Melanie

I've picked up my old love of embroidery and recently took an intensive embroidery course at Penland Arts and Crafts Center in NC. One of the things we learned was designing projects on our own rather than using pre stamped kits. Along with that is my love of flora and fauna. Many of the things I would like to embroider are from nature and I feel like my artwork is awful. With embroidery I need some kind of pattern to go by. This course pushes me to get outside, observe closely and 'be present.' One of my embroidery projects is a turtle. I checked out a variety of photos and finally landed on one. As I have worked on it I have been amazed at the variety of color, texture and design of the turtle itself. The course was only two weeks so I really couldn't go out and find an actual turtle! I also enjoy bird watching and this course will help me learn more about observation. Melanie