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

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning how I came to find and connect with the craft of chainstitch embroidery is a significant part of my story. While I’m only 30, I’ve had a meandering journey through several non-creative disciplines, including anthropology, community farming, park restoration and forestry, marine biology, and sewing. I didn’t know what a chainstitch embroidery machine was until the start of 2020, when I worked for a Levi’s Tailor Shop in Emeryville, CA. I was immediately intimidated and intrigued, but it wouldn’t be until another two years had gone by that I would come to purchase my own.

Without going into too much detail, the craft of using these machines is special, specifically because it isn’t a common skillset. Much of what’s known about operating these machines has not been documented, and so learning to operate one typically comes out of forming an intimate knowledge without prior guidance. These machines are all unique and, without an understanding of what the desired stitch looks like, there’s room for personalized interpretation of a “good-looking”, sound stitch.

My journey into this craft was preceded by an understanding of how to operate industrial and home sewing machines like the straight stitch, overlolck, and wa]king foot machines. But the transferrable knowledge from using these machines were only using a servo motor and foot pedal, and stitch tension. Everything else, the direction of the handwheel, the hook on the needle, what thread weight to use, and operating the handle, were all new and took me over a year to feel in control.

The most essential skills that I could attribute to my success were my technical and mechanical curiosity, and my willingness to practice continually. The most obvious interference to bettering my skills are the gaps in available knowledge; what has helped is knowing that I can connect with other chainstitchers in the U.S. who can give me insight into their own trials and successes with the craft.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Soothe Folk, my business, came out of my graduate thesis work. I went to school at Pacific Northwest College of Art, in Portland, OR and earned a degree from the Applied Craft + Design program. I fostered and interest in craft at a young age, when I attended a public Waldorf School. My grandmother was a weaver, and my grandfather was a painter, so I attended craft fairs and was around art at a young age. But my connection to fiber art and its history in the United States is what really catapulted me into seeking out research and information about craft history in the first place.

In grad school, I focused on soft sculpture set design, and apparel design and construction. My thesis was about my experience with assult, trauma, and living with chronic pain. I think the core theme in this work was how to build resiliency through hand crafts. The chainstitch embroidery came into play after I graduated, when I was trying to figure out a way to translate sewing into a viable career path. I knew it would eventually become my profession, but I thought it would take me far longer to get here.

I can’t, in confidence, say that I got to where I am now through sheer talent or artistry. I know that I have developed–and have possibly always been–a charming, charismatic person with a strong work ethic, and an ability to get along with almost anyone. I attribute much of my success to the way I show up in public settings. I am not the most organized person or the best communicator when I’m not in-person, but I know I am passionate, positive, and eager to move forward with my career by networking.

Something many people don’t know about me is that I didn’t learn how to illustrate and share my artwork until three years ago. And while I know there is still a gap between my taste and my artwork, I can see myself inching toward work that I am proud of.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At first, my goal was to make work in connection to my experience with chronic pain. In my idealistic fresh out of graduate school mind, this would be a meaningful purpose that would connect me with others. What I’ve found in pursuit of becoming a full-time creative, is that my mission is to find a way to make beautiful illustrations and pieces that others can feel happy about. I now want to make work which will make my clients feel more connected with craft, community, and lineage. I want people to know about chainstitch embroidery, because I think it’s a tool to feel more invested in their own stories and what they want to share about them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Living in Portland, I am intimately tied to the creative community of individuals who run their own businesses. In person shopping, meetings, and outings are the number 1 way to support these businesses. And knowing that this favor is returned and grows with the energy you put into it is the most rewarding feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: soothefolk.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soothefolk/

Image Credits
Trent, Tien Austin, Alice