Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Animals
May 12, 2026

Friendly Fisherman Removes Barnacles From Crabs Before Releasing Them Back Into the Water

For over 20 years, Matt Rockhold was a professional surfer and traveled around the world. Nowadays, he’s still in the water, but as a professional fisherman who shares his love of the ocean with millions of people online. There, he’s The Friendliest Catch, where he’s perhaps best known for helping remove barnacles from crabs he catches before releasing them back into the ocean.

Read Article

Nature
May 8, 2026

NASA Unveils Interactive Tool That Can Spell Your Name With Satellite Imagery of Earth

What on Earth does your name look like? NASA can show you—literally—using satellite imagery. The government agency created an interactive tool called Your Name in Landsat, which displays each letter of a word spelled out using its extensive record of the Earth as seen from satellites. Landsat has been recording bird’s-eye-view images of our world for more than 50 years, and through this website, it has created a clever way to share its vast collection.

Read Article

Crafts
May 5, 2026

Fifth-Generation Quiltmaker Creates Vibrant Fabric Stories Inspired by African Tradition

Artist Phyllis Stephens begins her quiltmaking with a prayer. In doing so, she recognizes her place within the long-held practice. “I am an heir to the culture and value of the African tradition of quilt making,” she explains. For three decades, Stephens has created African-American story quilts, drawing from both history and personal experiences to create vibrant compositions that are full of life.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.