Our Story | Part One
Here I am, Eppie. This was on the day I handed in my notice at the investment bank and embarked on the journey of starting The Fabled Thread.
About 18 months before, I’d been moaning to my boyfriend (now husband) about the lack of embroidery kits I actually wanted to stitch. And he said the words he may well regret to this day: “so, why don’t you do something about it.”
What I’m sure he meant as a passing comment — or maybe a gentle suggestion for a little side project — became a full-blown obsession.
While stuck on long diligence calls, I’d be sneakily designing samplers in Excel (because you can take the girl out of finance, but you can’t quite take Excel out of the girl).
I’d always studied sciences and spent seven years in healthcare M&A, but deep down I knew it wasn’t entirely for me. While the really motivated bankers were spending their weekends trawling through analyst reports, I’d be off trying out sculpture, visiting galleries, signing up to life drawing classes — anything creative, and I was in.
So once Harry said those fateful words, I quietly started planning and saving. Every spare pound went into what I started calling my Fabled Thread fund. I knew that if I was going to do this, I didn’t want it to feel like just another kit — they had to feel memorable.
Keep swiping through the images to read the rest of part one!
#creativebusiness #smallbusiness #embroiderykits #needlepointkits
It’s time… @the_rhs Chelsea Flower Show 2026!!
When we signed up for Chelsea last year it felt so intimidating - this year it’s our second time and it just feels incredibly exciting! The whole team has been working towards this for months - whether it’s prepping stock, or making banners, or building furniture, or ordering decals, or (even!) finishing embroideries. But we are SO ready!!
I was absolutely buzzing when I left the stand today - it looks amazing and I am so incredibly proud of this beautiful business and our beautiful products. I am not even going to try be modest. This feel like the best showcase we have ever done for what we do.
Throughout the week nearly every team member will be on the stand (even down to the littlest - Sasha - who will be there Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes).
Are you coming??!
We won’t let a spot of rain dampen our joy - we are British after all… we can’t wait to meet you!
Chelsea Flower Show | The Debrief
Today we’re in the midst of setting up, painting and organising our stand for the most wonderful show of the year - the Chelsea Flower Show - which starts next week!
Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for a tour of our sparkly new stand - and in the meantime given how much we bang on about it, we thought it might be helpful to share everything we learnt from last year’s show.
Swipe through to read a preview and head to the Journal for the rest of the article. This article originally went live exclusively for Studio members last year, directly after the 2025 show, but we’ve now made it open access for everyone to read.
In the full piece, we share whether it was all actually worth it, how the show went, whether we made a profit, more behind-the-scenes production details, the seemingly endless admin, the extra help we had to bring in, the response to the stand, the PR exposure, and whether we’d do it again (well… spoiler: we’re here for the second year, as we speak!)
BACK IN STOCK | Schumacher with Finishing Materials
It’s been a little while since we last had these in stock, so we’re very happy to say they’re available again! We know it can feel overwhelming deciding where to begin when finishing your cushion, so we wanted to make the process simpler with a carefully curated range of finishing materials.
We also stock a wide range of other colours in backing fabrics, tassel kits, and piping to complete your cushion - however your heart desires!
The unsung hero of studio life, the office dog!
So it was time for us to finally document a Day in the Life of Roger!
No dogs were harmed in the making of this video 🐾
New Limited Edition ✨ Sable by Starlight ✨
It’s been quite a long time since our last Limited Edition and we have had a lot of people asking when the next one will come. The reality is I had hoped to have one far sooner, but none of the designs I came up with really felt strong enough until now.
This limited edition is a sister to one of our earliest (and one of my favourite) designs: The Sable. I am back on my old theme of antelopes, which just simply never get old. This time in a colour palette which for me is starlight, moonshine and magic.
This Limited Edition is a challenge - whilst there are lots of areas with simple stitches you’ll likely know and love (satin, back, stem, french knots, chain) - we do have one devilishly hard area of his back legs which are in interlaced herringbone. This challenge is what makes the Limited Editions what they are though. It’s about giving you a project which will feel like an achievement! So – if you’re on the lookout for a new stitching project and want to learn something new, follow the link in bio.
You have until the 26th May to order - then the kit will be shipping in late June.
Meet | Emma
Emma has been part of our community since 2020 and the very early days of The Fabled Thread. We’re so lucky to know her!
This is Emma’s story, filmed on our rather special studio day last September, when we invited a few customers into the studio to share their stitching experiences.
You’ve heard plenty from us before - and, let’s be honest, we would say embroidery and needlepoint are wonderful. So we think hearing it from other people, sharing their experiences in their own words, feels far more powerful.
You can find the rest of the videos from this series by scrolling back and meeting Grace, Patricia, Belinda, Gilly, Cordelia and baby Ingrid.
NEW Craft Guide | How to Create Paper Cut-Out Collages
Yesterday’s Studio Dispatch brought Explorer and Makers members our latest craft guide - all about the satisfying process of creating symmetrical paper cut-out collages.
If you’ve joined the membership recently, you’ll find this (and all the previous craft guides) in the Studio Archive under ‘Creative Kickstart’.
There’s a fair bit in there now, from Tetrapak printing at home and batik painting, to metal embossing, thread painting, and more!
One thing I don’t think anyone talks about enough is how willing you have to be to embarrass yourself when you run your own business.
I’d say about 1% of people you see making videos for these apps actually feel completely comfortable doing it. The other 99% are just getting on with it… and probably can’t bear to watch it back, let alone sit in a room while someone else does.
But putting yourself in uncomfortable positions - filming a video, trying out a new design, sending an email to customers, teaching a workshop, even just asserting your opinion - it’s all part of what it takes to make something unique. You have to be willing to do those things if you want to build something. If you always feel comfortable, maybe you aren’t pushing yourself far enough?
So if you’re sitting somewhere feeling a bit embarrassed by yourself, by what you do, or by the version of you that people see online… know that you’re not alone. I am sat here feeling exactly the same. Remind yourself that embarrassment often comes hand in hand with the exciting stuff.
Or maybe it’s just me?
Stitching is a slippery slope…
Once you do one piece, it’s pretty hard to stop. Thankfully I have always felt that more is more when it comes to embroidery. It’s amazing home many kits you can subtly cram into a home without people around you (aka in my case, Harry my husband) noticing. Just the odd framed picture here, the odd cushion there…
That’s one of the reasons why we launched our new Stitcher membership at the weekend. We know how addictive stitching can be and if you start with a gateway drug like The Jabberwocky, it will likely suddenly become a series. But rather than getting a full kit each time, we want to enable you to just get the extra things you need for the next design - skipping the hoops, needles, extra instructions you already have. With our Stitcher membership, you can access our Refill Shop, where we stock refills for at least 15% off the full price.
So if you see yourself falling down the hole of stitching addiction, then take a look at the Stitcher Membership (link in my stories), and sneakily fill you entire home in kits the way I have done with mine 🤫
A New Chapter for The Studio
We first launched our studio membership 2 and a half years ago. Getting a virtual offering for the business right in a way that actually brings people tangible value and a unique experience is really hard (as I have realised since we launched and was maybe naive about before we launched). So over the last few years we have iterated, tested and listened. Today begins a new chapter for membership - different options for different types of maker, a more hands on coaching experience for those who really want to learn, and I hope, a simpler experience for those who join.
So much work goes into changes like this - whilst it sounds simple on the surface, it’s been a full team effort for months. But we are so proud of what this side of the business offers and can do.
If you want to understand it fully, we have a full article and a great explainer video on the journal. Link in bio!
