The Next Stitch People Gathering – We’re going VIRTUAL!

Hi Fellow Stitch People Stitcher! We have been so excited about this.

Although it came out of a place of disappointment and worry – talk about making lemonade out of lemons! As you may know, we had initially planned on holding another Stitch People Gathering in sunny Southern California. Obviously we had to change plans drastically and the Stitch People Virtual Gathering was born!

This means, not only can we offer all the classes and treats to guests who wouldn’t have been able to attend otherwise, we can also host all kinds of classes and presenters who can teach straight from their home studios!

So what exactly will be happening?

Think real life gathering but from the comfort of your own sofa! From June 1st we’ll be livestreaming 5 days of learning new skills, meeting new friends, chatting with your fellow stitchers, free digital goodies and much more!

Here’s a run down of what you’ll get to learn:

Classes

Lizzy D. Bean – Founder Stitch People

Lizzy is the founder, owner, and principal designer at Stitch People. She operates Stitch People from her home, along with her husband, Spencer, and three dogs, while pursuing her dream of being a full-time actor. As a jack of all trades, in her spare time she enjoys tackling home and RV renovation projects, weight lifting, exploring spirituality, and volunteering at the local Humane Society.

Where to begin!

Interested in cross stitching Stitch People Portraits, but not sure where to start? Join Lizzy’s class to learn where to begin. She’ll teach you how to start thinking about the portrait process, where exactly to begin the process, and how to reduce overwhelm. Lizzy’s infectious personality and welcoming charm is the perfect introduction for anyone who’s ready to get started! 

Betsy Wynegar – Little Thistles

Betsy Wynegar has been cross stitching since childhood, when she picked up a scrap of her mother’s aida cloth and thread and stitched “Merry Christmas” into a makeshift ornament that still hangs on her mother’s tree. She spent her free time in college cross stitching from kits before enrolling in cosmetology school and working as a color and texture specialist before becoming a SAHM. Betsy was introduced to Stitch People by Pinterest in early 2015 and has been stitching portraits nonstop since as Little Thistles Cross Stitch. She lives in Southwest Washington with her husband and two young sons.

Texture Tips and Matching the Perfect Hair Color!

If you’re interested in taking your stitching up a notch, join Betsy’s Texture Tips class. She’ll walk you through everything from the Turkey stitch to Victorian tufting. This live class will showcase how to trim, shape, and give you the confidence to tackle these elements. *BONUS INSTRUCTION* Besty’s decade-long experience as a cosmetologist makes her the perfect instructor for matching thread colors to hair colors, especially blondes. You won’t want to miss her class!

Melissa Vono – Stitch at Nite

Melissa Vono started cross stitching in 2017 as an outlet for her creativity and to keep centered during a stressful time in her life, after she saw Lauren Conrad’s Stitch People portrait on Instagram. She is a full-time speech-language pathologist working with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (yes, she knows American Sign Language!) and so only has time to stitch at night, hence her company name, Stitch At Nite. Melissa recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lives with her husband and small cat.

Creating Unique, Personalized, & Meaningful Portraits

Stitch People Portraits are already, by design, unique. However, what makes them truly special are in the details. Join Stitch at Nite’s creator Melissa Vono, as she teaches you how to personalize your portraits, create meaning in extra space, and shows you how elements such as design, balance, and typography can help you create more meaning in your portraits.

Theresa Lawson – The Monsters Lounge

If you’ve ever contacted Stitch People, you probably already know Theresa!  Theresa is the person behind the email and social media posting of Stitch People.  She is also the author of Hand-Stitched House: a guide for designing and embroidering a portrait of your home.  Theresa lives on an island in beautiful Washington State.  There she, her husband and their cat Nigel enjoy gardening, cooking and eating absurd amounts of jellybeans.Title: Creating Custom Cross Stitch Buildings and Houses.

Creating Custom Cross Stitch Buildings and Houses.

From the author of Hand-Stitched House: a guide to designing and embroidering a portrait of your home.  Learn tips and tricks to capture your home in stitch form.  This class will give you tips for creating a design of your house to work from, talk about some of the embroidery techniques you can use to embellish your work and answer the burning questions you may have about encapsulating your favorite buildings.

Karly Santiago – Cloth & Twig

Karly started cross stitching as a means to unwind from attending births as a doula and childbirth educator. It helped her unwind after a long birth or stint of teaching. After a year of self taught cross stitching, and with the encouragement of friends and family, she opened Cloth & Twig Shop on a whim 5 years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. She loves to think outside the box by incorporating embroidery stitches into her portraits and using other materials besides thread to accentuate each one. She loves to stitch pillows, large scale portraits, and on clothing! Karly is a native of sunny California. She lives with her husband and two daughters. She is a lover of coffee, creativity, and encouraging words.

Unconventional Stitches and Creative Surfaces

Stitching outside of the traditional aida fabric takes skills and know-how. Join Cloth and Twig’s creator, Karly Santiago as she teaches you how to stitch on clothes, pillows, and more. You’ll learn some of Karly’s best practices, tips to mastering different fabrics, large cross stitching to make portraits and homes on pillows, and be inspired to expand your stitching.

What else?

You need more? No problem! We’ll also be offering exclusive digital swag to attendees from beloved needleworking companies like DMC! Have burning questions you’ve been dying to ask but never had the opportunity? Now’s the time during our specially allotted Q & A sessions.Need entertainment? No problem! We’ll be hosting fun games to make connections and get to know your fellow Stitch People stitchers!

PLUS! The whole gathering will be recorded live so you can stitch along with us or catch up and watch later on your own schedule!

The Schedule

When is all this happening? Take a look at the schedule below and book your spot in the living room!

Daily Schedule 

• 9:00 – 9:15am – Logging on, Introductions, and Games
• 9:15 – 10:00am – Class Instruction
• 10:00 – 10:10am – Break
• 10:10 – 11:00am – Instruction and Q&A

June 1, 2020

Where to Begin with Lizzy D Bean

June 2, 2020 

Texture Tips and Matching the Perfect Hair Color with Betsy Wynegar

June 3, 2020

Creating Unique, Personalized, & Meaningful Portraits with Melissa Vono

June 4, 2020

Creating Custom Cross Stitch Buildings and Houses with Theresa Lawson

June 5, 2020

Unconventional Stitches and Creative Surfaces with Karly Santiago

*All classes begin at 9:00am Pacific Standard Time. Please account for time zone differences.

Ready and raring to go? Us too!! To book your ticket and enjoy 5 days of learning and stitching, head to www.stitchpeople.com/gathering and book your ticket today!