handmade happiness for a digital world
Thread & Metal
Thread & Metal
Handmade happiness for a digital world
Hi, I'm Wendy.
Some people call me "Z." It started as a joke but it stuck.
Handmade happiness for a digital world
Hi, I'm Wendy.
Some people call me "Z." It started as a joke but it stuck.
The Back Story
I learned sewing basics from my mom when I was a kid, but I didn’t really start sewing until I was an adult with a corporate job. When a so-called tailor ruined a batch of my brand-new work clothes, I was so upset I decided I’d do my own damn alterations from then on. So I altered all my clothes. And then I started making new things, too, from the clothing I wasn't wearing — revamped clothes, purses and accessories.
After I wore out my second sewing machine, I decided it was time to invest in a high-end model — one of the new combination sewing/digital embroidery machines. With that, I started embellishing everything with machine embroidery, and people started noticing…and asking me to make cool stuff for them, too. When I was laid off from my “real” job in 2016, I had more time to sew, and I started Thread & Metal. When I bought my first embroidery machine, the salesman warned me, “Be careful — digital embroidery is addictive.” Five years, two embroidery machines and four thousand design downloads later, I have to admit he was right.
The Name
Great things happen when opposites meet. Like the yin and yang, contrasts complement each other and depend on each other. Light and dark, soft and hard, day and night – each balances the other. Thread & Metal embodies this philosophy. When soft materials (threads and fabrics) meet metals (needles and scissors) beautiful, purposeful objects are born. Soft and hard, thread and metal – each brings out the best in the other.
The Back Story
I learned sewing basics from my mom when I was a kid, but I didn’t really start sewing until I was an adult with a corporate job. When a so-called tailor ruined a batch of my brand-new work clothes, I was so upset I decided I’d do my own damn alterations from then on. So I altered all my clothes. And then I started making new things, too, from the clothing I wasn't wearing — revamped clothes, purses and accessories.
After I wore out my second sewing machine, I decided it was time to invest in a high-end model — one of the new combination sewing/digital embroidery machines. With that, I started embellishing everything with machine embroidery, and people started noticing…and asking me to make cool stuff for them, too. When I was laid off from my “real” job in 2016, I had more time to sew, and I started Thread & Metal. When I bought my first embroidery machine, the salesman warned me, “Be careful — digital embroidery is addictive.” Five years, two embroidery machines and four thousand design downloads later, I have to admit he was right.
The Name
Great things happen when opposites meet. Like the yin and yang, contrasts complement each other and depend on each other. Light and dark, soft and hard, day and night – each balances the other. Thread & Metal embodies this philosophy. When soft materials (threads and fabrics) meet metals (needles and scissors) beautiful, purposeful objects are born. Soft and hard, thread and metal – each brings out the best in the other.