Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community a Northfield mom of four, creative entrepreneur, founder of Ellen Elizabeth Stitches, and proud Sacred Heart School family, Ellen Castellini!
A self-described accountant and mathematician at heart, Ellen recently discovered that needlepoint is just as much about numbers as it is about art, design and execution. That beautiful realization sparked a business built on designing, painting, stitching, and teaching others to fall in love with this timeless craft. What began as a quiet hobby during nap times has blossomed into a full professional practice that brings calm, creativity, and connection to moms across the North Shore.
When she’s not stitching or teaching, you’ll find this proud Sacred Heart School mom cheering on her four kids in a community she describes as a “warm hug” — a place where small class sizes, exceptional teachers, and a faith-filled environment make it feel like home. We are so excited to pull up a chair, thread a needle, and get to know this warm, creative, color-loving mom! Welcome, Ellen!
Hi Ellen! Give us a quick snapshot of you and your life right now.
Hi! My days are very full of chaos and color these days. My husband and I just finished a large home renovation so we are happily back at the end of our cul de sac in Northfield with our four young children. Clare (8), Danny (6), Caroline (4), and Birdie (2) keep us on our toes at all times. My quiet hobby has turned into a business, and this has brought me so much joy. I now get to spend nap times and quiet evenings painting canvases and teaching classes.
Tell us about your family. What does motherhood look like in your house these days?
I am at an interesting point in my motherhood journey right now! After so many years of little ones under my feet and in my arms at all times, next year my caboose will join her siblings at Sacred Heart School. I am both a little sad to have all of them in school, but also excited and ready! We love our community at Sacred Heart so much, and it eases the transition from babies at home to kids at school because they are greeted with such loving arms when they enter the doors of Sacred Heart School. The parent community is welcoming, engaged and supportive, and I feel so lucky to have had other parents to lean on. I try to make our home a liturgical space, so that my children always feel the love whether they are in church, at school, or at home.
What’s something about you that might surprise people—outside of your work and mom life?
I think as a needlepoint designer and painter people would think that I am artistic, and while I have grown into this side of myself, I am an accountant and mathematician through and through. The reason needlepoint has clicked so quickly for me is because it makes sense – it is beautiful in an artistic and a mathematical way. I like to tell people this because I think it encourages those who might not consider themselves artists to step outside of the role they’ve always written themselves into and try something new!
Where are your go-to spots right now?
For date night we will always love a night at Aboyer! For girls night I love to sip a margarita at Pomeroy. Every kid’s birthday is celebrated at Fred’s Garage! And on Wednesdays my favorite thing to do is go to all school mass at Sacred Heart with my kids, then to the mom tot playgroup at the school (a super special offering for moms and kids who aren’t quite school-aged yet!), then pop to Towne and Oak for a coffee and a cookie, and over the Classic Stitch 🙂
What are you loving lately?
My guilty pleasure was Traitors streatming on Paramount Plus…so much fun!
I highly recommend a Brick or the app “ScreenZen” to help keep you off your phone more – this has been a game changer for me.
I also would love to recommend the Hallow App! I just finished the Bible in a Year and it is a really great app.
Is there a quote, mantra, or mindset that grounds you when things feel chaotic?
“Be where your feet are”
Oh that’s a great visual! It’s time to get down to business! Please introduce your niche business, Ellen Elizabeth Stitches!
Yes! I am so thrilled to discuss my business Ellen Elizabeth Stitches. I started needlepointing a couple of years ago and right when I started it clicked a piece of my brain and soul into place. I was able to intertwine the artistic and analytic sides of myself into this ancient craft and feel the satisfaction of making something entirely by hand. I wanted to share this love I had found with other people looking for a little calm in the midst of their busy days, so I started teaching a few classes, and it blossomed into a full professional practice. Now I design, paint, stitch, and finish needlepoint – but my greatest joy comes in teaching needlepoint!
How did you happen upon this hobby that has now become a business?
My dear friend and fellow Divine Mercy parishioner Courtney Siemborski, who runs the instagram account @northshoreneedlepoint painted a canvas for me on a rainy day, and I have never looked back. She showed me how to stitch, but also showed me the joy involved, and how even though it is a solo activity it can be very social. We now meet with our friends and have our kids play together while we sit and stitch!
For those of us intrigued but feeling a bit timid to try stitching, what advice do you have?
My advice is to enjoy the process and try to remember that if you wanted something perfect, you could buy it. The beauty of needlepoint is that every single stitch is done with intention and love, and it is actually a very simple craft. I also like to remind people that it is nearly impossible to ruin a needlepoint canvas. You can always pull stitches out, redo them, stitch over them, or simply keep any mistakes as is, and one day look back and remember the wonderful hours you spent stitching that piece and that those little mistakes make it more beautiful.
Do you have any pop ups our audience should know about?
My friend Rebecca Zikaikis is opening a new needlepoint store in Evanston in early summer called Velvet Stitch House! Together we have two pop up classes at the Bar Method Northfield in March and April, I have two painting classes coming up – one at Lucky Lane’s studio on Green Bay and one at the Classic Stitch. I am doing a class for Neighbors of Kenilworth celebrating their 135 years in existence in April. And there are many more coming down the pipeline! Head over to my Instagram account to see what’s coming up and r.s.v.p.
I also truly love to teach private classes. I love meeting a group of friends, designing a canvas with them, and then spending a couple of hours teaching them! Please reach out if you are interested in learning with a group of friends!
And if we want to purchase any of your designs…
I am in the midst of creating a website, but until then you can reach out via instagram, @ellen_elizabeth_stitches and you can find events, my etsy shop, or order custom canvases through there!
You mentioned one of the best things about the North Shore is Sacred Heart School and the Northfield community. For those of us looking for a private. Catholic K-8 school, what stands out about this school?
Sacred Heart School is an incredibly special place. My husband and his siblings all attended Sacred Heart through eighth grade, so for him it felt like coming home. I grew up in St Charles, so Sacred Heart was very new to me, and I remember when I first walked in it felt like a warm hug.
The classes are small and intimate. My son Danny has the most magical teachers I have ever met. They let him be his silly crazy self, but have helped form him into a respectful and kind young boy as well. They have made learning fun for him – he LOVES doing his homework.
My four year old loves being able to see him in school. For me personally, I also love the faith-inspired approach and values that are integrated into the Sacred Heart experience. I went to public school until I attended Notre Dame, and my mom was wonderful about including Jesus and His teachings in our everyday life. But I love so much that my children will not just have that at home, but at school as well. Jesus is a part of their day in the same way that their siblings are. It is simply in the air they breathe, and that has brought a lot of joy to our family. The parish community and the school community are a very special part of our lives.
Give us your dets! Where can we connect and ask questions?
Reach out to me on Instagram @ellen_elizabeth_stitches to discuss a private party, a custom canvas, or anything else!!
And come visit Sacred Heart for your personalized tour! The school is located at 1095 Gage Street, Winnetka, IL 60093. Call (847) 446-0005 or e-mail [email protected].
About Our Spotlight Partner
Chicago North Shore Moms is supported in part by Mary Gregory Gifford, a Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
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