The Summer Embroidery Project – Start up
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…
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.
I can’t wait to see it all finished! Please Please, post a pretty pic so we all can ‘oogle over it! I was just thinking I wanted to do free embroidery on some white fabric yesterday, but hence I need a new purple erasable marker to mark with! On my GoGet list and on my ToDo list.
Oh! Looking lovely! You got me feeling up to some embroidery.. got a pair of unfinished legwarmers lying in some obscure corner of my closet, waiting to get embroidered. Maby they’ll get some attention this weekend =) Thanks for the inspiration!
Storkramen! / Sandra
It’s beautiful with all the little details and colors that you have going on. Lovely!
It’s beautiful with all the little details and colors that you have going on. Lovely!
This looks gorgeous, Hanna! I can’t wait to see more.
I have been wanting to do embroidery on a small scale like making it into a pendant, because I don’t think I have the patience to do a bigger project, this is still a challenge for me to be patient I had to finish it so I can see the result right away! I get this catalog The Peruvian and they have gorgeous embroidered pendants. What you said is so true about collecting and storing stuff and that somehow you feel burden by it. Thank you for the inspiration, I love your blog and everything in it. I don’t know how I discovered you but I’m sure glad I did.
Sounds like a fun challenge. I can’t wait to see the finished project. I love your freeform embroidery and I wish I were half as good as you are. But for now, I’ll stick to my counted cross-stitch in that part of the crafting world.
Sophie
you know, this is a leap of bravery, and look how awesome it is so far! and you created something lovely that didn’t exist before! very cool.
Beautiful Hanna!!
I really like to swirls and curls of the lines!!
God Bless You and Yours!!!
I just LOVE your color, and can’t wait to see the finished one.
Can I just say I’m happy you’re ‘back’? And that I soooo know what you’re talking about when you say you’ve already got enough stuff for ‘later’? I’m always putting things away, waiting for ‘the right moment’, or for when ‘inspiration will strike me’. One of my early new year resolutions is to do things NOW. And if that means that ‘later’ I will have to somehow get more stuff, so be it. ;)
” 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.”
Oh yes Hanna I so know what you mean; and I’ve filled several shopping bags with stuff, that I realised I’d never get around to using and taken them to our local charity shop, where one of the volunteers, who is a keen quilter, says she will package them up as scraps for quilting and they will sell.
The photo of your work looks delicious and I too would like to see a photo of the finished work.
I promise, I’m not just teasing you girls but thinking about the process here. The finished embroidery will be featured in many images, as soon as I sit down and figure out how I want to hang it.
Ainelivia; I’m still thinking I need to “craft/use it all up”…. I can’t just abandon it, but maybe I will sort some things away when I get a change to go through it all. :-) It’s a difficult balance for sure, because it is such a thrill to use new materials… and to buy them! :-)
your embroidery looks gorgeous!!! love it!!
I am so happy you are back! I thought I would click and see if it was possible and yah…. It’s weird but my immediate thought was that I missed you. We don’t know each other but I missed your posts.
Thanks so much for the beautiful pictures and great thoughts. It really hit home on the other post about surfing the net and reading books and watching tv is not creating. I get so enthralled at what others are creating (and loving it) that I miss the time to do the creating myself.
What a great challenge for yourself! The glimpse of embroidery is lovely. Looking forward to seeing the finished piece.
I am so glad you are back! Embroidery is absolutely beautiful and I amo also looking forward to see it in full beauty! With best, Helena