Embellish Like a Turtle: The Rise of Captain Barnakas 🐢✨

April is my month of Embellish — a time to add beauty, texture, and personality to the things I create. It’s the month where beads come out of drawers, embroidery threads are sorted into hopeful little piles, and projects begin to take shape in my mind long before the first stitch is made.

Recently I started thinking about turtles and how surprisingly well they connect to this idea of embellishing.

A turtle’s shell is naturally patterned and layered, almost like nature’s own embellishment. Each shell is made up of individual scutes that fit together like a mosaic. They’re practical and protective, but they’re also incredibly beautiful. Something that began simply has become something rich with pattern and texture.

That feels a lot like sewing.

When we embellish a project, we’re doing the same thing. A plain piece of fabric becomes something special through small additions — beads stitched on one at a time, lines of embroidery, little patches, textured threads, decorative stitches. Each detail adds another layer to the story.

Embroidery and embellishing are at the heart of slow sewing. Instead of rushing to complete a project, slow sewing invites us to linger a little longer with the fabric, adding thoughtful details stitch by stitch. Embroidery transforms a simple piece into something personal, each thread marking time, patience, and creativity. Embellishing—whether with beads, textured stitches, lace, or appliqué—adds layers of character and charm, encouraging us to experiment and enjoy the process. In a world that often moves too quickly, slow sewing reminds us that beauty can be found in the quiet rhythm of the needle, where every stitch tells a small part of the story.

It’s not fast work.

And that’s where the turtle comes in.

Turtles move slowly and intentionally, and embellishing often asks the same of us. It invites us to sit with our projects, to repeat small movements, and to build something little by little rather than rushing to the finish.

So it felt like perfect timing when I was invited to be a pattern tester for Rustic Horseshoe and try the Savvy Sea Turtle Pattern. With April being my month of embellish, creating a turtle felt like the most fitting project to slow down with and enjoy the details.

I’ll admit that when you first look at a Rustic Horseshoe pattern, they can appear quite complex and detailed. But once you start working through them, they are surprisingly easy to follow and construct. The instructions guide you through step by step, and before you know it everything begins to come together beautifully. The end result always looks far more complicated than it actually was — which is probably why their creations tend to attract so many compliments.

My turtle quickly took on a personality of his own. I made a sea turtle named Barnacle — also known as Barney… or sometimes Barnakas. He is made completely out of corduroy, which in my opinion is the perfect textured fabric for a turtle. The soft ridges add so much character and depth, making him feel wonderfully tactile and a little bit whimsical.

I embroidered old Barney’s shell using the Undersea Embroidery Pattern by Twig + Tale, stitching sea-inspired details across the corduroy. But because April is the month of embellish, I decided to take things even further and added beads and little sea charms across his shell.

Each bead felt like adding another tiny treasure from the ocean.

This turtle creation has truly been a labour of love, and the time put into it has completely paid off. There was a moment during the process where I doubted myself and wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew. That was my inner saboteur talking — thank you RuPaul — and I quickly snapped out of it and got straight back to business.

Slow stitch by slow stitch, Barney came to life.

At some point during the process, it became clear that Barnacle had developed a bit of an attitude. With all those beads and sea charms, he now looks like the kind of turtle who has stories to tell. The type who has seen a few shipwrecks, collected a few questionable souvenirs from the ocean floor, and might insist you call him Captain Barnakas if he’s feeling particularly important.

He’s slightly fancy, slightly mysterious, and definitely the most glamorous turtle I’ve ever made.

And I have to say, for an old sea turtle, Barney is exceptionally handsome. I might be biased, but with that corduroy shell and all his ocean treasures, he’s looking rather distinguished — like the kind of turtle who knows he looks good and is absolutely not modest about it.

Projects like this are a reminder that creativity doesn’t have to be rushed. Sometimes the most rewarding pieces are the ones we take our time with — adding texture, colour, and tiny details that slowly transform something simple into something special.

So this April, I’m embracing the spirit of the turtle. Moving slowly. Adding details as I go. Letting creativity build over time.

Because sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that are embellished slowly. 🐢🧵✨

Note: I was gifted the Savvy Sea Turtle Pattern complimentary part of being a pattern tester for Rustic Horseshoe.

The embroidery pattern on Barney's shell is the Undersea Embroidery Pattern by Twig + Tale.

All opinions in this blog are my own.