The History of Pixiestitch
Hey Pixies! My name is Brooke, formerly known as Pixiestitch. It is difficult to lay out a clear timeline of how Pixiestitch was born. Did Pixiestitch start when I first learned how to crochet? When I went to my first rave? Or when I randomly posted a picture to an old recovered instagram account on February 3, 2023? I think Pixiestitch started during all of those vital milestones. Each of those moments shaped and made who I am and what Pixiestitch is today.
Who is Brooke?
I was born in Slidell, Louisiana. Slidell, or The Dirty Dell, is a smaller town right outside New Orleans, and has a population of about 20,000 people. I was born in August 2002, I am a Leo, and my favorite color is purple! My favorite thing about myself is my family and my pups. My cup is so full. I am blessed with the craziest and closest family you could ever imagine. Growing up was nothing short of difficult, for a multitude of reasons. I am positive one day those experiences will be further reflected on and written about. But for today, I will be focusing on all the good and amazing experiences that shaped me.
Like living with my Mawmaw growing up. It took a village of strong women to raise my older sister and me. I was blessed to live with my Mom and Mawmaw growing up. It is strange growing up and having your perception and thoughts mature. I remember when I was younger and my mom,sister and I had to move to my Mawmaws, I selfishly was so upset. I no longer had my own room and was forced to share one with my mom. I no longer lived in an area where I took the bus to school with my friends. Looking back, now the experience is what I am most grateful for as an adult. I look back and feel immense gratitude that I have a mom that is so selfless that she gave the second bedroom to my sister so she could have her own room as a teenager instead of my mom taking it for herself. I look back and I am grateful that I can say I lived with my Mawmaw and had all of that special quality time with her. During those years, I learned the things that as an adult I love most about myself. My Mawmaw taught me how to enjoy the little things, cook, clean, and most importantly, how to crochet. My Mawmaw is left-handed so that was the first challenge we had to overcome. I simply sat in front of her as she sat on the couch and crocheted and mirrored what she was doing. If you have ever crocheted, you know it is not hard to learn, but it is hard to master. Finding the right tension, and learning what materials are best was a challenge for me but with persistence and determination, ai was able to learn and copy my Mawmaw! She was very involved in the church, so we made ‘prayer shawls’! I never forgot the basics of crochet after my Mawmaw taught me! She is my Pixiestitch biggest fan.
My First Rave
Fast forward to when I am 19. COVID is finally coming to an end and it is New years, 2022. My cousin Jeremy invited me to a local venue for a New Year’s Eve Rave. Both the opener (WVNDER) and the headlining DJ (Whipped Cream) were women! Both artists are deep wubz and bass! I was definitely one of those people that did not understand EDM until I was at the show but once I got the vibe, I got the vibe. A few months after the New Years show, Jeremy invited me to the music festival that was in our hometown. I had no idea how lucky I was to be getting ready for a festival in my own room. I am so grateful to have experienced BUKU, a New Orleans music festival, that year. 2022 was the last year New Orleans ever hosted BUKU so it is hard to say where I would be or what I would be doing if I hadn’t had the opportunity to attend that festival. And the lineup was absolutely insane. Here I was taught the importance of PLUR, the most important aspect of our rave community and how much I LOVE EDM and raves.
Who is Pixiestitch?
My plan since I moved out at 17 and started school was to work in a restaurant as a waitress until I graduated. Being that I have worked in the service industry since I was capable of working, becoming a waitress and selling my life away to a restaurant (on top of copious amounts of student loans) seemed like the only option to pay my way through school. I was working 30+ hours a week, on top of 15 hours in classes that were 1.5 hour commute time away. Burnout does not scratch the surface of how I was feeling. Not to mention the fact that I was not feeling proud of myself. I could not devote adequate time or effort into my studies due to my endless and tiring schedule. Looking back, I can identify this point in my life as my lowest low. My GPA and mental health were most affected. Due to my lack of motivation and my inability to adequately perform at work, I was fired. If you have ever been fired from a job, you know how much it affects everything. Everyday I was not working was financially setting me back. It seemed sudden, and it was. In the blink of an eye, everything changed for me. Tatum Bell, a content creator that I sent an outfit to, posted her ‘stoner girly set’ and my page was filled with requests and follows! I found myself not even having time to apply for another serving job because I was so consumed by Pixiestitch and the sense of community that came with it. At first, it definitely was not easy to post marketing, crochet, and package/ship all by myself, but I have learned and adapted to the process and have fallen in love with it. I first posted on the Pixiestitch account on February 3, 2023. I posted a subtronics cyclops inspired bucket hat that I made for myself. From there, friends were asking for custom outfits and accessories for local shows and raves. I kept posting. The online presence is what gave me the idea to send an outfit to content creators to get my name out there. Tatum and her TikTok really made a name for me. Without the exposure I got from her following, Pixiestitch would not be what it is today! I was not only making outfits for local shows anymore. My art was going to festivals and states I had never even thought of being able to travel to personally. Pixiestitch is PLUR. Pixiestitch is the sense of community and culture that I have always wanted. I wake up everyday with excitement and passion for creating, I am so grateful and honored to have such an amazing community that supports and loves me.
I love y’all <3
-Brookie aka Pixiestitch