I'm all about the process being just as important as what you end up with. Most of my embroideries go through a stage of looking like a hot mess before there's a sweet coming together of the final image at the end. I research the folklore and symbolism of nature and natural things, following my nose for whatever interests me. Once I select an image, I sketch an outline and transfer it to fabric before stitching, choosing colors and adjusting the design as I go. Most of my work is inspired by photographs from nature. I especially love macro photography and the process of zooming in on the tiniest of details and amplifying them. I often see echos in the tiniest and hugest of things, loving how some of the microscopic details in insects and plants look like aerial views of landscapes. In this way my process focuses on the interconnectivity in nature and between us and nature that I hope to convey with my work. Each design involves a lot of time, and as any embroiderer knows, all good things take time. Embroidery is great for zoning into a project and relaxing, letting it take over for a while. Some of my favorite things about the process are...
Choosing Fabric and Floss
This is always such a fun part of the process, I love perusing colours of fabric and narrowing designs down to a background color that will bring out their dapperness best. I tend to use DMC threads and needles, as they are tried and tested to be great quality and try their best to have sustainability in mind, although I dabble in other threads at times. I especially love satin thread, where it has a shine to it, as it really brings out the light in some of the embroideries. I choose colors spontaneously as I stitch, which helps me bring out the more subtle colors and shades like painting.
Choosing a Hoop Size
This can take time, depending on how much energy I have, the bigger the hoop, the longer the stitching takes and the more energy and enthusiasm for a design is needed. I love taking on ever bigger hoops, but also love the craft and detail involved in tiny hoops, my favorites being 5 inches. I always use wooden or bamboo hoops, as I'm trying to live as plastic free as possible.
Transferring
I'm still figuring out the best ways to do this. I tend to either print my sketches onto fabric after sketching and scanning them, or I draw directly onto the fabric. For black fabric I use a white pencil, which helps me to define the mini details and keep an eye on the design as a whole. A white pencil also allows me to correct my sketch when it goes wonky.
Stitching
This is my favorite part. There is a lovely rhythm to the ins and outs of threading and learning new stitches. Here is where I geek out with my art therapy background. Embroidery is such a soothing and grounding process. As an art therapist in the past, my young clients would often gravitate towards stitching materials and make some amazing work spontaneously, often expressing a need for comfort, feeling held together and understanding the layers in their experiences. Stitching and sewing always seems somehow to relate to love, comfort and security.I remember the rhythmic click of the needle punching through the fabric and the breath as the thread is pulled through the fabric, reminding me of the beauty of our earliest moments breathing together with or being held by a loved one, the fabric becoming this meditative outside presence, creating a mirror to our inner experiences and processes. I start out stitching like painting just going with the flow, while keeping an eye on the photographs or designs I'm using as inspiration. I am a big believer of art as part of relaxing, healing and centering. Click here for a great article about the healing aspects of sewing from the Guardian.
Developing Kits and Patterns
I intermittently release DIY kits and patterns. I am excited about making kits and patterns that others can enjoy, sharing the love of learning how to stitch little creatures and plants. Often people will have some experience of stitching as a kid. I often feel that art practice becomes harder as jobs and life takes over, but I think having a kit or pattern that you can pick up whenever you have a few minutes is so soothing and helps to center people when feeling stressed and busy or just as a Sunday afternoon activity with a cup of tea. I start out with my own embroideries, using them as an outline for a kit. I then simplify them into diagrams that are easy to follow, basing a system around colors like painting with numbers and guiding stitchers through the process step by step. I trace my steps back to starting an embroidery paying attention to every part of the process so that the whole process feels comfortably challenging. These are all about taking your time, learning the process at your own pace and having access to art making in a manageable form.
Choosing Fabric and Floss
This is always such a fun part of the process, I love perusing colours of fabric and narrowing designs down to a background color that will bring out their dapperness best. I tend to use DMC threads and needles, as they are tried and tested to be great quality and try their best to have sustainability in mind, although I dabble in other threads at times. I especially love satin thread, where it has a shine to it, as it really brings out the light in some of the embroideries. I choose colors spontaneously as I stitch, which helps me bring out the more subtle colors and shades like painting.
Choosing a Hoop Size
This can take time, depending on how much energy I have, the bigger the hoop, the longer the stitching takes and the more energy and enthusiasm for a design is needed. I love taking on ever bigger hoops, but also love the craft and detail involved in tiny hoops, my favorites being 5 inches. I always use wooden or bamboo hoops, as I'm trying to live as plastic free as possible.
Transferring
I'm still figuring out the best ways to do this. I tend to either print my sketches onto fabric after sketching and scanning them, or I draw directly onto the fabric. For black fabric I use a white pencil, which helps me to define the mini details and keep an eye on the design as a whole. A white pencil also allows me to correct my sketch when it goes wonky.
Stitching
This is my favorite part. There is a lovely rhythm to the ins and outs of threading and learning new stitches. Here is where I geek out with my art therapy background. Embroidery is such a soothing and grounding process. As an art therapist in the past, my young clients would often gravitate towards stitching materials and make some amazing work spontaneously, often expressing a need for comfort, feeling held together and understanding the layers in their experiences. Stitching and sewing always seems somehow to relate to love, comfort and security.I remember the rhythmic click of the needle punching through the fabric and the breath as the thread is pulled through the fabric, reminding me of the beauty of our earliest moments breathing together with or being held by a loved one, the fabric becoming this meditative outside presence, creating a mirror to our inner experiences and processes. I start out stitching like painting just going with the flow, while keeping an eye on the photographs or designs I'm using as inspiration. I am a big believer of art as part of relaxing, healing and centering. Click here for a great article about the healing aspects of sewing from the Guardian.
Developing Kits and Patterns
I intermittently release DIY kits and patterns. I am excited about making kits and patterns that others can enjoy, sharing the love of learning how to stitch little creatures and plants. Often people will have some experience of stitching as a kid. I often feel that art practice becomes harder as jobs and life takes over, but I think having a kit or pattern that you can pick up whenever you have a few minutes is so soothing and helps to center people when feeling stressed and busy or just as a Sunday afternoon activity with a cup of tea. I start out with my own embroideries, using them as an outline for a kit. I then simplify them into diagrams that are easy to follow, basing a system around colors like painting with numbers and guiding stitchers through the process step by step. I trace my steps back to starting an embroidery paying attention to every part of the process so that the whole process feels comfortably challenging. These are all about taking your time, learning the process at your own pace and having access to art making in a manageable form.
