A little while back, Vic took us through her WIP (now completed, yay!) of the incredibly cute Halloween Pastel pattern from ColorfullySarah; a wonderfully talented creative whose passion for all things cross stitch truly shines and inspires. Recently, Vic caught up with Sarah to see what’s been happening; let’s see what she’s been up to! 💜

Hi, Sarah! Tell us a little bit about yourself – your background, general day to day life, hobbies (other than crafting). This can be as vague or in detail as you like, we understand that some things you may want to keep private!

Hi! I grew up with a love for art at a young age. I was always doodling little characters or stapling my parents’ printer paper together to make a story book. All of this love for art was fostered by my Grandma. We would sit at the kitchen table together with paper and crayons scattered everywhere, and she would write down all the words for my stories while I did the illustrations. Over the years, I made hundreds of drawings, and my parents have kept every single one. I was referred to by my classmates as the “artist”, and I continued this passion throughout high school. I knew I wanted a career related to art, so I attended Ringling College of Art and Design and graduated with a degree in computer animation.

My Grandma was the person who introduced me to cross stitch. She lived with my family and took care of me while my parents worked. Unfortunately, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent the majority of her final days cross stitching. The walls in our family home remain filled with her finished pieces to this day. I picked up cross stitch long after my Grandma passed. After I graduated college, I was desperately looking for hobbies to fill my free time. Luckily, we still had my grandma’s cross stitch stash and my mom taught me one late night in my apartment. My mom bonded with her mom through cross stitch, so it was nice that she was able to pass that love on to me.

Besides cross stitch, my favorite hobby is spending time with my husband and our 2 birdies. I also love spending time with my friends and talking to them on the phone while I cross stitch (I guess that still kind of counts as cross stitching..)

It absolutely counts! Learning with your mom and spending time with your grandma sounds like such fond, cherished memories; what a wonderful way to continue her creative legacy. You started your shop, ColorfullySarah in 2023; what inspired you to turn your hobby into a business?

Right after my husband and I purchased our first home, I was unexpectedly laid off from my full time job working in the animation industry. We were relying on 2 incomes to pay for our house, so I knew I needed to find another job. I loved cross stitching and had designed several of my own patterns in the past. I opened my Etsy shop selling cross stitch patterns with the goal of it being a side gig while I was applying to jobs.

Within 6 months, my Etsy store was just as profitable as my old job, so I decided to go all in with my patterns. I ended up building not only a business, but also an amazing community of crafters. The best part was that so many new people were inspired to learn cross stitch. My patterns are specifically designed to be beginner friendly with the goal to help keep cross stitch alive in the younger generations. And with that, I truly felt like I had found my passion.

We love your little birds Noodle and Ribbon! Are we right in thinking they inspired your Cockatiels pattern? They look like the perfect little helpers!

They did! Well…Noodle did. My cockatiel pattern was one of the first ones I designed, unfortunately Ribbon was not a member of our family at the time. The yellow bird in the middle was absolutely inspired by Noodle herself. Some of the other birds coincidently look similar to Ribbon, but her feather plumage is truly one of a kind and probably would have been very hard to capture in this cross stitch pattern.

What are three essentials you need in order to have a successful day pattern designing?

The pattern designing essentials for me include my DMC thread color swatch book, my personal collection of thread organized by color groups (they work best when they’re sprawled out all over my desk), and my iPad! It’s a bonus if I can have all of these things in a quiet space, but usually I have a chatty little bird on my head while I work. Noodle is the best helper, she almost never leaves my side.

Oh, we love that! If you had to choose, what’s your favourite/pattern kit you’ve designed so far?

My favorite pattern that I’ve ever designed is probably my “Valentine’s Day Frog” pattern. I love anything with a cute face, and that pattern also happens to use my favorite colors: purple, pink, and yellow! A good runner up would be the pattern used for my bee cross stitch kit. I think it’s the perfect size for a beginner, and I love the matching bee needle minder that goes with it. Something about stitching the little bees just melts all my stress away.

They’re too cute! If there’s a day where you’re facing a creative block, what are some of your go-tos to get your creative juices flowing again?

If I have a creative block, my first step is to go on a quick walk with my husband. Stepping away from my desk and allowing myself a break is essential in not feeling “forced” to be creative. My other trick for coming up with ideas is starting with a color palette instead of a subject. It turns out my messy creative process is actually beneficial because I can find different color combinations from my bobbins laying around.

