An embroidered map in space

I usually have some kind of idea when I start an embroidery, but for this ATC I thought I’d start without a plan – and see where it led me. You almost need to trick your brain to without any image in your mind. We are so used to always planning and knowing what we do will become and how it will be used. Can you create something – without a plan?

Without the intention to plan you are free to blindly pick a thread colour, stick down your needle somewhere in the middle and start stitching.

How I did not plan

This time I started with a black thread line. It formed a space or container though I tried not to think about what it could become. When it was closed, it looked empty. So I then started to fill it out with french knots and other stitches.

I thought it started to look like a map, an island map of unknown origin, floating in space… An embroidered map in space? The above image is vignetted in Photoshop.

When you start without a plan, it’s easier to look at your work with fresh eyes. Move the fabric around and see if it might become something else. When you turn the motif around and look at it upside down or from an angle a new image might reveal itself…

So finally, this is what came out in the end:


Baby monster ATC

A tiny baby monster was born. Isn’t he cute?

Let me know how your non-planning goes!