Finding My Way Back: A Story Told Behind the Seams

If you’re new here, welcome back to The Pineywoods Stitchery, sweet friend. In my first post, I opened the front door and waved you in. Today, I want to invite you a little further inside, into the part of my story that shaped the heart behind this whole space.

I’ve always been a creative soul. I was the little girl who loved making things with her hands. My mom taught me to sew in the fifth grade… sitting beside her at the sewing machine, learning the magic of turning fabric and thread into something real. My aunt, my mom’s twin sister, taught me to crochet, patiently guiding my hands through loops and stitches. And cross-stitching? I’ve been doing that for longer than I can remember. That same idea of creating something beautiful from "pieces" is what also drew me to music... playing piano, putting individual notes together to create tunes and beautiful music spoke to my soul.

Those early creative outlets were my first languages, gentle ways of expressing myself long before I ever realized how deeply I would need them.

A Childhood Shaped by Hospitals

My resilience began young. My first surgery was at age five, and I spent much of my childhood walking the halls of Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist. While other kids were learning cartwheels or playing outside, I was learning bravery, patience, and the quiet strength of enduring what feels impossible. Those early experiences with health challenges and recovery shaped not just my body, but my spirit.

The Years That Changed Everything

More than 30 surgeries later, my adult life took a turn I never expected. In 2013/2024, a major health issue changed everything, both physically, emotionally, and mentally. After that, I was tired of always being resilient, depression and anxiety slowly crept in, and my OCD began to worsen in ways I couldn’t easily explain to others.

Living with chronic illness and pain already makes your world feel small, but when emotional and mental health struggles join the journey… the walls can close in even tighter. There were days when getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain, and days when my mind and body felt too heavy to carry.

And right in the middle of that season, I found quilting for the very first time.

I found comfort in the gently rhythm of the sewing machine. My mind, which had been so full of pain, intrusive thoughts, and depression, finally had somewhere gentle to land. Focusing on small stitches, steady seams, and soft fabric became a kind of creative meditation. 

It gave me space to breathe, to reflect, and to lean on my faith in a quiet, tangible way. Each stitch became a small act of hope, a reminder that I was not alone, and that healing — spiritual, emotional, and physical — is possible even in the messiest of seasons.

Quilting gave me something to look forward to, something to make, something to hold onto when everything felt unsteady. It reminded me that even though I might feel like a mess, I can still create beauty in this world. I started to feel a sense of purpose again. And what I didn’t realize at the time was that I was doing more than creating quilts, I was starting to heal.

Where "Sweet T" Was Born

My nieces gave me the nickname “Sweet T” long before I ever dreamed that I’d use it publicly. At first, it was just a tender family nickname… a little echo of love every time they said it. But as I stitched, healed, and slowly reclaimed pieces of myself, that name became a reminder of who I truly am underneath the pain: hopeful, tender, steady, and still growing.

Sweet T wasn’t a persona I invented.
She was the part of me I rediscovered.

Why I Started The Pineywoods Stitchery

Quilting, and creativity in all its forms, saved pieces of me I was afraid I’d lost. It helped me process grief, navigate chronic illness and pain, and rediscover joy in the small, quiet corners of life. I started The Pineywoods Stitchery because I know I’m not the only one holding scraps: scraps of health, scraps of time, scraps of dreams that feel too tattered to salvage.

This space is for anyone stitching their way back to themselves.

It’s for the quiet fighters, the exhausted dreamers, the people rebuilding themselves from the inside out.

It’s for anyone who needs a gentle voice saying: “You’re not alone. You can still make something beautiful.”

What Comes Next

In the coming posts, I’ll share the projects that helped me heal, the quilting techniques I love, stories from my life, and behind-the-seams glimpses of the dream I’m building one stitch, one story, one day at a time.

If you’re walking through a hard season, if you’re rebuilding, or if you just love quilting and want a cozy place to rest for a moment, I’m so glad you’re here.

Let’s stitch a little hope together, sweet friend.

With love,
— Sweet T