you know, what I do as artistic, like art, is this shirt a piece of art? You know, no, but well, maybe in some circles, but yeah, this, that sounds really like wonderful. And you’re just blowing my mind with this double-sided embroidery situation because…
TIFFANY:
It’s wild. Highly recommend looking it up.
NICOLE:
So it’s a single panel, but when the needle goes through on one side, it creates a picture, but then it creates a completely separate picture on the other side.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, I’ve seen multiple techniques for it. There’s one really cool way where it’s actually two, there’s just like a frame. And then there’s two people on either side.
NICOLE:
Mm-hmm.
TIFFANY:
And then they’re like passing the needle between each other.
NICOLE:
Oh.
TIFFANY:
You know, it’s wild. Highly recommend it.
NICOLE:
Oh, we’ll have to take a look.
TIFFANY:
And that’s, yeah, yeah, definitely.
NICOLE:
For our listeners, we’ll do a little bit of Googling and see what we can find and add into our show notes. I’m totally fascinated by that. And I think that, yeah, I mean, it seems like a right type of gatekeeping. It should be hard to learn. It shouldn’t be something that like is an easy thing.
TIFFANY:
It should be, yes.
NICOLE:
And I’ve had this conversation with Ada and folks in the collective about some Filipino fashion pieces. So like the terno, the big butterfly sleeve. And earlier on in the podcast history, we, you know, I talked about my journey and making it and my frustration with how it was thrown on to the British Great British Sewing Bee as a challenge. And I was like, but this is an art, like, like this is a specific cultural thing that’s distinct to…
TIFFANY:
Hmm.
NICOLE:
The country where my parents come from and you’re turning this style, this thing that not everybody can do that is highly specialized into a contest. And that pissed me off. And so, yeah, it should be hard.
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
It should be, you know, but I hope that you have the opportunity and the ability to, to learn, because this is, you know, something that you’re part of, and like a part of your embroidery journey and the part of your identity. And it’s important for us to honor the desire to be a part of that too.
TIFFANY:
Yes, of course. And even if it doesn’t end up being me being able to teach other people how to do it, I would love to know at least like learn more about this form of embroidery just so that like I know and I feel more connected with the culture that I came from.
NICOLE:
So you mentioned that you embroider in a Western style. Are there any motifs that you create that are maybe an homage to your Taiwanese heritage?
TIFFANY:
Okay. So, that is definitely something I’m still working on. I made my first Lunar New Year inspired pattern earlier this year.
NICOLE:
Who?
TIFFANY:
It’s got little, like little motifs. The pattern itself is called Lucky Bouquet.
NICOLE:
Mm-hmm.
TIFFANY:
And I did it in collaboration with our local libraries to like, you know, celebrate the Lunar New Year and teach some workshops to people who would like to learn some embroidery. And it’s got like bamboo, it’s got mandarin oranges, orchids, you know, the classic. And when I was teaching, I made sure to discuss like, you know, the meanings behind each one of these plants and like what it means, like what but many, one of the many types of fortune that this plant represents. So it was really interesting.
NICOLE:
So you worked with the public library and you taught how to do the Lucky Bouquet to students at the library?
TIFFANY:
Yes. So, I do workshops at multiple different places, but the libraries are one of the main places I teach. They found me a couple years ago. So I’ve been like doing, ah, guess, workshop tours with all age groups. Started with kids. The Lucky Bouquet one was with adults and I’m going to be teaching teenagers later this year. So that’s fun. But yeah, I find the libraries are a fantastic opportunity to bring embroidery to people who might not be able to access these things or might not think to because of like whatever price barriers, just because a lot of these library workshops are free. They pay me.
NICOLE:
Oh, yeah.
TIFFANY:
That’s fine. But the attendees, they get to attend for free and it’s very low stakes for them. And I’ve had people come back afterwards and tell me that this class encouraged them to start getting into embroidery and it kind of demystified how scary embroidery can be if you’re just looking at from like a traditional sense.
NICOLE:
Which libraries do you teach at?
TIFFANY:
Bunch of public libraries, but I’m based in the Bay Area, California. Mostly with the San Mateo public libraries, but I am also starting to teach with the Santa Clara County libraries as well.
