Another two weeks, another 5/5! Unexpected collaborators, embroidered book covers, and a “dancing” peg loom await. Scroll down for five creatively inspiring things and five ways for you to DIY.
👉 ICYMI, Sara’s playful tablecloth was the most clicked link of the last 5/5 email.
✨ 5 creatively inspiring things
1️⃣ Punch, thread, stitch, tie off, repeat. These are the exact steps in Nora Schuchat’s wonderfully deliberate process of stitching on paper. I’ve embroidered on paper before, and it’s not easy. But Nora has a hack for it—she lines the paper with fabric to help control any tears that may form.
2️⃣ I first saw the work of Bill Braun on TikTok and assumed it was cut paper or fabric. I was wrong on both accounts. It’s a painting with perfectly crafted shadows to create the illusion of another material.
3️⃣ Ava Roth has an unexpected collaborator: bees! Her work, which utilizes thread, hoops, and natural materials, is only complete when bees fill the frame with honeycomb.
4️⃣ Laura McGarrity creates a cat’s blep using stumpwork. Only the tongue sticks out from this piece—a very amusing (and clever) way to incorporate 3D embroidery. Laura’s penchant for detail is evident in a pattern featuring “so many French knots" and another kind of cat [affiliate link].
5️⃣ It’s not often you see an embroidered book cover, which makes Linden Acres Design Co.’s iteration of Pride and Prejudice a gorgeous sight. Watch how she stitches on the hardcover!
🪡 5 ways to DIY
1️⃣ Learn how to make a beautiful stained glass embroidery when you enroll in my pal Melissa Galbraith’s online class.
2️⃣ Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir has created a project called 52 Tiny Offerings and she invites anyone to try it for themselves. The practice, according to Claire, is “meant to keep the creative fire brewing and encourage an artistic practice.” It can be completed with textiles, painting, collage—whatever you feel.
3️⃣ Crochet a sheep bag in this beginner-friendly pattern. The loop stitch makes a satisfying and playful texture.
4️⃣ What's the best fabric for embroidery? It comes down to personal choice, of course, but Amanda Fox shares some of her favorites.
5️⃣ If you’re into weaving, this looks like a neat loom! It’s a variation on a peg loom called Loopdeloom with spinning pegs that look like they’re dancing each time you turn them [affiliate link].
✂️ What you're working on
Illustrator and author Lisa Perrin:
“I love puns! Much to the chagrin of my students and friends. I pepper them in, in life, so why not in my art too? That’s why I started my illustrated and hand-lettered pun series. My goal is to have enough for a calendar!”
What are you working on? Reply to this email and let me know! I might feature it in an upcoming email.
🧵 What I'm working on
My 52 Weeks to Ms. Frizzle project (learn more about it here) was on a short hiatus; I was finishing a couple of custom pet portrait embroideries. But I am back on it and have almost finished the head of a slow loris—week 25 of the project. I’ve been going over the expression to get the embroidery to look just like my sketch.
Talk to you next week,
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Sara Barnes
Embroidery illustrator and writer
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