Sippin’ and Stitchin’ at Forin Cafe

When Lea from Sippin’ and Stitchin’, a Philadelphia-based company that hosts embroidery workshops across the country, shared that she was looking for a photographer for an upcoming mixed media workshop, I knew I had to get involved! I first was introduced to Sippin’ and Stitchin’ back in 2019, when I attended a workshop at one of my favorite local bars, Tattooed Mom, and have been a fan ever since.

The workshop was hosted at Forin Cafe in Kensington, a small cafe artfully designed with split-toned green and cream colored walls and featured wine from Louis Jadot (whose beaujolais-village you may have spotted in The Last of Us). The workshop, hosted by Lea herself, was a mixed media embroidery class where attendees got to use embroidery to embellish and transform photographs into art.

As a photographer, I love the idea of combining photographs with another medium to bring a deeper meaning to our memory. Many of the attendees used photos of their pets (shout out to all the cat lovers there that day!) while others chose to transform pop culture icons over the course of two hours. It was such a fun experience photographing this workshop and watching peoples’ ideas evolve during the workshop.

Now I just need to get my tickets to the next one…