We Tried It: Studio How-To

After navigating a week of deadlines and snarled traffic to Studio How-To’s new shop in Coventry, where it relocated from Cedar-Lee in June, I was a tangled yarn ball of stress leading up to my Friday night class. But stepping into this sanctuary of textiles and fabrics, I felt my inner crafter unwinding before Intro to Embroidery even began. 

As my six classmates, including two bonding mother-daughter groups, revealed themselves as beginners, I had flashbacks. My own first poke at embroidery left me with pricked fingers and a bunch of tangled threads. I’d vowed never to pick up an embroidery hoop again.

Yet, my apprehension faded as fast as a nap on a favorite pillow. Before even threading the needle (by far the toughest part), owner and instructor Sarah Nemecek walked us through the basics, explaining terminology, materials and running stitch technique. 

Passing up a pattern of intricate circles and a row of cacti that cheekily read “don’t be a prick,” I chose to stitch an outline of Cleveland’s skyline against a background of stars. Unlike paint-by-numbers wine nights, Nemecek welcomed and worked with slight tweaks, like when I dropped the hashtag in #CLE. (Sorry, I’m old school!)

The small class size turned seven strangers into familiar friends by night’s end. Jokes and stories flew across the craft table like a family kitchen. Structured enough to feel educational, the class still allowed me to stitch at my own pace.

As I drove home afterward, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever use the embroidery hoop, floss, fabric and needle I was sent home with. But at least this time I felt hopeful I might.