MODERN EMBROIDERY

What do you think of when you hear “embroidery”? I bet for many it is old-fashioned home linens and handkerchiefs decorated with flower or folk patterns. Or maybe historic outfits that we see in museums. But recently embroidery is making a big comeback. A refreshed, modern take on this ancient technique has become a new form of artistic expression. And I am very excited to see this shift!

We are in the process of creating a gallery wall in our living room and hoop art was one of ideas to make it more diversified and unique. When we assembled our art pieces together, we thought that adding round shapes would break the rectangular repetitiveness of the frames.

I got inspired to do my own hoop art by one of Piotr’s graphic mountainscapes. When I saw these blocks of colour I thought it was a perfect design for needlework.

As I transferred this image to fabric I stretched the composition a bit to fit better into round design. I also had to simplify and remove some of the lines to make it possible to sew.

Here’s a collage documenting the progress in sewing, which for this 12″ diameter piece took me 57 hours (of pure relaxation and joy)!

In recent days, when we spend more time at home and many of us are looking for new hobbies to pick up, embroidery might be a perfect field to explore. It is a great on-and-off way to pass the time. It doesn’t require expensive equipment or supplies. It does requite a lot of time and patience, though. However, it is extremely relaxing, which is confirmed by my health app detecting my lowest stress level during this activity.