Giveaway from "Made with Love" blog

 

In celebration of blogging for a whole year, Jenni from Made with Love blog hosts a giveaway!

Giveaway winners will be announced on October 19th seeing as that is the birthday of Made with Love! Visit the blog here to enter.

Good luck,

KP

Facebroidery by Cate Anevski

Cate Anevski is an artist, illustrator and maker extraordinaire! You can easily understand this if you visit her blog and her wonderful etsy shop! I must say that I fell in love with her facebroidery that you see in the pictures above. What a clever idea and how well executed.

KP

Hair Embroidery by Kate Kretz

After my post about hair embroidery and its origins, I searched the internet to find people who do hair embroidery. In one of my searches I found Kate Kretz, who I think is a very good representative of this kind of embroidery. Of course I do not compare her work with the traditional hair embroidery as it was done in China for hundrends of years. The theme of her work is rather different as you can see from the pictures - no Buddha and birds or pandas. I don't know much about the technque she uses, but the final result is astonishing.

You can see more of Kate's work in her blog and in her website.

KP

HOW-TO Videos: Stem stitch

In two previous posts (1, 2) I showed you video tutorials that demonstrated the basic stitches in cross stitching: cross stitch, half cross stitch, quarter cross stitch, back stitches and French knot stitches. There are many more stitches that I think are very useful to know cause they can add different texture to an embroidery work: stem stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, split stitch, seed stitch, and fly stitch. So, my next series of HOW-TO videos will be around these stitches. 

I will start with the next video demonstrating how to do a stem stitch.

 

I hope it is helpful! What is your favorite stitch, or the one that you consider essential to know?

KP

Book giveaway from Mary Corbet's Needle'n Thread blog

There is a new book giveaway from Mary Corbet's Needle'n Thread blog that I follow. The book that is given is a copy of the new edition of Stitch Sampler.

To enter the giveaway read the information in Mary's post here. The giveaway ends on October 10th.

Good luck

KP

Bumblesea indie jewelry blog contest & giveaway

Enter the jewelry giveaway sponsored by Bumblesea indie jewelry / indie fashion blog. You get to choose which necklace you’d like. The contest ends on November 1st.

Good luck,

KP

The Art and Science of Happiness: Patricia Dahlman

A while ago I wrote a post about Patricia Dahlman and how  she uses embroidery to express her artistic temperament. I was very glad to hear that she participates in an exhibition.

Her multimedia work was selected by a panel of visual arts professionals to provide a visual component to the Rutgers Institute for Research on Women's 2010-11 interdisciplinary seminar, "The Art and Science of Happiness." The theme explores how economic security, political stability, family, careers, health, community involvement, and other domains contribute (or not) to ones sense of being "happy." Dahlman's subject matter ranges across the political, social, and economic spectrums, while addressing issues of nature and society. She uses sewn and stitched forms made from canvas and colorful fabric to create both sculptural and 2-dimensioal works that are playful or serious, and sometimes both. The works selected for this exhibition include landscapes, abstract forms, narratives and figural works that comment on the environmental destruction in her community as well as recent political events in America. They represent her visions and hopes for an improved future for society and the world.

Barack Don't Let the Left Down

 She Has No Health Insurance

You can find more information for the exhibition here.  You can see more of her work here. 

KP

Embroidery in Art - Peter Crawley's stitched illustrations

 Empire State Building

Another great example of using embroidery out of the ordinary are Peter Crawley's stitched illustrations. Peter's illustrations are created by piercing 420gsm watercolour paper with a pin and then stitching the paper with cotton thread. His stitched Illustration subject areas to date have included architecture, typography and geometric patterns.

America map

 Moiré Lines                                             Circle       

In his site here you can see much more of his work.

KP

Hair Embroidery

Hair embroidery has its origins from China. As the name indicates, it refers to embroidery where human hair is used as a thread instead of other materials. Since Chinese people generally have black hair, embroidery is also called "Moxiu" (black embroidery).

Hair embroidery generally falls into two categories: monochrome hair-embroidery and colored hair-embroidery. Unlike monochrome hair embroidery, where the color is limited to black, in colored hair embroidery, others, such as blonde, amber, auburn, white and grey of various shades, collected from people of different races, are also used.

