We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lea Saccomanno. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lea below.

Lea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

If you would have told me just a few years ago that I’d be embroidering “full time”, I would have laughed. Taking a chance on myself and giving myself the opportunity to really go after something I believe in has been one of the scariest yet most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

Sippin’ and Stitchin’ started eight years ago on my living room floor with the same goal that I still hold to today – to share what I love in a fun, laid-back way. I’d have friends come over and we’d drink wine, eat snacks and I’d show them how to stitch. One day, a friend reached out and said she had recommended me to our local Lululemon for a workshop series. I was mortified – what if no one came? What if it was boring? What if I taught the whole class without realizing I had spinach in my teeth?

The class ended up going beautifully and I had people reaching out to ask when my next class would be. I decided to collaborate with a local bar to host another and it sold out immediately. I knew I was onto something different. At the time, I had a full-time job in finance and didn’t even consider the fact that this could be a viable business. A few years and a few events later, I realized I could no longer do both and had a very tough decision to make.

Doing something that hasn’t been done before is pretty scary. Telling your co-workers who sell stocks and invest money for a living that you’re leaving a solid future behind to create thread art and teach other people how to do the same is downright terrifying. Running a business (especially in a pandemic/post-pandemic world) is a rollercoaster. Some ideas take off and push me further and some crash and burn and bring me back to the drawing board. At the end of the day, I’m insanely grateful that I get to not only do what I love, but I get to share it with others.

Lea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Over ten years ago, my grandmother taught me how to embroider. Throughout the years (and especially when the world was shut down), it’s something I always come back to. It’s my creative outlet and my way to unplug from everything going on around me and recenter myself.

I’ve done and experimented with so many different types of projects. My favorite to do are mixed media pieces where I merge photography with embroidery. Music is and always has been a huge inspiration for me, so my favorite projects are those that celebrate musicians. I’m also really honored to create commission pieces honoring marriages, pets and celebrating and immortalizing those that have passed.

I absolutely love sharing my craft with others through different workshops, kits and private stitch parties. It always feels so special when I’m asked to host a group of friends celebrating a birthday or a special occasion.

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

Creating something and knowing that what I’ve made reminds people of a joyful moment, person they love or a pivitol time in their life feels so special. I’m still so surprised when I get photos of my work hanging in someones living room next to all of their other treasured things.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to not only create my own work through a medium that I love, but to also share that process with others. Connecting and teaching on a creative level is one of the most rewarding experiences that I’ve had. Even if planning and executing a workshop or event is hard work, I leave with a really deep feeling of gratitude. I love that I’m helping to make something that I love more accessible and fun to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sippinandstitchin.com
• Instagram: @sippinandstitchin

Image Credits
the photo of myself was taken by Daniel Knoll