NICOLE:
Wow. That is so cool. First of all, we love a public library on this podcast.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, we love it.
NICOLE:
I loved it when I was a kid, and then it kind of dropped off. And in the last like five years, I just love the library.
TIFFANY:
I love that.
NICOLE:
Yeah, it’s really cool that you’re teaching at the library.
TIFFANY:
Yes.
NICOLE:
And now I want to be like, okay, maybe I can teach. Because Ada teaches sewing classes in Denver. And I recently started volunteer teaching.
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
So it’s got…
TIFFANY:
Yeah. Oh yeah, no. Like the library just has so many, like depending on the funding, of course, but libraries just have so many like free or really cheap classes that are just open to the public and it’s so much fun.
NICOLE:
I love that. I’m going to take a look at my local library. I think that would be really cool. And how did you decide that you wanted to get into teaching and how has teaching changed your perspective on your hand embroidery craft?
TIFFANY:
Yeah, so I had been making and selling embroidery patterns for at least a couple of years before I started teaching in person. It was a natural progression from teaching, I guess, essentially remote to teaching in person. I actually wasn’t the one who reached out first. This is another person or another organization that I teach a lot with, but it’s a cat rescue. That’s actually near our area. And they’re the Dancing Cat. They’re fantastic. I tend to work a lot with nonprofits. The Dancing Cat, they reached out to me and they were like, do you want to teach in a room full of cats one of your patterns? I was just like, hell yeah. Hell yeah, of course. And it kind of just spiraled from there. So I’ve been teaching at the Dancing Cat for this has to be like my third year at this point. And it kind of just went from there. Like I realized that from the very first class, first class was deeply chaotic. And I was like fresh off of like learning to be okay with public speaking. So I guess it was sort of like a crash course in like how to present myself in a way that is approachable and kind of defeats the perception that embroidery is super stuffy. So I guess, so for example, in that first class that I taught, I was like, you know, was just like, okay, this is what a teacher is supposed to be like. You’re supposed to proper. You’re supposed to be very direct in like how you’re speaking. But that didn’t mesh with my personal personality. So what ended up happening was I ended up being very casual. I poked fun at my students, you know, just try to make them comfortable, especially since a lot of these students are people around in a younger generation or like around 20s, 30s, people who didn’t necessarily grow up with the expectation that embroidery is for them, you know, it’s for an older generation. It’s more traditional. It’s more strict. Right. My goal with teaching embroidery is that it’s fun. It should be good for your mental health. It’s not meant to be that serious, you know.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
Thanks again to Madam Sew for sponsoring this episode. They sent both Ada and me their sewing machine muffling mat and pedal mat in exchange for an honest review. What’d you think, Ada?
ADA:
So I actually used these for my beginner students, and I’ll be honest, if you’re a pedal to the metal kind of sewer—I’m talking flooring it all the time—the muffling mat may not save you. It dampens the vibrations, but it’s not going to completely get rid of those vibrations if you’re flooring it. So I think it’s actually best for a more moderate speed sewer, not someone who’s like apprehensive. You own the machine, you’re sewing on the machine, it’s your machine and you know how to do it in kind of 35 to 45 mile an hour cruising mode. This is the product for you. The pedal mat also definitely helps keep your pedal where you want it though, if you have a hardwood floor, which is the studio space that I teach out of.
NICOLE:
My favorite function is definitely the non-slip stuff. For the mat itself, when I sew, I keep my pin cushion or like the little plastic cup I use to store my sewing clips to the right of my machine, so I can pull them out and stick them there as I go. That’s just the way that I work. But I have knocked those off my table so many times, and the mat really actually made a difference. So it’s not that I am mindful, but they don’t shift around as much as I’m sewing, and I haven’t spilled anything since. I do sew on hardwood floors, so I’m like looking for the pedal with my feet all the time, and I love how the pedal mat helps it stay put. We’ll link to both products in the show notes for this episode. Head to the Madam Sew website to check them out. And thanks again to Madam Sew for sponsoring.
