Threaded Doodles
Fri, February 20, 2009 at 12:09PM 
Experimenting with the new-to-me art of embroidery: combining vivid, saturated colored thread with doodles.
Ingredients: A detailed book on embroidery stitches, white cotton fabric, a wooden quilting hoop, scissors, colored pencil, embroidery needles and embroidery thread. I used DMC cotton embroidery floss. It comes in an amazing array of colors.
Process: I selected several stitches to learn. For each stitch, I drew a circle on the back of the fabric with a colored pencil. I read the instructions in the stitch book and viewed the fabulous Video Library of Hand-Embroidery Stitches at Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread {quick, concise, high quality videos of each stitch}. Then I practiced each stitch, playing with color, texture and form.
Challenges: Threading the needle takes practice and patience, as embroidery thread is actually multiple strands. The threader I bought didn't work with the size of the needle eye. Another challenge was knotted thread. I stopped in a quilting store and asked their advice ~ the suggestion was that the embroidery floss might be directional and when it was used in the wrong direction it would tend to knot. Organizing the floss will be a project in itself!
*As I practiced each stitch, the circles and doodles came to life on the fabric*
While my daughters took swimming lessons in January, I sat nearby and embroidered! All you need with you, once you know a few stitches, are a few colors of embroidery thread, a needle, small scissors and a container for everything.
Embroidery is one of the ideas at Got 20 Minutes: Find Creativity. More on expanding into new media at What is Your Form of Creativity? Creative experimentation at Carving Eraser Stamps, Neocolors in Moleskine and Glaze Pen Masking.
Check out the work in process on my second freestyle embroidery project, Just Dream Mandala!
Reader Comments (5)
Fabulous work here! Love the bold colours. I haven't pulled out my embroidery in a while, but I've been feeling it calling to me.
I love it! Being free to let your mind wander and create your design without a preconceived idea is so relaxing and exciting at the same time. This is one I did awhile ago, I'd love to know what you think :)
Poppins, thanks for your kind words, I'd love to see your embroidery work:)
Cassi, thanks for sharing your doodle embroidery, it's unique and fun!
Such fun to see it come to life.
Great embroidery work
What a beautiful thing you created, it's really nice and inspiring, I like embroidery but i haven't done much yet...
greetings from Mexico.