Sharing threads of creativity 🧵 Written by Sara Barnes

In typical Sara fashion, my April 12th email, in which I said "see ya in a couple of weeks," was not two weeks. Dear reader, it's been nearly two months. We skipped from the middle of spring to (practically) the first official day of summer. (FWIW, my summer started when this season of Love Island USA aired on June 3.)

If you've subscribed to Orts within the last couple of months (hello!), this week is my 5/5 link pack: 5 creatively inspiring projects (and/or people) and 5 ways for you to DIY.

👉 ICYMI: This incredible clothing arrangement-turned-art was the most clicked link in the last 5/5.

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✨ 5 creatively inspiring things

1️⃣ Think these are paint-splattered jeans? Take a closer look. The splotches are all embroidered! According to House of Errors, the creator of the jeans, this represents over 1.5 million stitches across the front and back.

2️⃣ Han Cao adds embroidery to photographs, often stitching colorful motifs into otherwise ordinary scenes. This piece caught my eye because at first I thought it was a photo of a cross-stitched mural. But no, that’s all Han!

3️⃣ Kellie Swanson, aka KSX Art, created a quilt made from 100% deadstock fabric and recycled denim with over 90 one-of-a-kind cyanotype squares. It’s beautiful and highlights the creative possibilities of upcycling.

4️⃣ Kandy G Lopez creates larger-than-life fiber paintings of people in her community in southern Florida. “As an Afro-Caribbean visual artist,” she writes in an artist statement, “Lopez is eager to be challenged materialistically and metaphorically when representing marginalized individuals that inspire and move her.”

5️⃣ Dr. Ella Hawkins is a design historian and uses her passion for Shakespeare, costume design, and dress history as fodder for decorating cookies. (In her case, "biscuit art.") They are incredibly detailed, and my favorites are cookies that look like stained glass fragments. (See above.)

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🪡 5 ways to DIY

1️⃣ I am a collector of Cat Rabbit’s soft sculptures. As I write this, I have three of her sculptures within eyesight (one that doubles as a pin cushion). It should come as no surprise that I’ve preordered her new book, Trinkets, out this fall. It has instructions on how to make more than 20 “charming foodie felt friends.”

2️⃣ Speaking of food, do you have a garden? Jess Helmer has a quick, easy, and adorable DIY for how to make vegetable stakes from polymer clay.

3️⃣ If you’re bored by your standard mesh office chair, Emily Rayna has an easy DIY to upgrade your chair. With embroidery, of course! All you need is some perele cotton and a tapestry needle, and you‘re all ready to enhance the back of your chair.

4️⃣ I'm a firm believer that you don't need to buy an all-new wardrobe. Sometimes, you just need a fun accessory. Marerie of MareriePatterns shared a collection of free patterns for accessories, along with who makes them.

5️⃣ Add some space cats to your shirt sleeves! This PDF embroidery pattern by Damaja Handmade will show you how. The design features stitches specifically selected for delicate items such as clothing.

What I've been up to:

I did something new during my hiatus: I taught a workshop on creating your own custom pet portrait patch. It was super fun, and I turned it into a kit that you can now purchase in my online shop, Bear&Bean.

How it works: I will design the pet portrait for you, based on the photos you send me. It will then be turned into a stitchable pattern and have everything you need to create a pet portrait patch. This includes customized instructions and all the thread you'll need!

Try all the crafts this summer!

​Camp Craftaway is a three-day adult craft camp that I co-host with Melissa of MCreativeJ. Happening August 1 – 3, in Des Moines, WA (just south of Seattle), it's a super fun way to try a bunch of different crafts and meet new people.

We'll have 30 different workshops, from natural dyes to broom making to truffle rolling. Ticket sales end this month, so get yours before they close!

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Talk to you next week,

Sara Barnes Embroidery illustrator and writer

This newsletter may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my links and buy something, I get a very small percentage of that sale. Thank you for your support!

2206 17th Ave S, Seattle, WA 91844
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