Hi, this is Bicoastal Stitches reporting live from LA. And I’ve gotta be honest—I have some explaining to do. Actually, we do.
About two months ago, I shared a TikTok announcing something I’d been quietly working on for nearly a year: Atlantic Pacific Needlepoint. To give you a better idea of what it’s all about, here’s an excerpt from my Substack drafts:
Atlantic Pacific Needlepoint offers exclusive canvases in small, curated drops a few times a year. Each release features a fresh theme, a fun vibe, and a limited quantity. It’s very much a ‘set your alarm and hope your favorite doesn’t sell out’ kind of experience.
But, just days after making that announcement… I serendipitously landed a business partner. So let me tell you the story of Le Fil. From my perspective!
I was out to dinner at a favorite Italian spot, sitting at the bar reading a book. While I waited for the meal to arrive, I noticed a couple beside me… they were giving first-date vibes. Honestly, I’m still not over the awkwardness of dining by myself, so I was trying to look forward and mind my own business. I remember the two ordering some of the same things I did. When I was nearing the end of the meal, the guy turned to me and said, “My date has been fan-girling about you this whole time.” And she was like, “I follow you on Tiktok!”
I was shocked, and worried it was showing on my face as I tried to be nice through the utter surprise. Usually, if I’m recognized as Bicoastal Stitches, it’s in an LNS. I’ve never been recognized outside of that microcosm, which was especially jarring since I’m naturally pretty shy around new people. But I warmed up to Alexandra very quickly.
Alexandra was telling me about the retail store concept she wanted to launch in her neighborhood. I shared what I’d been building. She mentioned that just a week prior, she’d DM’d me when I was looking for website help. I quickly remembered. Before long, we were deep in conversation about needlepoint, projects, everything!!! Her poor date, I think we scared him as we were communicating in our own language.
We exchanged numbers, and, well, you can read the rest:
About a week later, we met for a late lunch and talked for hours about the world of needlepoint, the deeper details of what we wanted out of the needlepoint experience and community, and how similar our visions turned out to be. We clicked. We got along so so well, and I could feel that we would be stronger together. But we both knew it was important to take a breath, so we gave it a couple days.
Right before I flew out of New York, we met up again. It was clear to both of us — there’s something here — and continued to go deeper. We took one more weekend to think, then made it official: we were going into business together!!!!!!
We’ve talked, dreamed, and turned dreams into real-world plans every day since!
Signed a term sheet and agreed to roll Atlantic Pacific into Le Fil.
So, what is Le Fil?
Le Fil — French for “the thread” — is both literal and symbolic.
Yes, it’s the thread we stitch with. But it’s also the invisible thread that ties us together: generations of women, artists, collectors, beginners, and lifelong stitchers. The thread of a shared craft, passed down and reimagined. The thread of community — woven across generations, time zones, and DM chains.
Le Fil is our effort to tie that thread together.
Practically speaking, Le Fil is a modern, full-service needlepoint store — elevated, thoughtful access to high-quality canvases, threads, finishing services, classes, tools, and a more inspiring online experience that we eventually hope to bring to Brooklyn, NY.
It’s also our love letter to this craft, and to the women — especially those who’ve come before us — who’ve carried this tradition forward. We believe that beauty matters, kindness scales, and that needlepoint deserves its moment.
We’re building Le Fil with both ends of the thread in mind: artist and stitcher, personal expression and shared experience, tradition and reinvention.
And it all started at a bar.
