From the bottom of my heart

It has been way too long since I’ve written here unfortunately. Life has been crazy due to moving along with a other busy-ness over the summer. I wanted to check in with a quick post today, and now that things are settling down I’ll be able to share projects here more frequently again.

yesterday I had a really awful end to the the week at work. However, I had a really great week in my embroidery/etsy/crafty world, and at the end of the day that’s where it counts for me. Although I don’t make a living off of my art work, it is truly where my heart is. And I just want to say thank you to you wonderful people who take the time to look at and take interest in my work, from the bottom of my heart.

I will do this for the rest of my life and continue to share it with you even if I knew I would never sell another thing. ❤

I miss my bike – Parts I and II

Hey friends!

I feel like I’ve been absent from here for a while. The weather is finally getting nice, and life is getting busy! But I’m back with a drawing and an embroidery piece to share. 🙂

I’m enjoying my “a-drawing-a-day” journal project so much. It’s become even more than a little something to give me a creative outlet during my work days. It’s become some what of a stress reliever. It’s also really helped me to find inspiration in my every day. Suddenly little thoughts and ordinary happenings from my every day life are becoming ideas for embroidery pieces. I really love this.

I drew this bike a couple of weeks ago when the weather was still really cold. I was dreaming of getting my bike out for the summer. My favorite thing about this one was that I always felt like bicycles were difficult to draw, but when I broke it down and spent some time on it I came out with a result I really like. That’s what this project is all about, learning and becoming a better illustrator.

I then decided I liked it so much I wanted to embroider it, so it became this:

This embroidery is for sale in my etsy shop http://www.ceestitchery.etsy.com

I wish my bike had hearts on it in real life. Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Always turning a new leaf

Hello! Today I want to share my latest embroidery piece:

I put quite a bit of time and work into this one, and I am happy to say I am satisfied with the end result!! I really wanted to work on something with a little more detail, depth, and density, and this leaf project that I’ve had in my sketchbook for a while seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. I used a fish bone stitch on most of the leaves, which was really fun. It’s not a stitch I have used often, but I love the look of it. I also used a lot of satin stitch and stem stitch in this piece. My original idea was to use all different shades of green, but once I got started I felt it needed a contrasting color to add some interest. I added the purple and instantly loved the dimension it added to the work. I am always learning in my work and want to always continue learning. I like to think theses leaves represent how every project turns a new leaf and teaches me something as an artist.

You can see more of my work in my Etsy shop http://www.ceestitchery.etsy.com

A little bit more on my wanting to get into some projects with a little more detail: I recently joined the Embroidery Association of Canada. Basically this is a nation wide association devoted to “preserving traditional techniques and promoting new challenges in the art of embroidery”. I was really excited when I found out that an organization such as this exists, and joined right away. It’s really exciting to be part of a community that is as passionate about this form of art as I am. I am inspired to start trying more traditional techniques and incorporate them into my work. This is something I’ve always been interested in, but I think now more so than ever! I usually focus on quite small scale projects. This type of work seems to suit me the best for some reason. Mainly because when I get a new idea I tend to get really excited about it and want to start on it right away. If I’m working on a large time consuming project, this often results in me abandoning it to start the new idea. However when I work on small pieces I find it easier to finish them before starting on the next one. So, I don’t plan on changing that, but I am making it a new goal for myself to start adding more detail to my work, and to continue experimenting with different techniques and stitches that i haven’t used as extensively before!

Any Canadians out there interested in the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada you can find out more here http://www.eac.ca/

Something else I want to mention quickly: I have noticed recently that a lot more people are recognizing needlework as art. It IS art, and I can’t even tell you how much this fills me up with joy and pride that more people are seeing that. Over the years needlework somehow developed this reputation of being a pass time hobby for well, your Grandma. And while there is nothing wrong with that (at all!), It can be difficult to feel like you are taken seriously as an artist when people have only that in mind and won’t see past it. The hand made movement is changing that in a huge way and I just want to say – that. is. amazing. I didn’t feel like a true artist until I discovered needlework as my medium, and I’m a true believer that all art is just that – art. Just because you’re not a painter or sculptor doesn’t make your work any less beautiful and important. And with the end of that rant/rave I will leave you with a quote from a VERY talented textile artist:

“Many people disregard embroidery as just a hobby. As an artist you have that extra battle to make people see it’s potential.” – Karen Nicol

Challenge accepted. 😉 Read more about Karen Nicol and her work here http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/embroidery/

Thanks for reading!! XO