Mallard Drake with Megan Zanewski

Megan Zaniewski is a self-taught embroidery artist and author based in the United States. Working from her home studio in San Antonio, TX, Megan creates realistically detailed depictions of flora and fauna in stumpwork and thread painting techniques. Birds, especially ducks and other waterfowl, are among her favorite subjects to embroider, and her split-view water embroideries are some of her most recognizable designs. Her explorations in this style have led to many opportunities to teach, write, and exhibit worldwide. She has authored two bestselling titles with C&T Publishing, Stumpwork Studio &Thread Painting (2024) and Stumpwork Studio: Mastering 3D Embroidery (2026), with a third title to be published in summer of 2027. She also contributed to Embroidery Sampler Collective(2025) and served as Technical Editor on the book, Embroidery for Dummies (2026).Megan’s patterns and work have been featured in several online and print publicationsworldwide, including Love Embroidery Magazine, Embroidery Magazine, Textile Artist, Colossal,and Homespun Magazine. She has exhibited her work in several group shows, most notably at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum, Southeast Quilt & Textile Museum, and Paradigm Gallery. In 2023, she held her first solo exhibition at the Audubon Center in Pascagoula, where her sculptural embroideries of native coastal flora and fauna were on display to thousands during their annual hummingbird migration festival. Her second solo show at Poetic Tiger Gallery in 2025 featured a collection of smaller works focused on more commonly-overlooked subjects, such as lichen, twigs, and leaves. When not embroidering, Megan enjoys reading, hiking, and photography - hobbies that continuously inspire and inform her natural designs.