We are home, the laundry is caught up, I seem to have finally shaken off that last bit of jet lag, and I remembered I write blogs.

Italy was, in short, amazing.

The Society for Embroidered Work exhibition was nothing short of incredible. The pieces were vastly different in style, construction, technique, and size. I am so glad to have viewed the work in person, much less found my own work among them! It was deeply meaningful to walk through that space and to appreciate the hours and hours of labor that went into each piece.

And then there were the artists themselves. A few had traveled to Rome to see the show and it was a pleasure to meet them, talk to them, see the artist beside their art. I also learned that two of the artists represented at the show had done embroidery on outfits worn at this year’s Met Gala! Some of the artists were people I have followed on social media for years but had never had the chance to see their art in real life. Others were new discoveries for me – I followed a lot of new accounts on Instagram that week.

The show organizers did a wonderful job. We had a press officer, and by the show’s completion there had been several guided tours, a couple of professional photographers and videographers, and 33 publications wrote about the event. I’m glad it was so well documented, partly because I wish I had taken more photos and videos myself.

After the show opening, we traveled to Florence and then to Venice on a very nice vacation. I visited lush fabric shops and gorgeous little boutiques that sold all kinds of threads. Despite not having a lot of room (we didn’t check any bags), I managed to bring a few items home to play with.

So now I am back in my studio, feeling very motivated and inspired. I’ve already knitted a hat and a dog sweater, and finished an embroidered work in progress! I need to tweak one last thing before I take pictures of it to share. After I finish a piece I usually let it rest for a couple of days to make sure it’s really truly done.