Creative Quarantine: Embroidery on Mixed Media
I love combining different mediums! For today's creative quarantine art prompt we're embroidering on collage. For the embroidery patterns I was inspired by Berber and Amazigh facial tattoos, their simple geometrical shapes make them easy to follow for beginners and remind me of cross stitch and Palestinian Tatreez.
This is a super versatile technique that can be adapted to suit any level of embroidery, if you're a skilled stitcher, why not go for a flower crown?
Required Material:
Photo
Cardstock or construction paper
Glue
Medium Needle
Thread
Optional:
Paint
Corkboard
Thumbtack
Step 1: Choose a large portrait photo, it can be an ad from a magazine like mine or use a photo of a friend or family member. Trim down the edges of the photo if necessary.
Step 2: Place your photo on a sheet of cardstock or heavy paper. If you'd like you can paint brushstrokes on the background to add extra texture and contrast before gluing your photo in place.
Step 3: Lightly sketch the a tattoo pattern on your portrait, check here and here for some great inspiration photos.
Amazigh women. Photo Credit: Michael Peyron
Step 4: Using a thumbtack or a needle, pierce holes for embroidery at the extremities of each line and at angles and intersections. For any lines longer than a few millimeters, pierce a hole along the line every 3-4mm. If you have a corkboard or similar place it under your artwork to make the piercing process easier and to avoid creasing your paper.
Step 5: Thread your needle and make a knot at one end. In the video I'm using 3 strands of embroidery floss, I've also tried with 2 strands of normal sewing thread which worked fine. I'd just avoid using a thick thread as it will leave bigger holes in the paper that might be visible.
Step 6: Start embroidering from the backside of your paper to hide the knot. I didn't follow any specific stitch for this artwork I just followed the sketched lines one by one. To secure your embroidery once the pattern is finished, from the back side slip your needle under the previous stitch and tie a double knot.
