Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread

Learn to make embroidery a way to treasure your life as you create three personal projects supported by the guidance, stories, and advice of 14 modern crafters.

“Crafters who feel restricted by the rigid instructions of other how-to manuals will relish this invitation to let their creativity run wild.” --Publishers Weekly

Modern society has put a premium on producing, and sometimes that hustle culture (Instagram likes! Etsy sales!) can drain some joy from crafting. This book helps embroidery fans abandon that notion and, instead, realize that life is about treasuring what's important.

• Interviews with 14 creative stitchers—from business owners to accomplished artists—make readers feel embraced by community.

• Each artist shares photos of their creations, encouraging readers to incorporate empowering concepts into their stitching.

• Three step-by-step projects, personalized to the reader's own preferences, teach how to:

   1. Use your threads to treasure and display your life’s meaningful special objects. For instance, a special token of a favorite moment like a seashell, an event ticket, or a trinket from childhood.

  2. Use your threads to treasure your worn and well-loved things, like your favorite garment, with mending and adornment (while also treasuring our environment).

  3. Use your threads to treasure your small everyday moments—sit still, breathe deeply, and enjoy the making process—by creating a daily practice.

Sara Barnes is an artist and writer who runs the popular blog Brown Paper Bag and was previously an editor at My Modern Met. She runs Bear&Bean, an embroidery studio stitching pet portraits and other beloved creatures. Her work has been recognized in Embroidery, American Illustration, and other publications. She is also the author of Embroidered Life. When she’s not stitching or writing, she enjoys planning things that bring people together. She is the cofounder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults. She lives in Seattle, Washington.