Orts is newsletter collecting small snippets of creativity: embroiderers, textile artists, illustrators, DIY projects, and how we can make time for our creative endeavors. Published every Friday.
Now THIS is how you set a table (with embroidery) 🍽️ 🪡
It’s 5/5 this week! If you’re new here, I share five links to inspiring creatives (or creative projects) and five links for you to DIY. This happens every 2 weeks. So let’s get to it! ICYMI, this embroidered vase was the most clicked link in the last 5/5. ✨ 5 creatively inspiring things 1️⃣ Embroidery and textile artist Tessa Perlow is exploring beaded stripes and quilt motifs in her work. Intricate and beautiful, they’re a departure from her work which often features animals and flowers. But trust me, I am here for it, particularly in the color palette and structure these pieces have. 2️⃣ What a playful way to set a table! Sarah Espeute embroiders tablecloths with the very things you’d expect at dinner: stitched plates, cutlery, glasses, and even bread. The place settings offer a map of where the actual plates should go. 3️⃣ Aynsley of Knotted Neon created a rat sweater (exactly what it sounds) based on seeing a rat vest going around the internet. I’ve heard of the rat hole, but a rat vest is new to me. But I digress—this rat sweater is a work of art, featuring 3D versions of the creature dangling from a cozy mock neck. 4️⃣ Jamie-Lee Garner has a unique way to save the cutoffs from vintage bath towels. She creates hand-built vessels (bulbous vases and other forms) and then wraps them in the cutoffs from colorful towels. The result is a work of art and fabric scraps saved from the landfill. 5️⃣ Are these heart-shaped cakes? No, they aren’t! They are bags by Sun Sprinkles decorated to look like delectable confections—complete with a cherry on top. [Affiliate link] 🪡 5 ways to DIY 1️⃣ My beloved couch has become a glorified scratching post for our cats. If this is you, artist Sarah Neubert has a tutorial to try: woven upholstery mending. In this 15-minute video, she shares weaving and darning techniques to visibly repair damaged upholstery. 2️⃣ Want to crochet a worm friend? Maybe? Of course? Of course! Morgan of Scruffle Crochet has created a cute amigurumi pattern to follow and craft a fuzzy worm. Just look at the possibilities with this pattern. Yeehaw! 3️⃣ Arounna Khounnoraj, aka bookhou, loves “small adorable things that are useful.” She created a pinch purse tutorial that you can create using all scraps. Watch how on her YouTube page. 4️⃣ Orts after my own heart! Jenny of Flynn and Mable has an ingenious way of using the thread trimmings, turning them into a statement-making design element on her daughter’s sweatshirt. 5️⃣ I am obsessed with this embroidery hack. Sarah of Thread Unraveled shared this hack to help you match a color on a screen (such as in an app, like Procreate) to a DMC thread color. ✂️ What you're working on If you've ever felt mystified by these two approaches, make sure you grab a copy of her book. “I wanted these techniques to be approachable and fun for beginners and seasoned embroiderers alike," Megan tells me. 🧵 What I'm working on Clyde!! I’m working on a pet portrait of a sweet pup named Clyde. This design is unique because it includes his name below his portrait—it’s not something I typically offer but it was a special request I was happy to oblige. Although still in an embroidery hoop, Clyde will ultimately be a patch. Once I’m done stitching it I’ll cut around the design and apply a stick-on backing so that it can adhere to fabric. Talk to you next week, |
Orts: Threads of Creativity
Sara Barnes
Orts is newsletter collecting small snippets of creativity: embroiderers, textile artists, illustrators, DIY projects, and how we can make time for our creative endeavors. Published every Friday.