Good morning, my friends! I hope today’s article – and the needlework give-away that goes along with it – finds you well!

One thing I’ve noticed through your emails and conversations through different Needle ‘n Thread social media channels is that many of us who have needlework projects to fall back on are not too sad about being isolated or “sheltering in place” at the moment. Our creative outlets are going a long way to bring us some peace of soul. And that’s a good thing!

On the positive side, this is a good time to pursue creativity, to take advantage of down time to learn a new skill, to spend time completing works in progress, and even to organize! I’ve heard from folks who are finding a new lease on their creative lives, thanks to the time they’ve had to sort through their craft supplies and to otherwise organize their homes. Every cloud has a silver lining!

For those of you wanting to learn a new skill in the comfort of your home and at your own pace, I thought I’d point out Tanja Berlin’s new online class. It’s a needlepainting class that focuses on creating a miniature landscape, in which you’ll learn the skills of needlepainting and of bringing a landscape to life with needle and thread. I’m also going to give away two spots in the class and the kits to go with them! Yay!