Hi! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been in your inbox. Within a month, two events I have been planning for a long time—The Illustration Conference and Camp Craftaway—happened. (Two years and a year of planning, respectively!) I had a lot of “competing priorities” as I like to say, and all my energy went to making sure those things went off without a hitch.
I’m happy to say that they are done and went so well! It also means I can focus more on my projects—including Orts. So, let’s get to it with 5/5. If you’re new here, keep scrolling for five creatively inspiring things and five ways to DIY.
Ethereal Quilts and Glittery Thrones
✨ 5 creatively inspiring things
1️⃣ Wally Dion creates beautiful quilts with an iridescent shine and a nod to traditional piecing designs. He uses see-through fabrics, giving the work an ethereal quality. It’s interesting to note that while Wally refers to his work as quilting, many people in the comments of this Instagram post do not consider them quilts. Someone referred to them as “pieced textiles.” What do you think?
2️⃣I love my Cros and my Croc charms. But, I think it’s time for an upgrade with Technicookie’s punch-needled charms. They are all so cute that it’s hard to choose!
3️⃣ Pull back the top of this shiny fabric trashcan and you’ll find an embroidered raccoon inside its glittery throne. The details make this piece by Megan Zaniewski so cute. She even embroidered its little paws on the edge of the can!
4️⃣ Just a little reminder from the Tiny Pricks Project: give in to joy. (Wish I had this handkerchief!)
5️⃣ We had a tataki zome workshop at Camp Craftaway this year, which is essentially pounding flowers into fabric or paper using a hammer. The effect is stunning; you get beautiful floral prints from the process. Liz Spencer shares a couple of her printing sessions using Lance leaf coreopsis and cosmos flowers. (If you’re interested in trying this, here’s a tutorial to get you started.)
Thank you for reading Orts. If you enjoy my 5/5 format, consider a paid subscription! As a paid subscriber, you’ll receive this email each week plus quarterly subscriber-only exclusives like a tutorial, pattern, special interview, or something else. (Think of it like Orts Labs.) You'll also receive access to my full archive and paid subscriber-only posts.
🪡 5 ways to DIY
1️⃣ I love working in felt. It doesn’t fray and is easy to cut, stitch, and glue on. (Benzie Design sells my favorite felt!) This sweet tutorial will show you how to create felt quilt block pins in a few designs.
2️⃣ Punch needle is a fun craft (once you get the hang of it!), and I would love to try this kit. When you’re done, it looks like you’ve created a flower specimen poster. And apparently, you can punch needle in a car when you’re a passenger. I’ve tried embroidering in the car (as a passenger!!) and haven’t had any luck.
3️⃣ I am ready for the fall. It’s my favorite time of year. I received a copy of Magickal Cross-Stitch: 25 Witchy Projects to Enchant Your Home and will share more about the book soon on Orts. But for now, get in the spooky spirit a little early and look to this book for some fun projects.
4️⃣ Does the back heel of your jeans need some patching? The Socorro Society has a “heelbite” mend tutorial that is a creative way to visibly repair your jeans. (And it uses orts!)
5️⃣ Give beading a try with the help of this colorful kit by Felicia Murray. It has large beads, small seed beads, a beading needle, and crucially, a plastic organizer for them.
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Talk to you next week,
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Sara Barnes
Embroidery illustrator and writer
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