The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man [and woman].
George Bernard Shaw
My favorite embroidery style is a loose, free form, anything-goes style. I like to bend the rules, or break up with them.
There are a lot of rules when it comes to stitching, especially cross stitching. Like consistent tension, no big thread jumps – and that all stitches face the same direction! That is fine if you’re following a pattern. But it is very fun to not obey those rules sometimes. To think “outside the box”.
I think you can apply the concept to anything, even cross stitching.
So I tried it, and I think it works.
Thinking outside the box…
Artist trading card in iHanna’s own free form cross stitching style.
Do you follow the rules in your creative work – or revolt against them? What are the unspoken rules about our creativity, and how can we challenge them even further?
Hej, det var ett fint ATC kort. Jag har testat det där och det var kul. Det blir som det blir.
Jätte fint! :) It really looks like we need to swap – what do you think?! …I have one in progress – handmade paper + watercolor + stitching… (It’s pink, BTW ;))
Pink sounds… good! :-)
Watch out for the mailman (or woman ;))
Cheers!
Love this. I linked to this in my latest post. Super fun stuff here. Love your site! So much to be inspired by! I always think of Precious Moment dolls when I think of cross stitch but I love doing it. So rare to find a new way of thinking of it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Amy! I had to google the dolls, I’m not sure I have seen them before or understand why they make you think of embroidery, but they are very cute! Love the name of your site too, great book.
Oh what fun! I’ve always wondered if the stitches are cross because they’re always made to line up so perfectly. It’s good to see them liberated from the tyranny. ;-)
Haha, Deborah, thanks for the smile! I all for liberating all of us (and stitches) from the tyranny of straight lines (or any lines!). Have a great day!