The Loving Stitch

Feb 25

By: Kym Whitney

Established in 2006 by Orange County resident Kayli Pearsall, The Loving Stitch turns your favorite t-shirts and other clothing into a cozy quilt of memories.

If you're anything like our customers, you've been saving items from college, high school, concerts, travel, sports, and social events. Instead of throwing those items out, which will end up in a landfill, The Loving Stitch repurposes those memories and creates a one-of-a-kind cozy custom blanket.

Their custom quilts make incredible gifts for birthdays, holidays, and High School and College Graduates. In addition, their custom blankets bring healing and joy to families that have lost a loved one. So often, families are left with a closet full of clothes and have difficulty getting rid of items. The Loving Stitch turns those clothes into a beloved heirloom that will be cherished for years to come.

History of The Loving Stich

Although The Loving Stitch was officially established in 2006, the idea was born years prior. Kayli was helping her parents move one summer, and her mom had bins of her old high school, college, sorority, and race shirts. She couldn't bear to throw them out, but she had no idea what to do with them. That's when Kayli and her mom started cutting and stitching. They pieced together a blanket from all of her memories. When friends and family started asking for one of their own, Kayli entertained the idea of starting a business. So slowly and organically, she started a small company making custom quilts. During those first several years, Kayli still maintained her day job that paid the bills while also starting a family. She always dreamed of making her side hustle business a full-time hustle!

Over the years, The Loving Stitch has explored many different avenues. This past year they added custom embroidery sweatshirts to the lineup with great success! But, most importantly, Kayli has stayed true to the basic concept of creating custom, meaningful one of a kind items.

The Loving Stitch is proud to be environmentally conscious. The 4.5 billion dollar t-shirt industry is having a significant impact on our landfills. The Loving Stitch is proud to offer a service that repurposes those t-shirts into a new product that can be used and reused for years.

"I am so proud to be a woman-owned and operated small business in Orange County, and I encourage and support every woman out there trying to make their "side a hustle" their full-time hustle."

Kayli says she has been very blessed by the Newport Beach community. Nearly 40% of her customers reside in and around Newport. In addition, the community has been generous, personally supporting her business and referring friends, family, and neighbors to her. Her heart is very grateful for the ongoing support.

Kayli was born and raised in Orange County. She has been married to her husband, Grant, for 25 years, and they have three children. Their eldest attends the University of Oregon, their 16-year-old attends Mater Dei, and their 12-year-old attends Salem Lutheran. They are a sports family through and through. Most weeknights are spent shuttling the kids to and from practices, and weekends are spent watching their sports.