I believe that it needs much effort and special skills to complete a piece of hair embroidery. A quick search on the internet revealed sites that sell and buy human hair to be used in hair embroidery. However, I couldn't find how much it costs. So, have you ever tried hair embroidery?

KP

Lacemaking in Croatia

Some time ago I posted here about the inscription of Cyprus Lefkara lace on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Croatia is another country whose lace also inscribed in this list. The video that follows describes lacemaking in Croatia.

At least three distinct traditions of Lacemaking in Croatia persist today, centred on the towns of Pag on the Adriatic, Lepoglava in northern Croatia and Hvar on the Dalmatian island of the same name.

Pag needle-point lace was originally used to make ecclesiastical garments, tablecloths and ornaments for clothing. The process involves embellishing a spider web pattern with geometrical motifs and is transmitted today by older women who offer year-long courses.

Lepoglava bobbin lace is made by braiding thread wound on spindles, or bobbins; it is often used to make lace ribbons for folk costumes or is sold at village fairs. An International Lace Festival in Lepoglava celebrates the art every year.

Aloe lace is made in Croatia only by Benedictine nuns in the town of Hvar. Thin, white threads are obtained from the core of fresh aloe leaves and woven into a net or other pattern on a cardboard background. The resulting pieces are a symbol of Hvar. 

Each variety of lace has long been created by rural women as a source of additional income and has left a permanent mark on the culture of its region. The craft both produces an important component of traditional clothes and is itself testimony to a living cultural tradition.

KP

Sources:

Ministry of Culture of Croatia

UNESCO - Intangible Heritage

Favorite Blog: Hand Embroidery from Sadalas....

I recently become a follower of the blog of Lakshmi Sadala, called "Hand Embroidery from Sadalas....".

Lakshmi is an Indian lady and in her blog she has many video tutorials created by her showing traditional indian embroidery stitches and embroidery in general. I really like indian embroidery and the blog has plenty of useful information.

Image taken from a Lakshimi's video showing the indian version of long and short stitch.

For anyone interested it is a good embroidery source! You can visit it here.

KP

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont

I discovered a comprehensive book on needlework that contains both verbal and pictorial descriptions of everything included under the name of needlework and is free online for everyone to read. The book is called "The Encyclopedia of Needlework" by Thérèse de Dillmont (1846-1890). It was published in 1884, and is considered a classic reference book one can turn to for time-tested information. 

It consists of sixteen chapters that include Sewing, Mending, Single and Cut Open Work, Net and Damask Stitches, White Embroidery, Flat and Gold Stitch Embroidery, Tapestry and Line Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Netting, Irish Lace, Laces of Different Kinds, Miscellaneous Fancy Work, and Practical Directions.

The Encyclopedia of Needlework is presented here in it's entirety.

KP

My needlelace stars

 

These handmade accessories look like stars and they are my latest additions to the shop. They are made of a dark gold lace tape, close-stitched together with gold thread. Again two needle-lace creations! They can be blind-stitched on any garment, like a pair of jeans, a blouse, a jacket, a scarf, or a hat and a purse, to give it a fresh look. They can be used as coasters, or be framed and hanged on a wall, even glued on a card or lampshade! 

I hope you liked my lace stars! Any more ideas on how else they can be used are welcome!

KP

Summer is over...

Hello everyone!

I am back from my vacations to Kos island. The island is beautiful and we had a great time. We visited many archaeological monuments that are scattered all over the island,  castles, ancient temples, old theatres and the Ancient Market.  Over time Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and Italians have passed through the island leaving their marks on it.

Kos is the birthplace of Hippocrates, the father of medicine. We saw the Tree under which he used to teach. It still stands in the centre of the town, being the oldest tree in Europe and one of the oldest worldwide (more than 2000 years old). The Asklepieion is undoubtedly the most important monument that we visited, the oldest and most famous centre of healing in the ancient world. 

I should not forget to mention all the beautiful sandy beaches that we visited!  

That's it. Kos island is one of my best places to be!

KP

On Vacation Mode!!!!

I am off on vacation with my husband till the end of August! I will be on beautiful Kos island in Greece! 

 

Greedings everyone!!!

