PNW Michelle (she/her)

I've been working on tidying my studio today, and I WANT to say I'm decluttering, but so far I've filled half a small ziploc with buttons to give away ... and come up with eleventy seven new ideas for projects to work on. So you know. Progress?

A crescent moon embroidered in pale golden yellow thread, embellished with embroidered leaves and flowers

A crescent moon embroidered in pale golden yellow thread, embellished with embroidered spirals and knots.

Two more moons finished on my quilt. I'm a little obsessed with them right now ... #handstitching #handembroidery #slowstitching

A pale blue linen stuffed moon embellished with deep blue embroidery.

The back of the stuffed moon, a dark teal fabric.

Current fixation: making little moons. I plan to make a handful for my solstice tree. Fitting, since I made a bunch of stars last year. I made this one with scraps of fabric reclaimed from an old ruined linen shirt, and a ruined cotton sheet. #slowstitching #handstitching #handembroidery

A patchwork bag with heavy embroidery and a button adorned with a moon and stars.

Side view of a patchwork bag with heavy embroidery.

Back view of a patchwork bag with heavy embroidery

Hyperfocus strikes again! I finished making this little bag for foraging and other adventures. #slowstitching #handstitching

The witch knows the power of naming, knows language lenses reality. Her words have weight. Spelling is a part of her sorcery. If a tree whispers its secret name she listens – not because she seeks to dominate it, but to be better acquainted. – #EmilyCBanting, 1982 #WitchSky

Leaves of bigleaf maple with the sun shining through them.

The best thing about September is the gorgeous light on my morning walks. It makes it so easy to feel the sacredness of even the simplest moments among the trees.

Thank you so much. It’s how I stay grounded these days.

A single perfect rosehip, sugared by the sun and waiting to be picked.

Folklore has it then when harvesting hips from the hedge, you should always leave some for the birds and some for the Faeries. A wise witch never wants to anger either group and so I'm happy to obey the lore of the land. – #EmilyCBanting, 1982 #WitchSky

We’d never finish anything without them 🤣

Right? How would I ever finish anything without this little orange boy who isn’t even aware the brain cell EXISTS. He’s certainly never had a turn possessing it. 🤣

Pieces of a quilt spread out on a bed. An orange cat stands in the middle of them.

Pieces of a quilt spread out on a bed. An orange cat stands atop the pieces in the right.

Pieces of a quilt spread out on a bed. An orange cat walks across the pieces.

Pieces of a handmade quilt spread out atop a bed.

This weekend I laid out all the parts of my quilt on the bed to think about where I would fit the rest of the sections I’m working on. I got so much help taking mediocre pics …

Thank you so much 💖💖💖

An embroidered crescent moon with heavy embellishment in pale golden yellow thread.

Another moon among the quilted stars. I’m doing these in between other sections so I don’t get bored. #slowstitching #handstitching #handembroidery

Very pale green fabric with crescent moon stitched in golden yellow thread.

A finished moon on the coverlet: one of many! #handembroidery #handstitching

If you see this (and want to!) quote post 5 things that make you happy:

1. My wife
2. My friends
3. Walks in the woods or on the beach
4. Stitching
5. The cozy quartet: cool weather, hot tea, soft blankets, and a sleeping cat.

A sage green quilt section with double friendship stars in red and yellow, and crescent moons stitched in golden yellow thread.

Today’s stitching: adding moons to the star panel for my coverlet. #slowstitching #handstitching #handembroidery #quiltmaking

Remember, if someone asserts that your weekend plans of reading a good book, drinking multiple cups of tea, and indulging in a scandalous amount of scones “doesn’t sound exciting”, then they are simply not the friend you thought they were.

Thank you! And that’s exactly it, this kind of work is keeping me sane right now.

Thank you so much 💖

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much.

I looove crows so much. My neighborhood has many many crow families and every year I get to watch the fledglings learn how to drink from the birdbath in my front yard and generally act like total goofballs ... best part of every summer!

Thank you! And yes. I used a crow silhouette from clip art and traced the outline, then did the rest of the stitching freehand.

A hand embroidered crow with heavy decorative stitching.

I’m on vacay and mostly avoiding the internet but I had to show y’all my finished crow! She will go on a huge eclectic quilt I’m working on. #slowstitching #handstitching #handembroidery

Autumnal Mitosis Sampler (2024). Two cells dividing embroidered on off white linen. A circle of brown stem stitch is the cell membrane, the corona radiata is in bright orangey yellow zig zag chain stitch. The edges of the dividing cells are in bright orange split stitch. The nucleolus of each cell is in bright yellow bullion stitch. The cytoplasm is stitched in variegated orange/brown thread in a mix of seed stitch and French knots. Lia’s initials are stitched in off white whipped back stitch.

#SciArtSeptember Day 8: niche • A stem-cell niche is a microenvironment where stem cells are found. Here's my autumnal mitosis sampler of a human reproductive cell (2024). #SciArt #embroidery

Emotional Shielding for Sensitive Humans This visualization came from a conversation with a dear friend, who suggested the imagery that might work for me. I thought it might be helpful for other grubby witches and tree huggers who happen …

If you, like me, are highly sensitive, especially to the moods of the people around you, this meditation might help - especially now when most of us are deeply troubled. This isn't a new post but it feels relevant in these times. pnwmichelle.com/2025/02/07/e... #energywork #witchcraft #witchsky

Heading to the coast tomorrow for a few days with friends ... pondering the important questions, how many craft projects and tarot decks are enough for three days away? 😆

YouTube video by Witch Ways Fall Moon Magic: Dark Moon & New Moon Spells

Good morning #Witches. Check out this week's video. Three nights of autumn moon magic: spells, rituals, and deep seasonal witchcraft. From the Dark Moon to the New Moon and the crescent’s first light, discover how to release, divine, and bless this season. #Witchsky #MoonMagic
youtu.be/p9rYcHLhqJI

A crow flew nearby. “Hello, Crow,” shouted Toad.

Literally 3 minutes after I posted this, the neighbors unleashed their smol human, who loved to scream, and started using a power saw. I guess I’ll be closing that window and watching Sleepy Hollow after all. Ah, suburbia. At least you are predictable.