Do you have specific inspirations behind of your projects?

I am inspired by anything cute, pastel colored, or things that my community suggests to me! I have a giant list of pattern suggestions that seems to keep getting bigger despite me designing a new pattern every week.

Your studio is a pastel paradise! What cute and/or decorative items are bringing a smile to your face on a busy day?

My office is split into 2 halves, the hobby half, and the business half. My hobby desk is where I get to relax and spend time playing video games with my friends. It’s decorated with lots of colors and pixel art, which I think is the perfect blend of cross stitch and video games. My business desk on the other hand is much less colorful, which provides a calmer and less distracting work environment. But of course it still has some cheerful fairy lights and lots of pastel purple.

It sure looks cosy! What video games are you playing right now?

Similar to cross stitch, I prefer games that are slow and peaceful rather than ones that are fast paced and challenging. My favorite game series is Animal Crossing because I love getting to explore my little world at my own pace and decorate it how I want to. Any game that gives me an opportunity to be creative really piques my interest.

Another one of my favorite games is Genshin Impact which I enjoy playing with two of my close friends. The attention to detail in the in-game world is stunning, but I think I appreciate that game more from an artistic perspective rather than from gameplay. All of the little details of characters, animals, and environments together create a beautiful game.

It’s wonderful how video games can spark such inspiration! With that in mind, what does a day in look like for you at HQ?

The best part of my job is that no two days are ever the same. It keeps things new and fresh. Some days I’m a business owner, some days I’m a content creator, and other days I’m a wife. But the average day is a combination of all of them. Usually it starts with cleaning up the house because I work best in a clean space. After the house is clean, my usual activities are things like answering messages, making instagram content, and planning new designs. The one part of my day that stays consistent is I always end the day cross stitching in bed next to my husband. It’s a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.

Your YouTube channel offers a peek behind the curtain, alongside helpful tips for others on starting a small business. What inspired you to include those types of videos alongside cross stitch tips?

I have always enjoyed watching youtube videos myself, long before I ever started a business. My favorite types of videos to watch were those from small business owners showing their behind the scenes of the business. I feel like in some way, much of my business’s success is attributed to the years I spent learning from them. I’m also extremely grateful for the community of crafters and stitchers I have created, and I want to do my best to give back and help them grow their businesses too.

Alongside the channel and the business, you also run your socials and a Patreon – what are your favourite ways to wind down when you take that well-deserved rest?

Between Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Patreon, Etsy, and my website, I very rarely find time for a break. I am extremely fortunate to have turned my passion into my full time job, and I don’t take it for granted. I genuinely find so much joy in running my business. There’s the saying “if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life”, and I am so lucky that applies to me. However, I still enjoy traveling with my family and love setting aside some time each year for a short vacation. My husband and I went to Disney World last year, and before that I visited Japan with my family.

That’s so wonderful to hear that you take so much enjoyment from what you do ✨ Those trips sound great! As an artist, do you often find yourself inspired by the places you visit?

I definitely take inspiration from the places I visit, but it’s a little more abstract. I’ll get an idea for general colors or a feeling rather than a subject matter. Color palettes really are the foundation of all of my designs. The artwork is important but the color is often what attracts people to a specific design because it makes them feel a certain way. 

You’ve created patterns, kits, needle minders, stickers – even clothing! What’s next for ColorfullySarah?

My goal with colorfullysarah is to keep the art of cross stitch alive in the younger generations through cute, pastel, and modern designs. I will always aim to be beginner friendly and hope to continue making lots of free resources that beginner stitchers can use to learn. Recently I have started expanding into selling physical cross stitch accessories in addition to my cross stitch patterns.

I just came out with a line of heart shaped embroidery scissors, and I plan to make lots more pastel colored stitching goodies in the future! I want ColorfullySarahShop to be a complete home for everything cross stitch related including free resources, patterns, beginner kits, inspiration, and cute stitching accessories.

It all sounds very exciting! Finally, do you have any tips for readers developing a passion for crafting?

For any readers who are feeling inspired to craft, I think the best advice is to follow your heart and do what makes you happy. Allow yourself to explore different crafts in order to find out which ones you enjoy best. And the best part, you can pick more than one! Don’t feel intimidated to learn something new, embrace it!

A wonderful tip to part on! Thanks for chatting with us, Sarah! We can’t wait to see what you do next 💜✨ For more information on Sarah and her stunning work, simply click HERE.