KP

My Dream Canvas Blog Giveaway

There is a Giveaway of a pair of beautiful earrings at Anu's "My Dream Canvas" blog which I follow. This Giveaway is open to everyone! The winner will be  picked on Sunday Aug 15th.

The earrings are handmade by Joanna who runs a customized jewelry store on Etsy. You can visit it for some incredibly pretty jewelry.

To enter the Giveaway you should follow the instructions written in Anu's blog here. 

Good luck to everyone!

KP

Embroidery in Art - Patricia Dahlman

Some time ago I wrote a post about embroidery as a form of art through the artistic work of Olja Stipanovic. Patricia Dahlman is another artist I discovered in the Internet that uses embroidery to express her artistic temperament. She works on canvas, cutting out forms, then stuffing and sewing them together. These stuffed, sewn forms are either stitched using different colors of thread or painted with acrylic paint.
 

Her three-dimensional sewn forms are based on photographs from news magazines and off the Internet of people such as George Bush and events like the insurgency in Iraq.  The creation that follows, named "Freedom?", is a good example.

The subject matter of her work is taken from personal thoughts, life experiences and reactions to political events around the world.

My favorite creation is this one called "Family".

Short Bio:
Patricia  Dahlman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and studied art at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and Yale University Summer School of Music and Art in Norfolk, CT. Patricia has received a New Jersey Printmaking Fellowship at Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, two Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowships to attend Vermont Studio Center and Virginia Center for Creative Arts, a Yaddo Residency and a Puffin Foundation Grant for the War and Peace Print Project. Patricia has shown her work all over the United States and exhibited recently at George Adams Gallery in NYC, 621 Gallery in Tallahassee, FL and Jersey City Museum in Jersey City, NJ. Upcoming exhibitions include a solo show at "Art in the Windows" at the New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Library in NYC. Patricia lives and works in Lyndhurst, NJ with her husband the artist, Michael Dal Cerro.
 

You can see more of her work here.

So have you used or seen other people use embroidery in a similar or other contemporary  artistic way?

KP

Greek Folklore - Lefkara laces or Lefkaritika

I found this interesting video talking about the "story" of lefkara laces. Lefkara lace inscribed in 2009 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The tradition of lace-making in the village of Lefkara in southeastern Cyprus dates back to at least the fourteenth century. Influenced by indigenous craft, the embroidery of Venetian courtiers who ruled the country beginning in 1489, and ancient Greek and Byzantine geometric patterns, Lefkara lace is made by hand in designs combining four basic elements: the hemstitch, cut work, satin stitch fillings and needlepoint edgings. 

This combined art and social practice is still the primary occupation of women in the village who create distinctive tablecloths, napkins and show pieces while sitting together and talking in the narrow streets or on covered patios. 

Unique mastery of the craft is passed to young girls through years of informal exposure and then formal instruction by their mother or grandmother in applying cotton thread to linen. When she has learned her art thoroughly, the lace-maker uses her imagination to design work that embodies both tradition and her own personality. Testament to the ability to appreciate multiple influences and incorporate them into one’s own culture, lace-making is at the centre of daily life for women of Lefkara and a proud symbol of their identity.

KP

Sources:

Ministry of Culture of Croatia.

UNESCO - Intangible Heritage

Dancing with the lace

Here are my latest lace creations. These handmade accessories are inspired by Pablo Picasso’s artwork on "dancers" done with a single stroke. They are made of a silver lace tape, close-stitched together with corresponding silver thread. They can be used as embellishments and applique's and be blind-stitched on any garment, like a pair of jeans, a blouse, a jacket, a scarf, or a hat and a purse, to give it a fresh look. They can also be framed and hanged on a wall, even glued on a card or lampshade!

I hope you liked my lace dancers! Any more ideas on how else they can be used are welcome!
 
KP

Greek Folklore - An Introduction to Greek Embroidery

Before I start presenting Greek traditional embroideries from different regions of Greece, I think that an introduction to Greek embroidery in general is necessary. 

