Today we’d like to introduce you to Francis Santos.
Hi Francis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Everything started when I got my first fabric yard at 15 y-o.
I studied IT in college but never really felt the “love” for it.
My, at the time, bf’s mother worked in Haute Couture and offered me a job beading custom-made dresses. I guess that is where my love for hand sewing started.
I used to walk by Thierry Mugler’s shop and dream about making clothes like his (or working for him. I even contacted his workroom in Paris!) So I went back to school, this time fashion, to learn pattern making. I started working for some fashion houses however the mass production of it did not have an appeal to me so I went back to school again to learn costume making and that’s where I found my calling.
No mass production, one-offs and the wow factor on building some costumes that seemed impossible to bring to life was all I wanted to work with! I have been working in the entertainment industry for over 20 years now including Cirque Du Soleil and I recently worked for a costume house here in LA.
However, my true passion are animals and in 2017, I taught myself embroidery and started embroidering custom animal portraits which brought my two passions together: hand sewing and animals!
My business name is my late cat Blossom’s nickname. I adopted her while living in China and she had a huge personality (quite bossy I might say).
I used to refer to her as my little doll and Babi is an abbreviation of Barbie. That’s how My Pretty Babi came to be.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think life in itself is ever a smooth road.
Because you have to “fuck it up” to learn. You have to make mistakes to get somewhere.
I learn that been part of a community is very enlightening and there is nothing more beautiful then when people get together and share information, lift each other up and help each other.
It is still a learning road, and I’m sure any small business owners will agree with me that it never stops being a learning road.
Loneliness can be a thing when you work alone however I have my two dogs and my cat to keep me company and it is never a dull moment with the three of them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create tiny (and I mean teeny tiny) embroidered jewelry inspired by animals and flowers.
Mainly people know me as the woman with very good vision (not really!) when they see how tiny my embroidery is, however, my main specialty is realistic custom embroidery animal portraits.
I’m very proud of my skills as an embroidery artist now and how far my skill has come since I first started. Believe me, if I could remake all my first portraits, I would. Practice does lead to perfection (or close to it)
I always want to know the dog/cat/cow/goat/bird or whichever animal I am about to portray by their names. For me, they are very important creatures and the love I feel for them shows through my embroidery portraits.
I love connecting to my customers throughout the embroidery process and hearing all the stories about their beloved animals. That makes me feel very special and privileged to be part of their families even if only for a little while.
What makes you happy?
Above all my rescued dogs, Logan and Teddy and my rescued cat, Westley. I don’t think there are any better “people” in this world than animals in general and being around them lifts my mood and energy.
Work is a source of happiness to me also as I mainly embroider animals. I truly love my job!
I love been outdoor and around nature so I love traveling and enjoying other cultures and countries (I have lived in 4 countries already).
Since moving to the US, I grew an immense love for its National Parks and visiting them. (Yosemite and its magic might be my favorite so far)
Pricing:
- Custom embroidery animal portrait starts at $200 to $750+ depending on sizes
- Animal Studs $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://myprettybabi.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/myprettybabi_shop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyPrettyBabi
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/myprettybabi/
Image Credits
I’ve taken all photos myself.
