Meet Francheska Deras of CheskaStitches in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Francheska Deras.

Francheska, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I had always been interested in creating. Whether it was through drawing, painting, crafting, or writing. Needlework was something that I learned as a kid but didn’t take it up again until I was much older. My maternal grandmother was the very first person to put a needle and thread in my hands, and my mom (her daughter) would eventually teach me how to embroider.

I wasn’t very close to my abuelita, but when I was a child, she would visit my family often. She worked as a seamstress by trade in her home country of Guatemala and could make almost anything you needed. One of my earliest memories is of her teaching me how to stitch. She would have me practice with a thick tapestry needle, yarn, and a scrap piece of cloth; showing me the right way to hold a needle and some basic techniques.

As I got older, I never showed much interest in continuing to stitch, but the memories of my abuelita teaching me never left me. When my mom immigrated to the United States, she first worked in the garment industry. She eventually got into the health insurance field but would often times show me some of the things she embroidered when she was pregnant with me.

My mom had a bunch of sewing supplies stored in a couple of plastic storage bins and cookie tins. (Yes, those tins you think have cookies in them but only have a bunch of sewing supplies when you open them, haha). One summer day, when I was in high school, I finally asked her to show me how to embroider. So she sat down with me and step by step taught me how to cross stitch.

We practiced on pieces of cloths that already had printed designs on them or on hand towels. By the time I was in college, I had taken what I learned from my abuelita and mom and applied it to my own interests. Cross stitching patterns I found online or creating my own patterns.

I have always identified as an introvert but something I didn’t realize at the time was that it was a great way to deal with my anxiety and emotions. Needlework, a form of non-verbal expression, served as the perfect creative outlet for me. Some of my pieces not only represent my personal interests but my culture as well. It was and still is a perfect way to share a little bit about myself to everyone.

Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge so far has been managing a balance between work, personal interests, and stitching.

After I graduated from college in 2015, I was only working a part-time job. So in my free time, I would go to local coffee shops and spend all day working on or designing new patterns. This was a great time for me to focus on creating and growing my business. I now work two jobs, and since my work schedule is a bit unpredictable, I rarely have a full day off. On my free time, I play roller derby with RebelTown Rollers.

I practice two-three times a week, and if I am able to, I try to fit in a quick beach skate once a week. I’ll go through this almost cyclical routine where some days I’ll find myself at the end of the workday and opting for staying in bed and watching movies or TV shows, feeling too tired to do anything else. Other days I’ll count down the minutes until I get home, excited to sit at my desk and begin stitching.

When life starts to feel overwhelming, it is easy to lose sight of your passion or purpose. So on days when I come home and find myself feeling lazy, I’ll sit at my desk and tell myself to work on something for just 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Those times serve as a reminder of why I love needlework and why it is so important to me.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I started CheskaStitches as a way to share my love of needlework with the world. My abuelita and my mom shared their knowledge with me, and I wanted to continue that tradition with my family, friends, and folks online who just wanted to learn more.

Specifically, I specialize in cross stitching. Cross stitch is a form of embroidery in which you use counted x-shaped stitches to form an image or pattern. It is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and was (and still is) used to embellish clothing, household items, or whatever your heart desires.

Most of my ideas come from a wide variety of interests. You’ll find pieces inspired by video games, food, music, popular phrases, and my Central American roots. Aside from hoops and framed pieces, I also create pins made out of reused bottle caps. I’ll place a small cross stitched image in a bottle cap with an attached pinback.

These were inspired by my desire to reuse and reduce waste. I like to go to thrift stores to buy supplies such as cloth and embroidery hoops. You can actually find a lot of sewing supplies that are in relatively good condition. I even hoard paper bags to use as backings for embroidery hoops.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I hope to eventually start hosting workshops on needlework. I enjoy sharing and talking about my process with followers and am always open to answering questions.

Last year, I had the opportunity to teach kids at a summer camp how to cross stitch. Since it was my very first time teaching a large group, it was a bit overwhelming, but it was such a rewarding experience.

It was heartwarming to hear kids as they walked away talking about how excited they were to learn something new and looking forward to continue practicing at home.

In the end, I just want to be able to share what I’ve been taught to folks who want to learn about needlework or are just looking for something new.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cheskastitches.bigcartel.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheskastitches/

Image Credit:
Omar Martinez

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