Hi again! Welcome to this week's 5/5 link pack: 5 creatively inspiring projects (and/or people) and 5 ways for you to DIY.
Joann, as we knew it, has been shuttered for nearly three months (Michaels acquired its intellectual property and private label brands, FYI). If you’ve been in Michaels, you’ve likely seen that they carry fabric now, although it’s nowhere near Joann's selection. Kaylee Bryner, aka Threaded Peach, has compiled a list of places to shop for fabric. There are a ton of online options on this list I hadn’t heard of!
👉 ICYMI: Mary K. Borkowski's quilts were the most clicked link in the last 5/5.
✨ 5 creatively inspiring things
1️⃣ There's little out there about Japanese designer Masafusa Shibuya, but what is out there are incredible images of his embroidered jackets from the early 90s. Made of satin, organdy, and silk thread, the applique landscape scenes use the back of the jacket as a canvas for a cityscape, a tennis court, the view from a payphone, and more.
2️⃣ If you're in or near Des Moines, Iowa, quilt maker Ben Millett has an exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center. The show features his textiles utilizing traditional quilting techniques with nods to Queer iconography and activism. "What might first appear to be a traditional log cabin-based pattern turns out to be a key to the hanky code," the Des Moines Art Center writes, "a covert method of communicating by color, used in the queer community when declaring oneself openly was not possible."
3️⃣ Lucy Sparrow, aka Sew Your Soul, creates immersive spaces where everything is made of felt. Her latest installation is Bourdon Street Chippy, a felt fish and chip shop that contains over 65,000 hand-sewn pieces. Amazing!
4️⃣ I've seen embroidery on leaves before, but a honeycomb is a new one. Artist Alan Vilar stitched two bees on the surface of a rounded honeycomb and illuminated the entire thing to make it look like real honey.
5️⃣ My pal Melissa is creating an embroidered tide pool! She's using the stumpwork technique to make 3D coral starfish and has also made mussel shells. Next up are mini seashells! I'm looking forward to seeing the tide pool grow. (PS: Melissa has a stumpwork book coming out this fall! Preorder 3D Botanical Embroidery & Stumpwork here.)
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🪡 5 ways to DIY
1️⃣ Got a lot of fabric scraps? Put them to good use in this scrap-busting beetle project by Afrayed Upcycling. This in-depth tutorial shows you how ot make a "scrappy beetle" with sewing and no sewing.
2️⃣ Here's another way to use your fabric scraps: turn them into fabric tape! I love this idea—it's so easy, and all you need are your scraps and some double-sided tape. They'd be great to use in journaling.
3️⃣ A few cross stitch patterns I'm admiring: sardines in a can by Happy Cross Stitchers, violet vibes by Junebug & Darlin, and a snail with mushrooms growing from its shell by Mama Witch Cross Stitch.
4️⃣ At Camp Craftaway earlier this month, we made a few projects with beads. Now I want to do more beaded stuff! Here are patterns for beaded animals, and this Instructables page will teach you how to make mini beaded flower bouquets.
5️⃣ I've got a new kit available in the Bear&Bean shop: embroider your own dwarf bat patch! The kit comes with everything you need to create a stick-on accessory that will permanently adhere to your favorite jacket, shirt, hat, or bag.
Here's where to find me IRL in the next month!
🗓️ August 30 @ Station 7: I'm a pop-up vendor at Station 7 in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Find me there from 12 PM to 4 PM. I'm thinking I'll do live drawings of pets... still finalizing the details on that one.
🗓️ September 6 @ Wag Fest: Join me for the 1st annual Wag Fest, a pet festival, at Mountlake Terrace! It's happening 11 AM to 5 PM. I'll have a booth there with custom pet portrait kits and commissions available.
Like these links? Buy me a coffee to fuel my scrolling and clicking!
Talk to you soon,
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Sara Barnes
Embroidery illustrator and writer
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