Custom shirts and a woman holding apparel gifts

The Story Behind the Stitches

"Design was never a career path I mapped out — it was simply the language I thought in."

I was born and raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia — a city that practically breathes art. Its grand architecture, ornate details, and rich cultural heritage shaped the way I see the world. Even as a child, I was drawn to beautiful things: the curve of a letter, the texture of fabric, the way color could make you feel something without saying a word. Design wasn't a career path I had mapped out — it was simply the language I thought in. By profession, I was an economist. Numbers were my daily reality. But creativity was always there, quietly waiting.

In 2018, I moved to the United States and began a completely new chapter of my life. Like many immigrants, I spent years searching for my path — trying different directions, reinventing myself more than once. I earned an education in Criminal Justice. I explored the world of programming. I kept learning, kept growing, kept listening for whatever it was I was truly meant to do.

At the end of 2024, I finally heard it clearly.

I made the decision to build a business that would let me work from home, homeschool my child, and — for the first time — build something around the creative instinct I'd always carried with me. Not just a business. A creative practice. A way of making things that are meaningful, personal, and beautiful.

In January 2025, I registered Art & Stitchery and purchased my very first embroidery machine. The moment thread met fabric and a design came to life, something clicked. This was it. By March, I had already expanded into DTF printing, sublimation, and screen printing — each new technique opening up another dimension of what was possible. In the fall of 2025, I added laser engraving to the studio, and suddenly I could leave a mark on almost any surface imaginable.

What I love most about this work is that design is never just decoration. Every stitch, every print, every engraved line is a decision — about proportion, about feeling, about what story a piece is trying to tell. I obsess over the details: the weight of a font, the placement of a motif, whether something feels joyful or elegant or quietly poetic. I want every piece that leaves this studio to feel intentional. Considered. Worthy of the person who receives it.

Today, Art & Stitchery can bring a design to life on almost any material — apparel, accessories, gifts, keepsakes, and beyond. Whether it's a custom embroidered patch, a bold printed tee, or a delicately engraved keepsake box, every project is an opportunity to make something that didn't exist before.

When I was a little girl, I used to watch American movies and dream about that world — the energy, the possibility, the idea that you could build something truly your own. Somehow, life brought me here. I am an American businesswoman. A maker. A designer.

Life truly is amazing.

— Mariya Smolina, Founder & Owner