Greek embroidery flourished between the middle of the 17th and the end of the 19th centuries. Embroideries were used to decorate the home, adorn traditional costumes, ecclesiastical garments and cloths. They could be identified according to their place of origin - Asia Minor, Constantinople, Cyprus, Thrace, mainland Greece, the Aegean or Ionian islands. Each region developed quite different styles and repertoires of designs using linen, cotton, and silk. Varying populations -- urban foreigners and rural natives, Catholic towns and Orthodox villages, invading navies and armies -- all contributed to a fusion of styles and motifs that led to one of the greatest displays of decorative folk art to be found anywhere in the world.

The styles range from aristocratic and patrician designs from Rhodes, the monochrome geometric work of Naxos, to the exuberant narrative style of Skyros and the Ottoman-influenced work of Epirus. Although styles and designs were transmitted either through commerce or marriage, particularly in the islands, strong regional patterns and techniques were preserved.
 

Depending on the materials used, Greek embroideries could be classified as (a) colored, worked in dyed threads, (b) white, using white silk or cotton threads, (c) lace, worked in cotton with needles, crochet or bobbins, and (d) gold-embroidered, produced with the use of metal threads, gold and silver wire and gilded wire.
 

The decorative motifs were arranged horizontally, vertically, diagonally or in a circle with patterns repeating or alternating. For example, bouquets or vases of flowers might alternate with cypress trees throughout an entire piece. Certain motifs were more popular such as the "tree of life" - a motif in Christian art referring to the Cross, signifying resurrection and eternal life, and also, fruitfulness and nature's bounty. Other common motifs were crosses, birds, flowers, double-headed eagles, churches, rosettes, anthemia - honeysuckle or palm leaves in radiating clusters, and geometric patterns.
 

The following embroideries are from the Greek Institute's permanent collection of embroideries, textiles and folk costumes.
 

 Table cover from Mytilene/Chios - a patchwork of motifs joined by Venetian-style lace
Silk and gold thread on cotton and linen - Wide variety of stitches, bobbin lace

Towel from Thrace - stylized men and women dancing
Silk thread, gold and silver wire on cotton - Counted thread and satin stitches

Tsevres from Thrace - "vase of life" with poppies and cypress trees
Silk thread, gold wire on cotton - Counted thread stitch

Can't wait to show you my handmade thracian tsevredes!

KP

Source:
Parts of the text and the photos are from the Greek Institute

HOW-TO Videos: Cross stitch (part 2)

Today, I will post the second part of the video series on cross stitch. Last week, we show here the basic stitches in cross stitching: cross stitch, half cross stitch, and quarter cross stitch. The next two videos demonstrate two more of the basic stitches: back stitches and French knot stitches.

How to Cross Stitch: How to Do Back Stitches in Cross Stitching
Back stitches are used mainly to outline your pictures to make them more fancy looking and show up nicer.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Do French Knots in Cross Stitching
This video shows how to wind your thread around the needle in order to form a knot, the so called French knot.
Once you become akin of the basic cross stitches, it is time to start your own cross stitch project. The videos that follow will help you decide on what cross stitch pattern to use depending on your experience as a stitcher, they show you what ways to use in order to transfer a pattern into your grid paper, they even show you how to customize and personalize or design your own pattern. The series concludes with the last video that shows what to do once you have finished your cross stitch project.
How to Cross Stitch: Types of Cross Stitch Patterns
What patterns to use when you are a beginner or a professional stitcher.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Design a Cross Stitch Pattern
This is a video showing how to design your own pattern. Any picture and pattern that you like can be easily transferred to a grid paper. Use the grid paper to trace the pattern, draw it and then fill it with the cross-stitches and the colors that you like.
How to Cross Stitch : How to Use a Transparency for Cross Stitching
Another simple way to copy a pattern is to use transparency paper. Check this out.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Make a Cross Stitch Pattern from a Photo
This video actually shows how to customize a ready to use pattern in order to make it wider or longer or whatever suits you.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Personalize Your Cross Stitching Pattern
Some ideas on how to embellish and personalize your cross stitch by sewing on beads and little charms. Don't forget to put your initials so that the people you're going to give it remember who made it for them.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Frame a Cross Stitch Pattern
This video explains what to do once you finish your cross stitching project. How to wash it, iron it, and finally frame it, in order to enjoy it for years to come.

