Stitch It Up

In 2020 I applied for and won a grant to send students sewing kits and fabric to make masks. I sent the materials to students homes. Most students were at home and would log in for classes. Since we do a textile unit each semester this was a great opportunity for students to learn how to read and cut a pattern, practice embroidery stitches, and hand sew together a pattern.

Have you ever watched someone embroidering? Maybe an aunt or grandmother put needle to canvas? Some people associate embroidery with a boring way to fill daily life, but this art form is actually fascinating!

Embroidery dates back to before 3000 BCE. It most probably is one of the first forms of art, as man has used decoration with aesthetic purposes as early as the invention of the needle and thread themselves. In ancient cultures from every part of the world, embroidery and needlework was regarded as a priority only for the chosen and talented boys. The future embroiderers had to study the craft under the supervision of a master, requiring more than 10 years of apprenticeship until they were approved to practice on their own.

Each culture’s needlework can be identified not only by the materials that were on hand but also by the type of embroidery done.

What is amazing is that it evolved simultaneously in almost every part of the world where people practiced sewing. Obviously, the styles of embroidery were passed down through the generations and many of them have survived. Embroidery by the Egyptians was done with white threads on a white canvas and was very intricate. Chinese silk embroidery, taking years to complete, is known as two-sided embroidery. Also famous is "raised" embroidery, practiced in the 16th century and better known as Elizabethan embroidery. It involved stitching decorative elements such as leaves or butterflies using wool fibers. Still popular today is the Western European embroidery called crewel. This technique uses two-ply wool floss on linen fabric and is usually used when stitching on different household cloths, such as upholstery fabric, wall hangings, or draperies. Some beginning embroidery stitches are called “backstitch,” “satin stitch,” “split stitch,” or “french knot.” However, there are hundreds of stitches ranging from easy to more advanced, such as the blanket stitch, the bullion stitch, or the herringbone stitch. Start with the easy stitches and see where your journey takes you!

Craft Media: Fibers

Another form of Craft that often doesn’t get the “street cred” it deserves is "fiber art" or textile art.

Textile art is the process of creating something using fibers gained from sources like plants, animals, insects (think silk worms!), or synthetic materials. Because textiles are relegated to machines or made "in the home," they are seen as “women’s work” or “hobbies" <-- And therefore...less-than "art."

A fiber is a threadlike strand made from natural or synthetic sources. The strands may come from vegetable, animal, or synthetic

Designs formed from weaving, carpet making, and basket making are made through the process of joining strands, and patterns produced from quilting and creating surface designs are made through using already constructed fabrics.

Dream Weaver

Weaving is a method of interlacing vertical and horizontal threads to form a fabric.

In weaving and carpet making, warp is the vertical, lengthwise threads that are held taut. The weft is the horizontal, widthwise threads that are interlaced.

A loom is a structure used in weaving and carpet making that holds the warp threads taut and lifts or depresses select warp threads so that weft threads may be easily interlaced.

A tapestry is a textile in which the material is woven on a loom using differently colored threads that create a design or image, making the image an integral part of the material; often hung on walls or used as upholstery.

The famous tapestry, The Unicorn in Captivity, illustrates the incredible richness of color, elaborateness in design, and finesse of thread possible in a tapestry.

Unicorns in Art

The Unicorn in Captivity. From the series “The Hunt of the Unicorn.” 1495–1505.

Wool warp, wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts

In this specific tapestry, we see a mythical horse-like, one-horned creature penned in fence. The tapestry captures the intricate detail of the animal's collar and the individual curls of it's tail. the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed. He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and the fence is low enough to leap over: The unicorn could escape if he wished. Clearly, however, his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates in the tree—a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage—testify.

Surrounding the unicorn are numerous detailed, authentic varieties of plants and flowers. Their many colors, different forms, and close proximity to one another are a testament to the complexity possible in tapestry.

The red stains on his flank do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from bursting pomegranates above.

Many of the other plants represented here, such as wild orchid, bistort, and thistle, echo this theme of marriage and procreation: they were acclaimed in the Middle Ages as fertility aids for both men and women.

Little is known about the history of this tapestry, but today it is part of a group of seven tapestries called "The Hunt of the Unicorn."

Luxuriously woven in fine wool and silk with silver and gilded threads, some of the works were probably woven in honor of the marriage of Anne of Brittany to Louis XII of France in 1499. The unicorn was popular image that symbolized romance, love, and marriage.

Woven Wonders

One of the most dynamic artists today that utilizes textiles to convey complex discussions of identity, colonialism, and globalization is Yinka Shonibare.

(Links to an external site.)

Born in London and raised in Nigeria, he earned an M.F.A from Goldsmiths in the University of London. Shonibare is a contemporary artist who is actively challenging these prejudices.

Shonibare was born in England to Nigerian parents, raised in Nigeria,and attedned art school in England. In his works, like Victorian Couple (1999) he addresses the issues of English colonialism, the display of the colonial culture with stereotypical exoticism.

