Our Story

Hi, I'm Ang and I Didn't Mean to Collect Hobbies.

I've always been the kind of person who hears the price of something and immediately thinks:

“I'll just do it myself.”

Which probably explains why I've collected more hobbies than I can count.

Sewing, knitting, Cricut, embroidery, painting...if it involves making something, I've probably tried it.

And strangely enough, The Crooked Thread Co. started with one very unfortunate pair of pants.

Where It All Began

Around 2022-23, I bought a pair of pants that needed to be hemmed. Being vertically challenged, this was not exactly a new problem.

Then I found out the hemming was going to cost more than the pants.

Absolutely not.

So, in a completely reasonable turn of events, I bought a sewing machine instead.

I thought, I can do this myself.

I could not.

I really, really could not.

The pants did not survive.

But the sewing machine did and that little disaster turned into something much bigger.

Seven Days. Zero Products. Obviously, I Said Yes.

Not long after that, during Pride Month, I received a random email with the subject line:

Vendors Needed!

Did I know the person who sent it? No.

Had I ever been a vendor? No.

Did I have products to sell? Also no.

Did I have a business?

Definitely not.

Naturally, I replied that I'd like to be a vendor.

Then I found out the event was the following week.

I had seven days, no experience, no products, no business name, and absolutely no idea what I was doing.

So I called my sisters:

HELP! I NEED PRODUCTS!

And somehow, everyone got to work.

Imperfect Goods by Ang

I knew I was a beginner, and I didn't want to pretend otherwise. There wasn't exactly a straight stitch in sight.

That's how Imperfect Goods by Ang was born.

The name gave me permission to learn as I went. It told people right from the beginning that perfection wasn't really what we were doing here.

I started making key fobs, lanyards, coin purses, and a few shirts. My sisters came through with more products, and one week after answering that random email, we showed up at our first event.

And somehow...

We actually sold things.

That summer, we attended five events and slowly added more products, more skills, and of course more hobbies.

One of our first vendor events — back when we were still Imperfect Goods by Ang. ♡

From Imperfect to Crooked

Eventually, Imperfect Goods by Ang didn't fit anymore.

I wasn't the only person who had helped create what the business had become, and my projects had expanded far beyond that first sewing machine.

But I didn't want to lose what the original name represented.

The things I made weren't always perfect. Sometimes the stitches wandered. Sometimes an idea took seven attempts. Sometimes I learned exactly what not to do.

But every imperfect project was part of the story.

And that's how The Crooked Thread Co. was born.

The name is a little reminder of where all of this started and that something doesn't have to be perfectly straight to be worth making.

What The CTC Is About

Today, The Crooked Thread Co. is a place for all the things I love to make, try, learn, and occasionally mess up along the way.

You'll find apparel, embroidery, bookish things, digital designs, and whatever hobby I've probably convinced myself I can learn next.

Because if this whole adventure has taught me anything, it's this:

You don't need to be an expert to start.

Curiosity is louder than fear.

Every new hobby adds something to your story.

And the messy middle is usually where the magic happens.

Looking back, I'm glad those pants didn't survive.

They started all of this.

Thanks for being here. ♡

The crooked path is the best part.