I’ve been meaning to do a few of these for a while — not the stiff, “tell me about your brand” kind of thing… more like a proper natter with the people behind the stuff we all end up using without even thinking about it.

And this one was an easy pick. I’ve got  their floss hangers  with an ikea box, and they’ve quietly become one of those tools that just live in the setup now. No drama, no fuss… just does the job.

Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what you want.

So I had a chat with Debbie Wanstall, who is behind Pip & Chip — and it turns out, like most good things, it didn’t start with some big master plan…

It all kicked off back in 2018, in a little garden office — which already sounds like the dream, doesn’t it?

Maternity leave, a bit of time, and that itch to make something. Not to build a business. Not to “launch a brand”. Just… make something.

That something ended up being hedgehog-shaped bobbins (which is already a win in my book), chucked on social media just for the sake of it…

…and then people went “hang on, I want those.”

And that’s kind of how it snowballed. No big switch flipped. Just one idea turning into another, orders creeping in, and suddenly it’s not just a little side thing anymore.
What I like about this is it didn’t go from 0 to business overnight. It sort of… snuck up on them.

Started solo. Then, mother-in-law joined in. Then, husband. Then sister-in-law.
Next thing you know it’s a full-on family operation, which honestly just makes it feel even better. There’s something about that which feels proper grounded — not corporate, not forced, just built as it grew.

The moment it really shifted?

The colour-matched DMC bobbins.

That’s when things went from “this is doing alright” to “oh… this is actually doing something.”

Demand jumped, space ran out, and the garden office got swapped for a proper unit. That’s the point where you go from “I make things” to “right… I run a business now.”

Bit of a gulp moment, I imagine 😅

Now… important questions…

Do they still get time to stitch?

Short answer: not really.
Which feels like the most honest answer possible. A bit here and there when testing things, but not loads. And I think a lot of us can relate — the second something you love turns into something bigger, it shifts.

But not in a bad way.

It’s just changed how they see stitching. It’s less about just the finished piece and more about the whole experience — how it feels while you’re doing it.

And this is where their whole “organisation” thing clicks into place.

Because let’s be honest… nothing ruins a nice, calm stitch session quicker than losing a thread, knocking something off the table, or realising everything’s in the wrong place. Absolute chaos gremlin energy.

So yeah… turns out being organised actually does make a difference. Who knew.
When it comes to what they’ve made, picking a favourite wasn’t easy… but the one that stuck was the colour-matched bobbins with the foam inserts for Bisley drawers.

And I get it.

There is something ridiculously satisfying about opening a drawer and seeing everything lined up perfectly. Colours behaving themselves. No tangles. No nonsense.

It’s like a little moment of “yes… I’ve got my life together” — even if everything else is on fire 😅
And fair play to them as well — they were one of the first to really bring that colour-matching and organisation into the stitching world. Now it feels normal, but someone had to start it.

The community side came up a lot too — and you can tell it actually means something.
Not just customers, but proper connections. Other small business owners.

People who get the chaos behind the scenes.

One standout moment was being invited to the Caterpillar Cross Stitch Retreat as a vendor.

And this bit I really liked —

meeting people in real life after only ever seeing names on orders. That shift from “order number” to “actual human” hits different.

Even more so because it pushed them personally as well. Dealing with anxiety, putting themselves out there… and still doing it anyway.

That’s the kind of thing that sticks with you.

Right, important stuff…


Go-to floss colour?

DMC 550 or 3849 — solid choices.

Favourite thing to stitch?

Small projects… quick wins, nothing hanging around unfinished (I feel personally attacked by that one).

And neat back or chaos gremlin?

Both. Depending on the mood. Which is probably the most accurate answer anyone’s ever given.

Looking ahead, they’ve got something brewing as well.

They’ve been working behind the scenes for a couple of years trying to make things more affordable without dropping the quality —

which, let’s be honest, is not an easy thing to pull off.

But it sounds like they’re close.

There’s an Essentials range on the way, so definitely one to keep an eye on.


And to finish it off, a bit of advice that feels very on-brand:
Keep your workspace organised.
Which, yeah… I know. We’ve all heard it.

But also… we’ve all ignored it.
And deep down we all know it would make life easier 😅

That’s what I like about this one.
It’s not some big flashy “look what we built” story. It’s just someone who started making something because they enjoyed it… and kept going.

Built it bit by bit. Brought people in. Kept it grounded.
And now it’s something loads of us use without even thinking about it.
Which is probably the best kind of success there is.

I’ll stitch, I’ll swear, and I’ll be back. Words done, thread out—time to stab fabric with intent.