Embroidery month: tools, tips and inspiration

Along with probably 99% of the US population, I have heretofore been unaware that February is National Embroidery Month! I had the flu about a month ago, and was all snug and cozy on the couch in front of the fireplace with, gasp! idle fingers. Embroidery seemed like something doable between coughs and naps.  So while poking around on the internet for inspiration I learned about embroidery month and was prompted, with this as justification, to share an old fondness for this ancient art in the form of free classes and (ta da!) a blog post!  You won't be surprised that embroidery is making...