NICOLE:
I wonder if, so something that came up while you were talking is me thinking about folks who are new to craft and new to embroidery. And I will say for my part, when I was new to sewing, it seemed frivolous. You know, it seemed like not a waste of time, but like I should be, quote unquote, doing something more productive. And I think that speaks to my upbringing and way that I see time as a resource and, you know, probably deprioritize my own mental health and all that. Yeah. Do you find that your students or maybe yourself, like their relationship with rest and creativity change once they started thinking about, you know, or enjoying embroidery? Cause I can’t think of getting my mom to take an embroidery class because it would seem frivolous and like, like a waste of time. But really it can be rest for others. Yeah, I don’t know if there’s anything that you can share about whether your experience was anything like that.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, of course. So I have a sort of two-pronged approach to this. So depending on, I guess, like if someone were to ask me this question, based on vibes, one, it is productive. Like from a physical side of things, you learn the skills to embellish the things that you already have. Upcycling is a big thing that I am a big proponent of, so if you have like a sweater or a jacket or even like a tote bag, a backpack, whatever, learning how to embroider—if you’re bored by the thing that you already have or if you have a little stain—you can always cover it up with embroidery, gives it a new life.
NICOLE:
Mm-hmm.
TIFFANY:
That’s one use for it. And of course, in a more practical sense, but I guess in a more mental health–focused sense, being able to slow down and actually work with your hands, I find is so helpful. There was a study I saw ages ago that was like being able to make something tangible with your hands is really good for your mental health because you are working towards a goal and it’s a very tangible goal. So being able to finish a product and be completely present in where each of the steps that you need to take to finish that project is just so healing for you, especially if you focus on the journey and not necessarily the goal. And also sometimes you really don’t need things to be productive.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
TIFFANY:
Like, I feel like in this sort of capitalistic society, we have such an emphasis on making things for a certain purpose. When I’m selling in person, sometimes there would be—there’s actually quite a lot of people who will ask, what do you do with this when you’re done? I’m like, just look at it. It’s pretty. I don’t know what else to tell you. I mean, it brings you joy. If it brings you joy, then it’s doing something, right? And if you do need something a little bit more tangible, it gives you a sense of accomplishment, right? You can hang it up in your room, be like, I finished something with my own hands and no one else has this. So, yeah.
NICOLE:
Yeah, that’s, you’re so right. I think it’s so difficult even for me, as someone who is aware of these types of benefits, to really internalize that and allow myself to rest by doing, you know, like this is not frivolous and a waste of time. And I just think speaking for myself, that has been a journey for me, broadly speaking. I think it just has to do with my upbringing in terms of productivity and achievement versus rest and wellness, if that makes sense.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, it’s definitely something that I had to struggle with a little bit too. But it’s definitely like, obviously it’s my whole business now, but I have had people after completing one of my kits or starting with the kits, realizing that sometimes you don’t have to be on your phone all the time, doom scrolling, like it’s horrible for my mental health.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
TIFFANY:
I do that too.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
TIFFANY:
It’s horrible. But instead of doom scrolling, you can sew a pretty flower. You have options.
NICOLE:
Sounds nice.
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
Oh, I think this is so valuable. And so you mentioned, this is your whole job now. Are you full time in like the embroidering, teaching, business owning?
TIFFANY:
Yeah, so I used to work in public relations. That was what I studied in school, worked in it for a couple years, did not like it.
NICOLE:
Super low stress job, right?
TIFFANY:
It was, yes, incredibly low-stressed during the pandemic, of course.
NICOLE:
My gosh.
TIFFANY:
But yeah, I lost my job. Don’t worry about it, did not like it. And at that point, I had essentially two paths. I could either continue with my side hustle because I was already selling on Etsy or I can continue in the industry that I did not enjoy.
NICOLE:
Mm-hmm.
TIFFANY:
And I decided, you know what, I’m just going to put a little bit more effort into my side hustle while I’m interviewing. But then as I started putting more effort into my art, I realized that maybe I can actually make a living out of this. And nowadays, I’m a lot happier. It’s still a lot of work, but at least it’s work that I enjoy and I do for myself.
