Recent Project - Magazine Cover

It's been a long stretch between blog posts here on Embroidery As Art. I've been on vacation. Sort of. Work found its way to me despite my attempts to run far away. And, even though I try to find a quiet corner away from twitter, facebook and my own websites- I still take my embroidery supplies with me.

I wasn't prepared for this though: a commission to do a magazine cover. In cross-stitch. (What's that?) Vacation interruptus. Am I complaining? No way. The cover hasn't been published yet (I think it comes out this weekend), so once it's out, I'll let you see the whole thing. I'll also pronounce my discourse on cross-stitch at that time too, so you can start getting excited now.

Work Space & Art Work

(click to view larger)

I'm participating in an art show at Domy Books, Austin tonight: photos of artists' work spaces and brief talks about our day jobs and getting by as independent artists. For me, that would be with my company, Sublime Stitching. I will be giving a brief talk after 8pm and photos of my various, hectic workspaces will be included in the show.

Tiny Jiva

I've made some more progress on the collaboration with Jim Woodring. Here is the tiniest Jiva yet.

Link

Giant Embroidery

A little over a year ago, I took advantage of a chain-link fence at Maker Faire to show other ways embroidery can be executed, interact with a plane, and how any surface offers up ways to be embroidered. Chain-link fences are particularly enticing.

I have been interested in creating 'Giant Embroidery' for some time. Making embroidery stitches into giant, visually discernable shapes. Embroidery is always thought of as so minute and tiny, that my interest has been about making it bigger. Easier to see. Easier to understand, and less mysterious. Both as art, and as a method for teaching it. I like to use all six strands when I work (not the tradition and considered to be a less refined technique, I suppose) so my stitches appear chunky and the texture isn't lost. While I admire fine lines in thread, I like something to look 'embroidered'. I like to see the hand in it. I like to see the stitches. Embroidery was mysterious to me for such a long time, and the simple fact of understanding how to do it brought me into a tiny world I understood more easily, and I wanted to magnify it to show others.




Rayna Fahey of Radical Cross Stitch in Melbourne, Australia, has also been inspired by fences for political messages and outside art installations. "Fence Weaving" by wrapping wool yarn around areas of the fence to spell out site-specific messages and political, group commentary. Wonderfulness.

Revolutionary Craft Circle Fence Weaving

also see:
Giant Isolated Chain Stitch
Fence Embroidery
Lace Fence

Isolated Chain Stitch

Since the show has opened and the piece has sold, I'll go ahead and post my contribution to Arthouse's 5x7 show, which is up until June 1st. This is a prelim for a larger sculptural work I've long wanted to do. It's an isolated chain stitch, worked exactly as it would be on fabric, secured by its own tail. Very special thanks to Justin Goldwater who helped me source the metal and cut the holes and Nathan Green who granted my wishes on how to display the piece. I've provided a front and back view of the work on Flickr.

Link

Open Source Embroidery

Ele Carpenter's ambitious Open Source Embroidery Project is something I bookmarked a few years ago and recently re-discovered it by stumbling on their Flickr photo group. From her site:

The Open Source Embroidery project brings together programming for embroidery and computing. It's based on the common characteristics of needlework crafts and open source computer programming: gendered obsessive attention to detail; shared social process of development; and a transparency of process and product.

An interesting as a project intended to inspire discussion, particularly as it also applies to the DIY movement where debates about copyright and how it applies to shared designs are continuously examined and challenged.

Link