Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Embroidery
June 5, 2020

Creative Ways Embroiderers Are Using the French Knot Stitch to Produce Awe-Inspiring Art

There are hundreds of embroidery stitches that you can create by simply using a needle and thread. Some are more basic in technique than others, but all have their charm. Of the stitches suitable for beginners, the French knot is one that is both easy to learn and looks fancier than your average flat stitch. As the name suggests, the French knot is a stitch that forms a tiny ball on the fabric when complete.

Read Article

Tattoos
June 4, 2020

Cheeky Pop Culture Tattoos Combine Beloved Fandoms With Fine Art

Pop culture can play a meaningful role in our lives, so it’s only natural that people want to remember them forever with a tattoo. Luckily, an artist known simply as Kozo is creating body art that is striking in its faithful recreations of beloved movies, television shows, and beyond. Although Kozo is happy to tattoo a portrait of Wall-E, his most memorable pieces are fusions of multiple subjects and characters.

Read Article

Music
May 31, 2020

Interview: How One Musician Is Helping Redefine Kenya Through Creativity

Kenyan musician Muthoni Drummer Queen is a cultural alchemist. While she excels in creating songs that are a unique blend of genres—including reggae, blues, and African drums—Muthoni sees the bigger picture and imagines a restructuring of the music industry (and beyond) in her home country and brings together different creative fields to make it happen. This has led her to create festivals that celebrate the likes of Kenyan performers, filmmakers, and photographers.

Read Article

Animals
May 29, 2020

Vet Clinic Rescues a Rare Golden Possum That Looks Like a Real-Life Pokémon

It turns out that Pikachu exists in more than just Pokémon video games. The golden creature is real! A couple of years ago, an orphaned brushtail possum with a bright yellow coat arrived at the Boronia Veterinary Clinic in Melbourne. The stunned staff couldn't help but give her the apt nickname of Pikachu. The golden possum’s color is a result of a genetic mutation, as these marsupials are normally brown.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.