NICOLE:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
Yeah, that’s awesome. I think the older I get, the more I want to prioritize that. If I’m going to need money to be alive, to the extent practicable, let’s try to do something that makes us fulfilled. Because we’re not always going to be happy all the time. We’re not always going to be joyful, but something that will pay the bills and make me contented.
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
NICOLE:
And that sounds like you found that. So great job.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, thank you. It’s not easy.
NICOLE:
No, I can’t imagine that.
TIFFANY:
And I’m definitely not doing this alone. My parents help a lot, of course, and I have a lovely partner who comes to events with me. Huge moral support. So definitely, I could not do it without the support that I have. And of course, I think I should always be thankful for that. I like to joke that my major was useless, but it did help in that I think being in public relations means that you have to care a lot about your product or your company, but also at the same time, you can’t take things too personally. And that’s what I learned was so important about running a business at all, honestly. Like you shouldn’t take things too personally. And if someone doesn’t vibe with your art, that’s not your fault. That’s on them. It’s whatever. Your art shouldn’t be literally for everyone, but it can be, you know?
NICOLE:
Yeah, I get that. That’s true. I mean, sometimes artists—maybe not, I shouldn’t speak for artists—people in general feel like they need to appeal to everyone. And I’ll say that for my part, that was the upbringing in terms of achievement and making sure that you are fitting into that box. But I appreciate what you said, that it’s not for everyone and I’m sure there is something else for you out there as long as you are authentic to yourself. That’s important. So you started as a side hustle and I just want to talk more about the business side of what you do. How has your business grown since you started it?
TIFFANY:
Yeah.
TIFFANY:
Okay. So I started selling on Etsy in 2018. Only had a couple patterns. It really wasn’t anything too intensive, but I did sell digital patterns and physical kits. My very first pattern was a little crow pattern called Here Comes the Sun. It was actually one of my boyfriend’s gifts that I gave him. And he gave the okay to be able to turn it into a kit. And every time I sell one of those at a market now, he’s just like, that was mine.
NICOLE:
Aww.
TIFFANY:
Aww.
TIFFANY:
You know, it’s really cute. But yeah, started with Etsy, lost my job. And from there, I started getting more active on Instagram and really trying to like build up like a like guess a community, really. wasn’t really going for, like wow, I’m going to be viral. But in a sort of, because in public relations, we call that vanity statistics, where like the number, the follower count looks really good. But if they’re not engaging, then that really doesn’t mean anything. So my goal was always to like, you know, try to find people that vibe with my things and actually try to like, get to know these people and like, see what my like, what I like to make, like, if I like something, then someone else is bound to like it, you know? Yeah. So kind spiraled from there. I started making more patterns as I was job hunting. And then the incentive to job hunt started petering out as I started getting more sales, you know. And at some point, I just decided, you know what, I’m just going to go for it. So I would say my actual start, like my actual business start date, establishment date is like 2022. twenty twenty two Yeah, approximately. That’s when I was just like, screw it. I’m just going to, I’m just going to do this. Right. And flash forward. Now I have what, over 20 patterns. I have multiple product lines now. I mostly sell embroidery kits, but I still sell some digital patterns. It’s getting harder now, but it’s mostly physical kits and some notions. And I’m starting to branch out into different types of kits as well. So yeah, it’s a growing business, but it’s been fun.
NICOLE:
Yeah, that sounds really fulfilling. I think, you know, we met at the H&H Americas trade show earlier this year. And I was glad. I think it was like right before I was about to close. And I like walked by and I was like, I would like to speak with you. And I believe you said that you had done a trade or was this your first trade show? And like, what was your experience like? Yeah.
TIFFANY:
That was my very first trade show. It was insane. I think the parts that I thought was gonna get messed up actually went fine. And the parts where I thought were going to be fine were not how I expected it was going to be, you know?
NICOLE:
Classic.
TIFFANY:
I think my favorite part of that whole experience was being able to meet people in person. So in the block that I was in H&H, that was all embroidery and just needlework in general. These people, I’ve followed them for like years, right? Like they are, they’re like heroes to me, right? And it was really nice be able to like meet them in person and get to like chat and stuff. But yeah, was a great experience. Absolutely exhausting. Yeah, I bet. And I think, you know, hopefully it was good for your like wholesale business because I know that you’d said that, you know, kits like are are more where you’re like the your niche and that digital sewing patterns are a little bit harder. Yeah. Yeah.