Please share your thoughts about cross stitch. Do you like this embroidery technique? If you do like this technique and want to share your work in this blog you can send me an email with images of your creations and a small description right here!

KP

Thank you Expert Village for the videos!

Embroidery in Art - Olja Stipanovic

Embroidery is a form of art. When it intersects with other forms of art, the result is innovative and contemporary. An illustrative example is the artwork of Olja Stipanovic, an emerging artist from Croatia. One of her exhibitions, called "Stitches", uses embroidery combined with photography and drawings on a rice paper, to express the tangibility of human skin with marks related to human body.

Human body as an embodiment tool with so many experiences in cultural, social and personal life carries numerous codes of identification, articulating at the same time notions and ideas. By using the red thread she writes on "rice" new substitutes with an aim to articulate the body as a word, thought or semantic code (for more details click here).

Her stitches originate from a variety of myths, through kids' games or simply, palm readings, creating her own "bodies".

I hope you liked this post. I have never imagined embroidery used in this way. Have you used or seen other people use embroidery in a similar or other contemporary way?

KP

Greek Folklore - new column

Greece has a very rich folklore. The diverse geographical features of greek land and the varied historical course of its people have created a rich cultural tradition of a distinct character, consisting of a mix of stories, music, dances, legends, oral history, popular beliefs, traditions, and so forth, within the different greek regions. An important element of greek folklore are the artifacts, such as decorative items, handmade clothing, and other crafts, incorporated into every day life and events.

What interests me more from this greek "material culture" is of course Embroidery. One of the most important handicrafts that flowered in Greece especially in the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries. Whenever I visit a place in Greece, I always visit its folklore museum, in order to understand how people lived, what they used in their everyday lives, how they were dressed, and so on. It is amazing how every city, every town in Greece has its own embroidery artifacts.

So, I am starting a new column in my blog, which I name "Greek Folklore". I will try to introduce you to greek traditional embroidery and needlecrafts in general from different regions in Greece. I hope you will enjoy it!

Here is a taste of what is to follow.

Embroidered Thracian tsevres from the folklore museum of Komotini.

KP

HOW-TO Videos: Cross stitch

Every week I am going to post videos that I find on the web, demonstrating various needlecraft techniques. This week I will start with the basics for cross-stitching. I have already shown you one of my cross stitch creations here. I love to cross stitch. However, some people find it a bit of monotonous and get bored easily. I think that you should have a lot of patience, the result is always rewarding. I also find cross stitching as an embroidery technique that is easy for a newbie to start with.

So, the videos that follow teach the very basics of cross-stitch. They are suitable for a newbie, but I think that even an experienced embroiderer can learn something new. The videos demonstrate all the basic cross stitches, how to thread the cross stitch needle, how to prepare the cloth and use hoops for cross stitching, what supplies do you need.

How to Cross Stitch: Supplies for Cross Stitching
You need a cross stitching kit that contains all the necessary material to make a design: a fabric (cloth) with a pattern or no pattern (counted cross stitch) on it, floss in many colors, hoops, needles, and embellishments.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Prepare Cloth for Cross Stitching
Tips on how to prevent rambling of the fabric and find the center of the design on your fabric.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Use Hoops in Cross Stitching
Learn what hoop size to use for your design.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Thread a Needle for Cross Stitching
There are two types of needles. The blunt, with a large eye, and a smaller with a sharp point and a much smaller eye.
How to Cross Stitch: How to Do Basic Cross Stitches
This video demonstrates cross stitch, half cross stitch, and quarter cross stitch.

Next week I am going to post the second part of this video series with more information about cross stitch. I hope you have found this post interesting. Please share your thoughts about cross stitch. Do you like this embroidery technique? If you do like this technique and want to share your work in this blog you can send me an email with images of your creations and a small description right here!

KP

Thank you Expert Village for the videos!

Etsy Sellers' 3rd Annual Community Christmas in July Sale

Etsy runs the Sellers' 3rd Annual Community Christmas in July Sale! Stitch, mom! participates and offers Free Shipping to all orders over $100, domestic and international, till the end of July! Spread the news! For more information on how to participate as an etsy seller and/or how to take advantage of sales opportunities as an etsy buyer, check this link.

 

KP