Interview with Stephani of Once Upon A Stitch

How did you get started with digitizing and embroidery?
It was all my mother's fault. To start with, I bought a Pfaff 7570 because my mother had a dealership at the time and made sure I knew what I would be missing if I didn't get one. It came with the old PC-designer software for creating your own stitches and embroidery designs. It wasn't very fun to work with, but the idea of making your own designs and stitches really appealed to me. A few years later, my mother flew up to join me in going to the Sewing Expo in Puyallup, WA near where I live. While we were there, I thought it would be a good idea to look at what new digitizing software was out there. I was just going to look, but with my mother there to goad me on, I ended up buying. I had years of drawings lying around, just waiting to be digitized. It looked so simple. It didn't take long to find out that the process was anything but easy, and I had a lot to learn. At the same time, I found out that I really liked digitizing. My art of choice had been pen & ink illustration, but surprisingly, I found that digitizing felt very much the same. I know that sounds weird, but it is true.

What personal information would you like to share?
I have been married for 14 years, and I have two beautiful babies - a 4 year old boy, and a 24 month old daughter. It is amazing that I get any work done with these two around. My first passion was zookeeping, and I spent a number of years working at several zoos, and 14 years working off and on at aveterinary clinic for exotic animals. I still work at the veterinary clinic once a week.

Has your business changed since you started digitizing?
I started out thinking I would convert my drawings into embroidery designs, but I haven't actually done much of that at all. Most of my animal and parrot designs are done with reference photos instead of artwork. I found it was faster than trying to illustrate them first. I had no idea I would be doing so many parrots, either. I have a long request list of species waiting to be done.

What types of future projects are in the works?
I have lots of ideas - realistic songbirds, more exotic pets, fantasy designs. I keep seeing these beautiful lace bowls out there, and know I am going to have to do at least one of those. I have had some doll clothes on the drawing board for years, but I am going to get some done this year! I also have two more sets of shoes drawn up just waiting for their digitizing time.