NICOLE:
So why did you decide to go with the embroidery kit as a way to express your art and share it with other people?
TIFFANY:
So I think when you go to a market, for example, a lot of the time you’ll see people say, like, this is something you should never do. But like you point at something, you say, I could make that, you know? And now I’m just like, at least you don’t say it loud enough so that maker can hear you, you know?
NICOLE:
I do that. Yeah. I do that.
TIFFANY:
Not where the artists can hear.
NICOLE:
Yeah, no, no.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, you know, you can say it internally, but with the kits, you can. You know But in all seriousness, it really just came about from me wanting to provide patterns that I personally would make. So would usually describe my work as being very modern, a little bit irreverent. I feel like within embroidery, a lot of the time, a lot of patterns are very floral, they’re very traditional, like a lot of these very traditional motifs. Like, you’ll see a lot of religious imagery, honestly, but you also see flowers, animals, all that stuff, right? I love that. It’s great. It’s not really my style. Obviously, I still have florals, and I still have animals and stuff like that. But they’re all done in a more modern style that might be a little bit more appealing to a newer generation of stitchers. So I find that my stuff really appeals to newer stitchers or like people who might not be as attracted to the grandma core kind of type of aesthetic.
NICOLE:
Yeah, that’s, I think I would fall into the camp of something different, you know, something different than then what I would normally see. And just to be clear, when I say I could make that, that’s really me at like walking around the mall.
TIFFANY:
No, no, I get that. I’ll like see something from H&M. I’ll be like, I can crochet that. It’s fine.
NICOLE:
Yeah, I could definitely embroider that onto my jacket.
TIFFANY:
Yeah. Exactly.
NICOLE:
Well, not me, you.
TIFFANY:
And now you can.
NICOLE:
Yeah. I’m going to try. There’s so many things I want to try. Hand embroidery is always, that’s been one that I have been trying to get into, but without kits. So I have a thrifted hoop and I’ve got fabric and I’ve got threads from wherever, but yeah, just freehand it. And then I’m like, I don’t freehand. Like I don’t draw. Like I don’t have that type. So the kits are nice, especially with like having something complete. And for me, that makes it more, makes it easier for me to want to pick up the craft. So I think that’s pretty cool.
TIFFANY: Yeah. Honestly, here’s a little secret. But personally, for me, I actually don’t like embroidery with kits either. Don’t like following instructions. But I love designing kits. And I find that that’s sort of like a nice symbiosis with the two different types of embroiderers a lot of the time, because there’s some people who are like me who want to just kind of freehand things. But of other people, they just they don’t want to think about making a pattern themselves. They just want to create. And both are valid, in my opinion.
NICOLE: I’m in the latter camp for sure. And it makes sense that sewing with kits for someone who makes kits isn’t as fulfilling as the design aspect of it, you know, like it’s your art. And I totally get that. And I think that for me, even as a sewist, and this probably would apply to any craft, I didn’t feel comfortable straying from the instructions until some time doing it. My sister, we kind of picked up sewing about the same time and like I do it more just because I have a lot of … and but she’s just like, I don’t know, this looks okay. And then she’ll just like put stuff together and she’s like, this works. Or even when we, I was into card making. I was like going to be a card maker one time. And I was like, nope, I got to follow what the kit says. And she’s like, I’m going to place this here. Going to put this here. I’m going to take this thing from somewhere else. And like, that’s who she is. And that’s not who I am. So give me kits until I have the confidence to sort of do things in a way that works best for me.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, of course. And I completely agree with that. Forgot to mention before, but I actually teach two different types of workshops. One is following step-by-step instructions, right? It’s just a kit, but in verbal form. But the other one, which kind of relates to this, is called thread doodling, where essentially I literally just bring the materials and I might have some kind of framework, like with the dancing cat, we do little phrases, like cat related phrases, and then they can just do whatever they want with it. And I’m just there to help. And it’s really fascinating seeing when people do the thread doodling classes, like what’s their thought process, because all skill levels are welcome to join the thread doodling class. So if you do know a little bit of embroidery, these people will start off with the stitches that they know, and they might kind of go off the rails later.
