Stitch Work
Posted on | October 2, 2009 | 17 Comments
Stitch Work is a small book (about 3 3/4″ x 4″), that I made as a sample for the embroidery class I’m teaching at the Wisdom Arts Lab.
The cover shows examples of back, blanket, stem, seed, chain, daisy and spider stitch…with some french knots too. Embroidery stitches have good, descriptive names.
The book is 8 pages long. Each design was drawn directly to the cotton, or made up as I went along. Sometimes, I would ask Felix what to draw, he suggested a cat was needed on page 4.
I used running stitch a lot as a texture, fill and background element. I was inspired by all the Japanese craft books I’ve been looking at recently.
Each student was given a blank fabric book to create their own drawings. I brought an assortment of art books to help get ideas flowing.
I wondered, before class, if the students would have trouble making up their own designs. But, that was not a problem. They all quickly drew very imaginative pictures to stitch.
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17 Responses to “Stitch Work”
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October 2nd, 2009 @ 11:13 am
Your Stitch Book is so darn cute/beautiful!!!!I hope we get to see what the kids do.
Suzan
October 2nd, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
what fun! I love it!
October 3rd, 2009 @ 8:03 am
You know how you see something once in a while that makes your heart skip a beat? This did that to mine.
October 3rd, 2009 @ 8:17 am
Stunning – especially drawn to the one featuring the sun. But I adore them all.
October 3rd, 2009 @ 9:23 am
Love your book, what great inspiration for the kids to take off from. A big pile of embroidery thread makes me want to play.
October 3rd, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
So fun! I started to teach Isobel to embroider this summer, but I think she wasn’t really interested yet. I did quite a bit of it when I was a girl. Thanks for sharing!
October 3rd, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
Gorgeous and inspiring designs and colours! As for children, it is true that they are less “refrained” by their imagination than we adults are. I often wish I could let my imagination go…
October 3rd, 2009 @ 11:44 pm
An embroidery book is such a great idea! Looks like lots of fun
October 5th, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
I think I’ve said it before, I want to take your class!
October 7th, 2009 @ 8:45 am
Oh my word…it’s just amazing, that stitch book! EXCELLENT!
October 9th, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
That is the best and most inspiring thing I’ve seen in a looooooong time. Are you familiar with Jacqueline Enthoven’s “Stitchery for Chilren”?
October 9th, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
make that Children…
October 12th, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
The book is brilliant – I’ve just been reading about japanese quilting and sashiko in a book called Japanese Country Quilting by Karen Kim Matsunaga. I’d recommend it for inspiration but your free and lively colours will inspire me so much as well.
October 13th, 2009 @ 9:48 am
what a perfectly lovely idea. and so charmingly executed. i was super into embroidery when i was a kid. thanks for taking me back! (and making me wish for a book like this right now!)
October 16th, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
What a great idea. the book is beautiful with all its bright colors and the naive designs. I bet the kids loved it.
October 25th, 2009 @ 10:32 am
Hi! I have been away visiting family, hence my absence. I want to read everything, here, eventually. I love the pictures! I did look at them. I love the blue rocks! The stitch work is really great. I love that idea!
October 27th, 2009 @ 7:13 am
LOVE what you are doing Kat! You’ve been making books of one kind or another forever. This one is precious. (Just showed Avalon the one you made for her as her baby book. She hadn’t seen it before – and loves it).