Excuse me while I ramble.
I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire these days and one of them is workshops. When I began creating a career around fiber art, workshops were a big part of that. In 2018-2019 I was teaching often around Seattle, where I lived at the time. I was down to teach just about any fiber art- sewing, embroidery, macrame. Visible mending was all the rage back then and I taught that often with great success. At these workshops, attendance was good and I really enjoyed meeting the students and teaching my craft, but then came the pandemic and the end of in-person anything for a while.
Yes, it was mostly the pandemic that halted my teaching, but I was ready to hit pause. While I really enjoyed workshops, ultimately I wanted to be an artist that teaches sometimes, rather than a teacher who occasionally makes art. I was saying yes to any opportunity and it got to be too much to keep up with- scheduling, supplies, project creation, marketing. While I didn’t want to stop teaching forever, I wanted to refine my offerings and create something more intentional that reflected what I am truly passionate about. But I didn’t really know what that was just yet.
The hiatus ended up being a long one as it’s now five years past the shutdown. I’m slowly dipping my toes back into teaching and doing it differently this go around. When creating my art practice I asked myself, what creative act do I want to do repeatedly that also produces a beautiful result? So similarly with my workshops I ask myself- What do I want to teach over and over that will produce a beautiful result? The answer I keep coming back to is embroidery. Embroidered clothes are so custom, so special and eye catching. There’s a low bar for entry in embroidery- a newbie can learn a few simple stitches and quickly make a big impact. And it’s no surprise that pearl cotton embroidery floss is my absolute favorite medium to work with.
I’ve been stitching this sampler for a few weeks and it’s been a glorious experience in flow. I am obsessed. I am staying up way too late stitching into the wee hours of the night and I just can’t get enough. I love how it’s coming along and I’m pretty sure I’m going to mourn the completion of this project. But with the completion comes the true pay off- teaching this craft to others.
I’ve been expanding my business over the past few months and I have so many exciting things to launch soon- workshops being one of them. My goal for myself is to have these workshops help me connect with like minded crafters, to get to meet more artists and makers in-person to connect over our shared love of fiber arts. My goal for the workshop student is obviously learn a new skill, but also to help them slow down, experience the flow of repetitive handwork and to create something that they’re truly proud to wear and show off.
I’ve just added an Events page to my website that will list any upcoming workshops. Teaching when I travel is definitely something on my to do list for 2026 and beyond. If you’re interested in a workshop in your area, please reach out! I want to hear from you!