But it’s really fascinating seeing the people who have zero embroidery sewing experience or anything like that. And they’re just making up stitches. And it’s fascinating because I always like to say that within embroidery every stitch has already been discovered. So even if you stumble into a stitch, like if you just make up a stitch, there’s a very good chance there’s a name for it. So that’s always a really fun way for me to, I guess, create a fun learning experience for these people, and they feel very accomplished afterwards when they’re just like, oh, I didn’t realize that was called a chain stitch, you know? Like, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, you’re just doing it. And it’s also really fulfilling because this is a space where they have all the materials, so they’re allowed to just kind of do whatever they want. And once they get past that mental block, it’s really fun to see how different everyone’s designs come out.
NICOLE:
No, that’s really cool. I think it feels like just freeform drawing. And I was also thinking about a time when I was really early in sewing, you have some familiarity with machine sewing, right? Finishing your seams, right? You’re supposed to do that. And I was like, I don’t want to use a zigzag stitch. I was like, you know what? I’m just going to cut one of the seam allowances and then just fold it over and sew it down. Turns out that’s called a flat felled stitch. And I was like, oh, okay. I was like, I just, this is just a choice that I made. And apparently someone has put a name on it. So I think it’s really neat the way that creativity could also lead us to similar outcomes without any particular guidance, like you said.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, like this art form, sewing and embroidery, is just so old that everything exists at this point. And I just find that very cool. It feels very connecting with generations of people who have done this before.
NICOLE:
So something that’s interesting about that is the sewing needle is actually older than the wheel. Yeah, this is something I learned from my friend Lisa from the Stitch Please podcast of Black Women Stitch, gets shouted out often. But yeah, the needle is older than the wheel. So this art or craft, whether it’s stitching together seams to put together garments or household items, blankets, or decorative like embroidery or even cross-stitch, I think it’s really remarkable that we can connect to our ancestors in that way. And so yeah, as we close, is there any advice that you have for anyone who is interested in taking up hand embroidery for themselves?
TIFFANY:
Yeah. First off, support small businesses. Please don’t get those AI patterns from Etsy. They are not going to lead you down the path that you want to go. Just number one. Number two, don’t take yourself too seriously. Embroidery has a reputation for being very strict, and this sort of new wave embroidery, definitely your goal should not necessarily be to make it look pretty unless that’s what you’re going for. But when you’re first learning, please just focus on having a good time and make things that you want to make.
There’s so many different styles of embroidery. Shop around, see what works best for you. I personally love a lot of textures, but some people prefer realistic styles, you know? Just look around, see what you like. And yeah, basically it.
NICOLE:
So good advice. And yeah, we support artists and not generative AI in that way.
TIFFANY:
Yes, please. Mm-hmm.
NICOLE:
So thank you so much for joining us. Can you let our listeners know where we can find you?
TIFFANY:
Yeah, so you can find me on Instagram at Stitches by Tiff. And my website is just stitchesbytiff.com. I’m based in San Jose, California, and kind of just everywhere in the Bay. For the most up-to-date way to see where I am, if you happen to be local, it’s going to be my Instagram.
NICOLE:
Very cool. Thank you so much, Tiff, for joining us today.
TIFFANY:
Yes, thanks for having me.
ADA:
Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Asian Sewist Collective podcast. If you like our show, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi by becoming a one-time or monthly supporter or by buying our sewing labels. Your financial support helps us with our overhead expenses. The link to our Ko-fi page is KO-FI.com/AsianSewistCollective, and you can find the link in our show notes, on our website, and on our Instagram account. Check us out on Instagram at AsianSewistCollective. You can also help us out by spreading the word and telling your friends. We would also appreciate it if you could rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
NICOLE:
All of the links and resources mentioned in today’s episode will be in the show notes on our website, AsianSewistCollective.com, and we’d love to hear from you. Email us with your questions, comments, or even voice messages if you want to be featured on future episodes at AsianSewistCollective@gmail.com. Thank you so much to the other members of our collective who made this episode a reality. This is the Asian Sewist Collective podcast, and we’ll see you next time.