Cactus Embroidery Workshop with Sarah K Benning
Join us at the Casita by The Joshua Tree House for a Cactus Embroidery Workshop with Sarah K. Benning on November 24, 2018. The workshop will start at 10am and end at 4pm.
About the Cactus Embroidery Workshop
In conjunction with the release of our book ‘At Home in Joshua Tree’, we’re excited to spend a day at the Casita with embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning bringing our book’s desert plant guide to life.
The day will begin with a walk through the cactus gardens at the Casita and Hacienda by The Joshua Tree House, where you’ll learn about cactus species both native to the Mojave and other deserts. We will draw inspiration from the desert landscape to create botanical sketches, which will then be translated into stitch-able one-of-a-kind embroidery patterns. Sarah will guide the drawing process providing resources and inspiration images while encouraging participants to embrace their own style and enjoy the intuitive process.
Later, she will introduce participants to her favorite contemporary embroidery techniques through demonstrations and assist as necessary while participants work on their individual projects.
Sarah K. Benning's contemporary approach to embroidery pulls this craft out of the past and into the present with a modern approach and a relaxed attitude. She emphasizes drawing, composition, and color choice over rigid structures and traditional stitches. This workshop celebrates intuitive decision making and a departure from the conventions of hand-embroidery.
Workshop Itinerary
10am–Arrive
10:30am–Guided Plant Walk
11am–Drawing Plants and Cacti
Noon–Lunch Break
12:30pm - 4pm–Embroidery
While tickets are non-refundable, they are transferrable to a friend if you find you cannot make it to the workshop. Please let us know if you need to transfer your ticket to a friend so we’re aware of everyone that’s coming and can accommodate everyone’s needs. Thank you!
Materials provided for the workshop
All necessary materials will be provided including:
- Signed copy of ‘At Home in Joshua Tree’ with detailed Mojave desert plant guide
- A Field Notes Brand Sketchbook
- Drawing Pencil
- Black Pen
- Tracing Paper
- Wooden Embroidery Hoop
- Piece of Cotton Fabric
- Needle
- Mini Storklette Thread Snips
- DMC Embroidery Floss
Participants are also welcome to bring their own preferred drawing materials or fabric if desired. Keep in mind that we will be creating line drawings and the fabric should be a cotton or linen for best results.
While no drawing experience is necessary, drawing is a part of the process and participants should feel comfortable and confident creating sketches. Absolutely no embroidery experience is necessary and all are welcome.
This event is sponsored by DMC and Field Notes Brand.
Sarah K. Benning
Sarah K. Benning is an American fiber artist with a home base in Keene, New Hampshire. Originally from Baltimore, she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received her BFA in Fiber and Material Studies with an emphasis in Arts Administration. Shortly after graduating in 2013, Sarah discovered her love for embroidery almost by accident her hobby quickly turned into her full-time career. Sarah primarily works from home in New Hampshire, though embroidery workshops, markets, and exhibitions take her out on the road quite often. Sarah’s work is inspired by interior trends, a love for Midcentury design, antique textiles, and her own potted plant collection. Each piece begins as a drawing before being meticulously hand-stitched. In this way, the thread become more like ink or paint than traditional embroidery, which accentuates the bold shapes, patterns, and color in the compositions.
