“Cross-stitching has been my meditative serenity since high school. Having spent three years of my adolescence abroad in Asia, I was met with a difficult transition back to my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Feeling like an outsider in my own country (and what I now know to be reverse culture shock) I turned inward.

Intuitively, my Mom reintroduced my childhood hobby of cross-stitch as a way to keep my idle hands busy as I continued to process our move back to the States. It was my saving grace. Its calming, meditative effects carried me through my hardest years and it continues to soothe me, even now as I make my way through my early years of motherhood.

Interestingly, it was also my Mom who bought me my first sewing machine, which prompted a whole new avenue of crafting. I have been surprised at how much I love the process of sewing and the art of designing that has naturally followed.

As a mom of two girls myself, I hope to teach them the healing power of art in whatever form they choose because I truly believe it makes all the difference.“

– Danielle Van Noy