Fun and Felt with Otter Bee Stitching

Hi, I'm Jess, and I've been a maker for a little over 5 years. I bounced around in the beginning, experimenting with cloth toys and quiet books before landing on embroidery a year and a half ago. It was love at first stitch, and I quickly started designing my own pieces and selling them on Etsy.”

“Last fall, I began the process of bringing a subscription box to life. Embroidery can be a little overwhelming to learn. There's a ton of information out there already, and it can be difficult to know where to start or what patterns to stitch. The Otter Bee Stitching Box brings felt applique projects right to your home each month. With all the materials assembled in one place, easy-to-follow instructions, and a Facebook community of makers all working on the same project, it's a simplified way to learn a new skill or technique alongside others just like you.”

“With a thriving embroidery community already pumping out social media content, it was a challenge to find my artistic voice and discover how to contribute something fresh and uniquely me. I tried out traditional florals with motivational sayings, mixed media techniques involving watercolor and different fabrics, and fandom-inspired pieces, but nothing really felt like it was truly me as an artist.”

“Then last summer, I started playing around with felt applique. It's a technique that I didn't know the name for when I started, but reminded me of why I started making things in the first place. I wanted to create one-of-a-kind whimsical pieces that would be talking points in a room. Felt gave me a way to do that. By using my quiet book skills, I'm able to bring not only texture and color, but moving parts and interactive components to pieces that would normally just hang on the wall.”

“As a consumer, I'm much more likely to choose products and services that will benefit the environment, or at least not harm it any further. At this point, climate change is undeniable, and while it sometimes feels like the impact of one person is so small as to be nonexistent, it does help a lot to feel like I'm making decisions with the environment in mind. As a small business owner, lowering my environmental footprint sometimes feels like a real challenge. It can be expensive to be sustainable, and I ended up just doing away with excess packaging entirely in an effort to keep waste minimal. Not buying all that tissue paper and twine felt good, but I really missed creating a fun unboxing experience for my customers.”

“My tissue design is my logo. I went through a big re-brand last summer, changing everything from the name of my business to the color palette of my packaging. My new logo was designed and drawn by me, and then turned into a vector image by my husband (he's way better with Illustrator than I am). Plugging that image into the noissue design software was so simple! I was able to find a size and pattern that made my logo really shine, and the final product is everything I've ever wanted.”

“Packaging wouldn't have been on my radar at all if it weren't for my subscription box service. I don't wrap up individual embroidery hoops anymore, but when I was putting together my subscription box concept, I knew I wanted something that would make the box stand out in the mail. I researched custom-printed boxes, but didn't really find any companies I was super impressed with (and let's be honest, custom boxes are pretty pricey). I decided to look into other options instead, and set to work researching tissue paper, stickers, and stamps.”

“I ran across a few ads for noissue on Instagram, and then saw a few of my favorite small shops using noissue tissue paper to package up their orders. After looking into it myself, I found out that it's affordable AND sustainable, which is the best combination! I just sent out my first round of subscription boxes two weeks ago, and have heard nothing but rave reviews about the boxes and the tissue paper. I've had multiple subscribers tell me they'll be reusing the tissue paper to wrap small gifts because they love it so much, and have had Instagram followers tell me they need to order something specifically to get the tissue paper. I'm so thankful to noissue for helping me bring my unique vision to life!”