Floral Skins

I am a bit obsessed with tattoos, but I have a difficult time deciding what I want on my skin for the rest of my life. This led me to pursue a different type of needlework. I like to think of clothing as a chosen skin that we put on daily and embroidery as the tattoos of cloth. We choose our clothes according to our lifestyles, our personalities, our heritage, our generation, or our professions. We also change styles during different seasons of our lives. Sometimes, I feel like a different person depending on what I am wearing. It is our protection. Whether that is because it is snowing outside, or because tough clients are easier to face in a power suit. Embroidery is an embellishment to this layer of protection. It can be a monogram or a patch of where we have visited. It can be delicate lace or chunky crewelwork using wool. Embroidered clothing can be changed to fit our moods and activities.

My other passion is flowers. I grew up in the countryside. My summers were spent digging in my mother’s garden. And so, I have combined these interests and hand-sewn a lot of tattoo-inspired flowers. As I grew in my craft, I wanted to push my skill further. I decided to pursue realism, by taking photos of flowers and embroidering them. I have embroidered roses, poppies, wild orchids, peonies, bachelor buttons, and lavender; the list goes on. At first, I stitched single stems of flowers because of the time it takes to complete a project. Now, I am pushing myself to complete larger-scale designs.

Hand embroidery is much more time-consuming than machine embroidery. However, I find that hand embroidery has more depth in it. It is the difference between a painting and a graphic design. Both can be beautiful images, but seeing a painting in person you take in not only the composition but the brushstrokes as well. My brush strokes are different weights of thread. I sew with a single thread of color, snip it, and add another color, building an image stitch by stitch. For me, embroidery is one step further than a painting by being on clothing. We don’t just want to see it; we want to hold it. 

I am also drawn to hand-embroidery because it is a craft that anyone can do at any location. The tools it uses are minimal. You only need a base cloth, thread, needle, and scissors. If the cloth needs tension you can use a small hoop or a frame. From there, you can create any design. Your composition can be a single running stitch creating line work, or something filled with color and value. It is easy to travel with and keeps your hands busy when you are waiting in the dentist’s office or laundromat (I know from personal experience). 

My current project is on a grass-stained Wrangler denim jacket. I prefer to embellish secondhand items to add new life to them. Fast fashion has devalued our chosen skin. We discard them before they are worn. I want to counter fast fashion by making secondhand clothing more valuable than when it was new. I plan on spending months on this project, creating a still-life on its back panel. The first part of this project was creating the still-life. I decided to have lilac as my focal flower. Lilacs are a symbol of new beginnings and confidence. This project is my step toward making more elaborate compositions. I want to take all the skills I have gained and sew in this new direction. I arranged the lilac in an old glass bottle beside two worn books. I pinned a butterfly to the flowers and a butterfly to the books. I hung a dark sheet behind the still life and took a photograph. Turning up the contrast on my captured still life, the denim will be my black point. I made a rough reference drawing on the jacket with chalk lining everything up and started sewing. I have finished the bottle. And now, I am slowly working through the lilac whenever I find time to sew. I hope that in the end, this floral skin will be as if the wearer is donning a thread painting, unique and timeless.