Spring embroidery inspo

Embroidery hasn’t been my first thought when it came to creating lately. I had a lot of ideas, but since it’s a slow process, I often felt that by the time I was done, it wouldn’t even be relevant. But now I’ve received an invitation and when I do it, I always realize how calming the monotonous sequence of movements is. Then I love it. My hands are not tied in the project, so the pressure isn’t that great. I thought I’d share a few thoughts about the creative process now, since this is where the whole blogging started.

I’ve always been known as a big fan of spring, it’s not just a season for me, it’s more of a state of mind. This slow, sleepy version of a restart is easy to feel after the winter sleep. Not to mention the lights and colors… I really find myself having to sit down to create.

I also like larger pieces that you can spend time with, that you can come back to. For the reasons already mentioned, I haven't been involved in this much lately, this is why I thought I'd give it my best shot.

In this, just as in nothing else, I don't really like perfection, or rather the pursuit of it at all costs. Of course, there is room in me for this to be important to someone. I didn't plan to criticize, I just really like the: as it falls - so it puffs mentality. It doesn't fall completely by chance anyway. (Nowadays the collective flat-earth belief isn‘t far from humanity either. So just relax, you can have your own opinion.)

My dad has a favorite saying, it's quite old, many of us have heard it. That work ennobles you. I think that's an option too. If you also love what you do and it's personalized, not just because we work 20 hours more a week than other people. He doesn't think so either, of course, but this polarization shows where we stand on this scale compared to each other. I wouldn't say that you should only do it when you feel like it, have a sense of duty or whatever you need, to give yourself a boost to do something. What you love. I wish we had such worries in life. Everyone has had enough of the rest. We've already dealt with them long enough, sometimes more than necessary. We've had the inner child rescue, the breathing exercise, the yoga pose, you can move on. You don't have to get stuck in this either, if you don‘t feel like it. Everyone starts from a different place and everyone has the right to take care of themselves as much as they need, I'm just saying that we should feel free to kick the established rhythm for a moment so that we have the option to ask ourselves if this is really still the direction we want to take.

No matter what this means to someone, very few people are given the opportunity not to be very busy with something that keeps them above water. Be it career building, child blessing, therapy, self-pity, but you could go in all sorts of directions here, this is not what today will be about.

In embroidery, just like often in life, I don't start with a ready-made concept, I just listen.

In spring, this is easy. As you can see in the pictures, there is a lot of inspiration on the go. Light and shadow are also my favorite and although unfortunately I am not a great photographer, I always stop for a moment and take a picture for myself so that I have it next time if I need an idea. The curve of a leaf, a color gradient, a strange proportion, I don’t notice everything at first glance.

A lot of things influence me, sometimes I have a series of completely everyday things on my phone. Old materials, something that brings up a childhood memory, sometimes I only realize later where the whole process started.

Then the quick sketches come, the rough shapes, all kinds of motifs, it’s more of a search than a plan. Anything can happen here and often does. When it comes to choosing materials and yarn, I am a little more specific, I like to figure out what colors to use together. Then the questions in my head complicate it again a little:

Should I keep it simple, or should this be more detailed?

Should I try to stay subtle, or should I not to give a f*ck and keep it characterful?

Should I leave space in it, or should I fill in the contour?

I don’t always find the answer right away, but I always listen to these immediate feelings. I don’t always gravitate towards concrete patterns, sometimes just feelings and moods. There’s always more in spring. And I don’t tell the other person what to see in it. I let them feel it. Often it’s not even important where it all started, it’s more about where it ends.

I’m curious how your creation starts. Is there a specific moment, or does it come together slowly? You can write about this, like everything else, through the links.

Until then, happy daylight saving time,

Ivett