OUR PROCESS • THIMBLE & HEARTH
How We Make Our Candles
Every Thimble & Hearth candle starts long before the first pour.
Here's what actually goes into making something worth burning.
01 THE WAX
02 WICK TESTING
03 THE FRAGRANCE
04 THE CURE
05 SMALL BATCH
06 THE STUDIO
STEP 01
It All Starts With the Wax
Not all candle wax is created equal and the difference matters more than most people realize. Thimble & Hearth uses luxury coconut apricot wax, one of the finest available anywhere. It arrives in solid slabs which are cut down by hand and melted in a dedicated wax melter to a precise temperature.
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Temperature matters more than you might think. Too hot and the fragrance oil burns off before the candle is even poured. Too cool and the wax doesn't bind properly, affecting both appearance and scent throw. Getting it exactly right is the difference between a candle that looks and smells beautiful and one that doesn't. It's one of those details that nobody sees but that affects everything.
STEP 02
The Wick Testing Process
This is where most people are surprised by how much work goes into a single candle.
Before any new scent goes into production, it goes through an extensive testing process. Multiple testers are made using different sized wicks to find the perfect match for that specific combination of wax, fragrance oil, vessel, and sometimes dye. Each one is burned and evaluated carefully.
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What are we looking for? A clean, even burn that melts the wax all the way across the top without burning too deep. A hot throw that fills the room beautifully without being overwhelming. No mushrooming, no tunneling, no sooting. Just a perfect, consistent burn from the first light to the last.
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Adding dye to a candle changes the burn behavior, which means the testing process starts again. Every variable affects the final result and every variable gets tested before anything leaves the studio.
"Every variable affects the final result and every variable gets tested before anything leaves the studio."
STEP 03
The Fragrance
Every fragrance oil used in a Thimble & Hearth candle is carefully selected for quality and safety. Clean fragrance oils free of harmful chemicals are non-negotiable here. But beyond safety, fragrance selection is where the real creative work happens.
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Blending fragrances is an art. Getting the balance right between top, middle, and base notes so that the scent evolves beautifully as it burns takes time, patience, and a lot of testing. And because every Thimble & Hearth candle is designed as a complete experience, the fragrance is always chosen in coordination with the vessel, the color, and the label. The scent and the look tell the same story. Always.
STEP 04
The Cure
Once poured, every candle cures for 48 to 72 hours before it's tested or packaged. Curing allows the fragrance oil to fully bind with the wax, which affects both scent throw and burn quality.
Skipping or shortening cure time is one of the most common shortcuts in candle making. It's not one we take.
STEP 05
Small Batch, By Design
When we say small batch, we mean it. Each production run is between 12 and 20 candles. That's intentional. Smaller batches mean more attention to each individual candle, more consistency, and more control over quality at every step.
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It also means that when you buy a Thimble & Hearth candle, it was made recently, by hand, by a real person who genuinely cared about getting it right.
"When you buy a Thimble & Hearth candle, it was made recently, by hand, by a real person who genuinely cared about getting it right."
STEP 06
The Studio
Thimble & Hearth started in a home kitchen, the way a lot of good things do. But the work quickly outgrew the kitchen island, which felt like a very good problem to have. Today every candle is made in a dedicated studio space, purpose-built for candle and fragrance production.
Having a proper studio has changed everything. Better organization, better process, better product. It also means the kitchen is finally available for cooking again, which everyone in the family appreciates.
THE STANDARD
Why It Matters
I spent years as a classical pianist practicing the same phrases hundreds of times to get them exactly right. Not just correct, but genuinely beautiful. I make candles the same way.
Every batch is evaluated. Every detail is considered. Every candle that leaves this studio has passed the same standard I'd hold anything to, whether it's a musical phrase or a fragrance blend. It has to be right before it goes out the door.
That's not a marketing line. That's just how I work.