Jessica Long Embroidery

Gilbert, Arizona

Stitching entered my life after the birth of my son as I was looking for a way to slow down, connect with my hands and reduce anxiety. I had always found peace through art but I found that the slow, meditative and tactile experience of using needle and thread to create beauty was especially satisfying. Plus, tossing a hoop and thread in the diaper bag for some stitching at the park proved easier than packing an easel and oil paints.

My goal is for my students to find the same joy and relaxation that I find when I am creating art through hand embroidery. I also hope that they have a lot of fun!

In college I wanted to be a natural science illustrator. Ultimately, I began a more traditional career working in a biotech lab but my love of our natural world never faded. My doodles and paintings always heavily featured flora and fauna, and I never passed up an opportunity to visit a natural history museum or zoo.

Thanks to life’s many surprises I have become a full-time hand embroidery instructor and pattern designer. And now I can draw (and then stitch) all of my favorite creatures! So somehow my two loves have magically merged and so I delightfully present to you a library hand embroidery patterns inspired by our natural world.