At the age of 18, Shonibare contracted transverse myelitis (an inflammation of the spinal cord) which resulted in partial paralysis of his body. He continues produce art and also support various organizations that make the arts accessible to people with disabilities.

Texture & Textiles

Many of his artworks address the latent issues of colonialism and globalization with the displays of the cultural stereotypes and exoticism.

More than a statement of Western stereotypes of African peoples, the artwork is a portrait of Shonibar’s soul, his identity as a hybrid. He states, “By making hybrid clothes, I collapse the idea of a European dichotomy against an African one. There is no way you can work out where the opposites are. There is no way you can work out the precise nationality of my dresses, because they do not have one. And there is no way you can work out the precise economic status of the people who would've worn those dresses because the economic status and the class status are confused in these objects.”

In Victorian Couple, the mannequins wear distinctive textiles – colonial fabrics that were originally design by English and Dutch, made in Europe, exported to Africa, and then sold to Europeans as “authenticaly African.”

Leisure Lady (with ocelots)

The mannequins used in his artworks wear distinctive textiles – colonial fabrics that were originally design by English and Dutch, made in Europe, exported to Africa, and then sold to Europeans as “authenticaly African.”

Shonibare, Earth

The Victorian-style dress of the man and woman are based on the time when Victorian England was better known as the British Empire and their vast colonies around the world.

Basic Embroidery Stitches

Examples of basic embroidery stitches.

(A) Back Stitch - Bring the needle up from the back, pulling the thread through. Take a stitch back and pull the thread through. Make another stitch to the front. Insert the needle at the beginning of the previous stitch. This is a great stitch for outlining.

(B) Split Stitch - Make a backstitch. Put the needle in middle of the previous stitch, splitting the threads. Pull the thread through and repeat! This is a quick, decorative option for the backstitch.

(C) Stem Stitch - Make a backstitch. Bring the needle up next to the middle of this stitch, then take another stitch to the front. Repeat, continuing to bring the thread up next to the previous stitch.

This is the perfect stitch for curved lines.

(D) Satin Stitch - Start with the basic straight stitch. Make a second stitch parallel to the first.

Continue, always going from one side to the other. This stitch is great to fill in small areas with color.

(E) French Knot - Bring the thread up from the back. Firmly wrap the thread around the needle once (or twice for a double French Knot) then plunge the needle back down through the fabric very close to the point where it came up. Now slowly pull the thread through to the back. This stitch is perfect to use for textural effects or as a decorative accent.

(F) Cross Stitch - Make a series of diagonal stitches. Then reverse the diagonal to create a line of decorative x’s.

(G) Lazy Daisy – Bring the needle up, then down right next to that point, leaving a loop of thread.

Tac the loop with a small stitch to create a petal shape. Make numerous petals to create a daisy.

Finish with a French Knot in the center.

Draw 3 ideas for your embroidery design. Your design must include a Back Stitch, Stem Stitch, Split Stitch, and a French Knot.

The Materials

1. Tight-weave cotton fabric (i.e. quilting cotton)

Fabric must be newly purchased within approximately the past year and never used.

Wash and dry fabric without fragrance or dyes prior to sewing.

1/4 yd. of fabric or 1 quilting square

2. Elastic, beading cord elastic will work (you may also use 1/8” flat elastic if ¼” is

unavailable. I will be using a cut-up t-shirt since elastic was not available when I wrote this.

Some have used wider flat elastic and cut it in half with some success).

3: Embroidery Floss

4. Needles

5. Needle Threader

6. Mask Pattern

7. Scissors

The Pattern

There are a plethora of patterns to choose from. The next page shows the one we will be doing, but you are invited to try a different pattern.

Cut The Pattern

Take a picture of the FABRIC pieces that you have cut out. There should be four identical pieces. This is done BEFORE the pieces are sewn together.

This is the pattern that you can either print or trace it on your screen

Turn in a picture of your pieces that you cut out.

The Process

1. After the pattern has been cut out align the edges of the pattern and fabric.

** PRO TIP- Spritz a bit of water on the fabric if it has wrinkles. The water will flatten it out.

2. Trace the pattern onto the fabric using a pencil or chalk. Repeat four times. If your fabric has a pattern make sure the pattern is going in the same direction. Draw a 1/4" stitching line around the cutout pieces. This is called a seam allowance.

3. Now, begin stitching! Knot one end of the floss, and thread the other through the needle. Only use a length of floss that is easy to work with — no more than 24” at a time. Wave the needle back and forth for an inch, then put in a backstitch. Continue to the end. Add a knot at the end. Do this to both sets.

4. Attach elastic to the ends and stitch it down.

5 . Match up the front and back with the finished sides face each other and pin them together. Stich the perimeter following the seam allowance leaving a 3" gap to flip the fabric. As you go make sure the fabric is smooth and that both sides are being stitched.

6. Flip the fabric through the hole and stitch up the seam using a whip stitch.

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