What Are You Stitching?

We weren’t sure what theme to use this week, although the term that came to mind was ‘threadpainted masterpieces’. Of course, all threadpainted works are masterpieces in their own right, but these particular works, with their sheer size and scale, seem to fit the title perfectly. You’ll be amazed at what people can achieve with a needle rather than a brush and a range of threads rather than a palette or paints.

‘Here is a photograph of my recent embroidery. The doctor who did my knee replacement is a sailor as well as a surgeon.’

‘As a token of my appreciation, I stitched his yacht from a photograph. He was so pleased when I gave it to him.’

He must have been thrilled, Margot! What a magnificent and beautifully stitched gift. We hope you have now recovered from your surgery and are maybe even ready for a day of sailing!

‘Here are pictures of two embroidery pieces I have just completed.’

‘Both of them were taken from Japanese woodblock prints.’

These are absolutely stunning embroideries, Mary! You’ve captured them exquisitely, and your stitching and shading is amazing. Congratulations on two beautiful finishes.

‘I’d like to show you several of my embroideries that I have completed in the past couple of years. This first one has been taken from a copperplate engraving by the old Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).’

‘To reproduce the engraving in embroidery was fascinating for two reasons. On the one hand, due to the duration of the work, the constant observation, and the comparison with your own work, you discovered details in the engraving that were previously overlooked. On the other hand, the decisions over colour brought new life to the old picture.’

‘With this second piece, I created a bound book and covered it using my embroidered version of Vermeer’s famous ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring.’ The original was painted around 1665, by Johannes Vermeer, one of the most famous Dutch Baroque painters.’

‘Finally, I found the template for my most recent piece accidentally on Pinterest. It is Rhiannon, the Celtic goddess of the moon, horses, birds, inspiration, and fertility. Her name means ‘divine’ or ‘great queen’.’

You’ve left us almost speechless with the quality and scale of your work, Fred. These are masterpieces in every sense of the word. Thank you so much for sharing them with us and we look forward to seeing more of your incredible output.

Do you regard every project as a masterpiece in the making? Do you have a tendency to start audacious projects, knowing that they’ll take time and effort, but still imagining the incredible results? Do you see painting with needle and thread as akin to painting with brush and acrylics? 

Whatever it is you like to stitch, we’d like to see it. Send us a picture of your work with some information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com