Introducing Embroidery Sampler Design Collective – 18 Designs, 75+ Stitches, 12 Brilliant Stitchers

When Gailen and I started dreaming up Embroidery Sampler Design Collective, it didn’t come from a marketing meeting or a trend report. It started with a very simple, slightly selfish thought:

“I want the book I wish I’d had when I was learning embroidery.”

As an embroiderer myself, I’ve spent years hunting for that one resource that would both teach me the nuts and bolts of stitch technique and also show me how far you can push those stitches—how to mix, match, layer, and play. A book that felt like a stitch library, a pattern collection, and a gallery of wildly different embroidery styles… all in one.

That book didn’t quite exist yet. So we made it.

Embroidery Sampler Design Collective brings together 18 sampler projects, 75+ stitches, and 12 incredible artists whose work ranges from delicately botanical to joyfully whimsical to richly textural. It’s a true collective: one part stitch school, one part art show, and one part love letter to needle and thread.

Because I’m a stitcher first and a publisher second, I did what any excited embroiderer would do: I went down the rabbit hole on Instagram, Etsy, and beyond to find designers whose work made me want to drop everything and pick up a hoop. Then I emailed them, DMed them, and generally showed up in their inboxes like an over‑caffeinated stitch fan:

“Hi, I’m obsessed with your work. Want to be in a sampler book together?”

To my delight, they said yes.

Inside the book, you’ll meet:

• Aimee Ray (Instagram: @aimee_littledear) with her magical, storybook worlds like Tiny Terrarium, Harvest Moon, and Garden Cat
• Aliaksandra Dzyachenka (Instagram: @amity_by) whose Yellow Meadow, Floral Heart, and Fly Agaric Mushroom are a botanical dream
• Anne Oliver of Lolli & Grace (Instagram: @lolliandgrace) bringing pure joy and sunshine with Sunny Days
• Carley Pettitt (Instagram: @nest.embirdery) stitching a mallard surrounded by florals in Feathered in Flowers
• Christen Brown (Website: christenbrown.com) whose Vintage Inspired Square and Hoop Sampler nod to historic samplers and crazy quilting richness
• Jennifer Davidson of Bloom and Floss (Instagram: @bloomandfloss) layering lush color and texture in Abstract Rose
• Laura Wasilowski (Instagram: @laurawasilowski) queen of color and whimsy, with Spool Dancer
• Louise Watson (Instagram: @sewbeeeit) whose Wildflower Windmill feels like stitching your way through a spring day
• Megan Zaniewski (Instagram: @megembroiders) capturing moving water and shoreline texture in Beach Walk
• Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ (Instagram: @mcreativej) with landscapes and playful motifs in Mountains and Fields and A Slice of Pie
• Stella Caraman of Why Knot Stitches (Instagram: @WhyKnotStitches) bringing soft, contemplative holiday stitching in her Nativity Scene Christmas Ornament
• Theresa Lawson of The Monster’s Lounge (Instagram: @themonsterslounge) whose Teacup sampler is a whole cozy tea party in thread

What ties all of these designs together is the sampler mindset. Historically, samplers were where stitchers learned, experimented, and recorded their stitches. We wanted to honor that tradition and update it for today’s embroiderers: each project is not just “a pretty picture,” but a playground of techniques. You’ll see how different designers use the same stitches in myriad different ways—and you’re encouraged to mix, match, and make them your own.

And then there’s the Stitch Library: over 75 illustrated stitches, from the basics (backstitch, satin stitch, French knots) to more adventurous techniques like spiral trellis, needle weaving bars, shisha, turkey work, and raised buttonhole. Many of our contributors lent their expertise here, too—it truly is a collective effort.

We’re excited about this book not just because it’s beautiful (and it is), but because it feels like a community between two covers: designers, stitchers, teachers, and beginners all meeting in the same place, sharing the same threads.

We can’t wait to see what you stitch from it—and which sampler you fall in love with first.