Meet Sara Trucksess of SCT Designs
Meet Sara- the artist behind SCT Designs. Sara is one of the designers who has been with KCN Designers for the longest. We know you will love getting to know her better!
Tell us about yourself Sara. Where do you consider home?
Home always has a strong pull for me. I was born and raised in Kansas City, the cutest small town-big city there is, at the crossroads of the South and the Midwest. It is such a small town vibe, in fact, that not only did I grow up “down the street” from both KCN’s Polly and Carol, but Carol was also my favorite 4th grade Sunday School teacher! I also had the great privilege of living away from home for many years in Boston, then New York, Paris and Washington, DC, traveling the world in between, but in the end, KC drew me home again to raise my children here.
What was your first experience with needlepoint? Are you a stitcher yourself?
I am a stitcher! Dedicated stitching arrived at the same time as dedicated designing for me. I learned to needlepoint when I was 7 or 8 from my mom, grandmother and aunt. I didn’t stitch long past childhood and picked it up again when I had four kids of my own and needed a carpool line hobby in early 2019. My mom and aunt also used to design their own canvases, so when I started stitching again, I was almost immediately working with blank canvas and making up my own designs.
Did you have another career prior to starting your canvas line?
I spent most of my early career working in museums. I have a French and Art History degree and have worked at Sotheby’s, the Corcoran Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I have planned parties, inventoried collections, helped translate documents, helped put on exhibitions and write catalogues. Later, I also helped launch a start-up activewear company called NEVA that empowers women across the world with meaningful embroidery work. The segue to needlepoint was inevitable.
What led you to start creating your own designs?
The transformational joy of taking a piece of blank mesh and adding a few fibers to create a fully functional piece of fabric turns out to combine every art form I’ve ever loved into one perfect project. It’s painting, it’s fashion, it’s color theory, it’s interior design and textile history all wrapped into one. When I started stitching again, I knew immediately that I needed to see where blank canvas would take me so I started by free-stitching everything. I transitioned to painting canvases later. And here we are.
Tell us more about your designs! How do you decide what to paint?
My mom and grandmother are both artists and taught me from a very young age to find the beauty in everyday life. I love being outside in beautiful places, I also love being inside in beautiful places. I adore pattern and nature and the stunning and varied cultures of the world. Inspiration is everywhere - which I think is why I tend to be fairly prolific!! I am inspired at every turn, causing no shortage of design ideas! I also tend to be anti-trend. I appreciate tried and true classics. Needlepoint in itself is a tried and true classic and I try to infuse a classics-with-a-twist aesthetic into my designs as well.
Do you have a favorite canvas or design, or something you can't wait to stitch for yourself?
From my own line, I really do love the patterned clutches. There’s something both classic and modern about wearable needlepoint that really does it for me. I also love a collection. You’ll notice that once I start a series, I have a hard time stopping myself. A curated collection of ornaments or door hangers or coasters that can be added to over the years feels lovingly crafted to me. And… I am also having a thing for animals and greenery lately. There are too many canvases to count from my fellow KCN designers that also fit this bill. I have a lot of favorites and never enough time to stitch… every needlepointer’s lament!
Do you have a favorite canvas or design, or something you can't wait to stitch for yourself?
From my own line, I really do love the patterned clutches. There’s something both classic and modern about wearable needlepoint that really does it for me. I also love a collection. You’ll notice that once I start a series, I have a hard time stopping myself. A curated collection of ornaments or door hangers or coasters that can be added to over the years feels lovingly crafted to me. And… I am also having a thing for animals and greenery lately. There are too many canvases to count from my fellow KCN designers that also fit this bill. I have a lot of favorites and never enough time to stitch… every needlepointer’s lament!