This summer I have been doing some freeform embroidery.

The material for my first project came in a little package from another (unidentified) member of the Embroidery Group I’ve joined. Everyone brought little packages to the exchange Summer Embroidery Project in May, which gave us the whole summer to create something

WIP - Embroidery in Progress by iHanna (Copyright Hanna Andersson)

The theme we are all working with is any song by the famous Swedish song writer Ollrog. That would be the theme that unites our different embroideries in an upcoming exhibit. But you are free to chose any line from any song and interpret it however you like. How you would like to illustrate it is up to you, and then use as much or as little of the given material as you chose! So we are quite free, but still with material (colors/combinations/threads) that I didn’t chose myself and maybe never would not have been drawn to in my own free work. That is the real challenge.

I got this greenish cotton fabric as base, and then lots of blue and darker extras inside the wrap. I was thrilled as I went through the surprise package, I think I just loved everything in there! I got lots of sequins, beads, some white buttons and green mother of pearl shimmery beads.

I also got lots of nice multicoloured floss nicely packaged as well as small pieces of silver and gold thread to thick to sew with (but I attached with another thread and a casting stitch) and plenty of little patches of fabric in tulle, silver and gold shiny fabric, colored cheese cloth (I’ve been wanting some of that for ages) and little pieces of mulberry papers.

I quickly decided to use as much of the included material as possible. Maybe it was because I liked everything I got, but also to use it all and not leave anything out would be a great challenge. I didn’t want to save any of the good bits for – later? because I know I already have tons of later stuff that I’m not using.

I have almost completely stopped adding stuff to the stash of later things because I’ve noticed that it’s easy to hoard and difficult to feel free to use it. All these little knickknacks for projects will clutter up your home and fill lots of boxes very fast. I sometimes feel the burden of those things wanting to be used, and it is a nagging uncomfortable feeling that I would like to avoid more and more in the future.

So I decided to use what I got in this one Summer Embroidery Project and see what happened. What will I come up with? Wait and see.