We will know how to embroider

At the end of our university courses, a friend and I got together to do a joint degree thesis, researching hand embroidery as a textile alteration technique and also national identity. We created an interview/workshop system where embroiderers, in this case, women of various ages, would tell us stories relating to their craft, teaching us one or two stitches at the same time.

Listening to and learning from these women was a very enriching experience and opened up a spectrum of possibilities as to what we could achieve with hand embroidery. Thanks to them, we were able to discover and learn beautiful techniques such as crewel-work, cross-stitch, beading, Russian embroidery, and needle painting. The rhythm of the stitches and one’s level of involvement in the process and materials deeply captivated me. Embroidery has a lot to do with improvisation, feeling and leading the materials, and acting intuitively, which results in an art form that is authentic and emotional.