About

About Sarah

Hi, I'm Sarah, the founder of Osan. My mother taught me to sew, and my grandmother taught me to knit. After a long hiatus, I returned to sewing after giving birth to my first child. I thought then that all needles and pins were the same, just bits of metal, maybe with a plastic ball attached to the end. Over time, my skills improved, and I grew frustrated with the poor quality supplies I found at my local big-box stores. Sewing pins that came bent straight out of the box. Warped embroidery hoops. I thought about my mom, who believed in buying the best quality you could afford. Buy it once, she'd tell me.

Osan

The idea to open a sewing supply shop begins with my family's history.

My maternal grandfather's family played an integral role in the founding of a school called Osan in what is now North Korea. The name "Osan" means "five mountains" in Korean ("O" meaning five, "San" meaning mountain) and refers to the five mountains that surrounded the school. During the war, the school was relocated to what is now South Korea. The school was burned to the ground during Japanese occupation. Thankfully, my mother's distant cousin paid to have the school rebuilt, and Osan the school still stands (and operates!) today. 

To me, the story of Osan the school is one of resilience and perseverance. These qualities, as well as the beauty of the mountains, resonate deeply with me. I believe the ancient craft of sewing also embodies these qualities. By naming my shop Osan, I am putting out a dream for this little shop to grow into an inspiration and resource for sewists of all levels, from advanced needleworkers to people who have yet to sew their first stitch. I hope we can all absorb sewing's rich history and that we learn, little by little, to appreciate quality over quantity, the handmade over mass-produced.

Thank you for reading. May your sewing journey be long and bright.