We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hillary a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hillary, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I started my business in 2017, doing alterations for my friends and making cute embroideries casually here and there. I had been an artist and a seamstress for years before but this was the year I established the name Hillsthreads. 2019 is when I really started to take it seriously and started making art more of a priority in my life. I was tired of being complacent with it. I had known for a long time making art made me feel extremely fulfilled and I wanted to create more than I had been.

I think for years I let anxiety and self-doubt control me. I allowed myself to believe I wasn’t talented or that no one would care or like what I had to offer. It took me some time to be like “hey how do you really know if you’re not even going to try?” That’s when Hillsthreads came to life.

Unfortunately at the time, I was living alone and managing a clothing store full-time so my free time and energy were already stretched thin. I was determined to make it work, coming home after a long day, and got right to work on whatever project I had at the moment. I even lost some friends along the way because they couldn’t understand what I was setting out to accomplish. Partying every night didn’t seem as fun anymore, all I could think about were my ideas. It was around this time I wish I had started sooner, like when I had roommates and could take the risk of doing art full-time. The art community in Baltimore came to me so easily, my biggest issue was that I didn’t have time for all the ideas in my head.

By starting sooner I could have had the time to develop my skills and customer base all while not having to worry if I could cover all my bills on my own. Honestly, this train of thought is something I try to avoid. I can use it to encourage others to start chasing their dreams sooner, but for me, this line of thinking gets me down. I try to focus on what tools and opportunities I have in front of me right now. It took some time to earn but currently I have developed my skills and style. I have some amazing, very loyal clients and a great support system. I still want to go further with my business but right now everything I have in front of me and within me, is enough for Hillsthreads.

Hillary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hey, I’m Hillary, the artist behind Hillsthreads. Growing up my mom always had me and my sister engaged in some sort of arts and crafts. Both my parents are creators in their own way. My mom did stained glass and some sewing on the side while my dad was a woodworker. I started my own art journey sewing in my early teens. I grew up a chubby kid and hated all the clothes made for plus-size girls at the time. Frustrated and insecure, I started making my own clothes or altered items I already owned.

Fast forward a decade, I was really captivated by embroidery and decided to give it a try. As soon as I tried, I knew I was aligned with my craft by how easy it came to me. Come to find out I come from a long line of embroidery artists and seamstresses. It makes me feel special knowing this because ever since I picked up a needle, I haven’t been able to put it down.

My business is a multifaceted one. I have my own embroidery passion projects but I also offer embroidery commissions. Whether that be as a framed art piece, embroidery detailing on clothing, or patching up clothing. Anything that can be sewn into, I can embroider! I offer tailoring or clothing alterations as well. I’ve shared my talents by teaching embroidery and sewing to anyone willing to learn. Eventually, I want to get into creating wearable art, like costume making or just one-0f-a-kind clothing.

I enjoy working with color and creating bold loud pieces, sometimes with an equally bold message. Quiet minimalism is not the aesthetic at all with Hillsthreads.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, being an artist is being in my bubble and I’m the lead architect of everything in that bubble. I’m in charge, I’m calling the shots, and everything is how I want it and looks how I like it. I started sewing when I was younger because clothes never fit right or were just plain ugly for plus-size girls. Learning how to sew and alter clothing opened up a new world for me where I was wearing what I wanted and styled how I like. It’s important to me that I have a sense of individuality, being creative has given that to me in a world where I was supposed to blend in and be invisible as a weird fat girl. Being an artist helped me take that weird and make it into art, make it into something I can share and enjoy with other people.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I recently quit my full-time job to be a self-employed seamstress/ artist full-time! I was blessed with wonderful friends that let me move in with them for a few months to save up some money. Along with quitting my job, I also decided to relocate to New Orleans! It’s a city I’ve always been fascinated with and drawn to. I feel very confident that I will be able to put my seamstress skills to use more so down here.

A key milestone so far has been that I’ve only been here a week and I already met some really cool creators. Signed up to vend at some art markets and I’ve gotten a handful of commissions waiting for me. It feels really good to have opened up my life and time like this and the work I wanted has found me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hillsthreads
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillsthreads/