Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Embroidery

Embroidery is like watching the stars. You can create anything out of your fancy. Every resource is at your disposal and it’s up to you what you make. Like a million stars in the galaxy, embroidery designs are countless. The passion for embroidery seeps in us like a plant absorbing water, to nurture it. Embroidery becomes a mode to express our thoughts, our ideas and our feelings. It is just not a hobby or a way to spend your idle time; it is much more than that. When the thread goes into needle, and goes through your chosen fabric it creates a magic beyond anything expressible in words. We don’t give it much thought, but is no less than magic how a thread, a needle and a cloth come together to create something so beautiful and colorful and delightful. Kept separate these three are any other ordinary objects of ordinary life. As soon as they interweave, they create finesse. As very intelligently said by W. G. Paulson Townsend, Embroidery is a very personal art, its charm lies in the individuality expressed by the worker. It holds in itself the calm and comfort of a rocking chair in the nursery. It becomes a fine recluse from the busy and fast paced world of today. The embroidery on the fabric collects in itself the wandering, scattering thoughts. It becomes a tree where the fluttering humming birds of thoughts take shelter. Embroidery and embroidery designs hold in them the very basic philosophy of life. A rose comes by and by with the patient labor of the needle and the thread. Similarly life is progresses with one stitch at a time, patiently, and the ultimate pattern reveals itself finally when the right time comes. Your labors of love will speak for themselves.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Best Out Of Threads

Embroidery is a beautiful art. An art that is lively and colorful yet patient and calm. A woman can find a whole new world in her embroidery. A person who loves embroidery will always look for ways and means to get the best out of the thread and fabric at their disposal. Although there is no one sure shot solution to produce a beautiful piece of embroidery, one can always take care of small details here and there, which will beautify their work.

For one, you can choose the base fabric that will enhance your embroidery. The fabric should be so that it should bring out the design in the best possible way. Hand painted and hand dyed fabrics make for really good background fabrics. Fabrics that are colored in a slightly mottled way also are a good option. Embroidery patterns that take a lot of time should be done on a fabric that is strong and durable. Cotton, linen, silk and wool are the conventional fabrics for embroidery though now many synthetic blends are also available that are also turning out to be good options.

Another point to take into consideration is that if you are making a garment out of the embroidered fabric, it is best to finish most of the embroidery before you sew the garment. This will free you from the inconvenience of embroidering on a stitched garment. Care should be taken to leave ample space for the seams and stitches when marking placement for the embroidery design. You can use a fabric pen to draw the embroidery pattern on the fabric, keeping in mind the edges and loose ends.

You should also choose the threads carefully. The market is full of embroidery threads with different characteristics, which each have their own advantages. The threads available now are colorfast and strong and also come in many beautiful colors. The multiple choices available in colors and types of threads allow for a lot of experimentation. It is very important to keep your threads and fabric neat and clean to bring out the best of your embroidery. Always make sure that your hands are clean before you touch your materials. Do not pass on the work to too many hands unnecessarily. Keep your work area free of debris and dust. Keeping these few things in mind can make a huge difference in the quality of your embroidery and sewing.