Just a stitch away - - - - - - - - -

Hello to all my curious fashion followers, I am back with another rousing and TANGLED post! The name probably gives a hint of what I will be talking about in this post, something to do with stitches obviously, drum rolls please.... Embroidery , we will be talking about embroidery

When we hear the word embroidery we might probably picture our grandmother sitting in their chair with a needle, thread and fabric and sewing away. Oh! and how can I forget the glasses on their head. What most of us don't know is how beautiful of a skill embroidery is and just how much precision and patience is required to embroider.

It is an art in which beautiful and decorative designs are formed using fine hand needlework or using a machine. Various embellishments are used to accentuate the design. Handcrafted work have gained a lot of importance in the couture world because of the skill and craftsmanship it requires. Many Indian designers like Rahul Mishra are quite known for their exquisite and intricate hand embroidered garments.

With all that being said, though hand needlework can appear taxing it isn't really rocket science (except for the time the thread gets knotted a bazillion times and you have no idea how). Like all things, Basics first . There are a few basic stitches which also have variations and all designs are played out using a combination of these stitches. let's take a look at the basic stitches shall we?

Basics

I've made a Swatch of the basic stitches to facilitate easy understanding. This makes one's job easier while choosing stitches for a particular design. Playing around with different stitches is what produces different designs.

You will require just a couple embroidery threads of different colours, scissors and needles and you are set to make the basic swatches. The fabric used is muslin. It is better to get started with muslin as it is an easy fabric to work with and also a pocket friendly option! I've experimented with the canvas fabric in the above picture which is thicker than muslin.

Tips to keep in mind before starting:

1. Don't be afraid and too stiff, let loose and relax your hands before starting

2. Be patient! It takes time to learn the stitches and make it neat and perfect, keep going

3. Do not worry much about the thread knotting up accidentally, cut it off and start afresh. It is perfectly okay to start over.

4. Play around with different variations of the basic stitches to make designs interesting and appealing

5. Make sure to take regular breaks and stretch so that your hands don't cramp

6. *MOST IMPORTANT*- have fun while embroidering which is the only way you will be able to pick up the skill

Our class assignment was to come up with our own 8 x 8 inch embroidery swatch. For the same one had to come up with a design concept- something which communicates a story. Coming up with a concept also helps broaden our horizon of design thinking rather than randomly juxtaposing designs. The difference with having a concept and random juxtaposition is that the latter lacks the personal narrative.

Concept board

The concept of my embroidery swatch is an extension of my other module's assignment to make our own business cards. I've attempted to make my embroidery design a part of the collection for my brand "saira". Saira is a brand specialising in handcrafted embroidery and intricate designs and the collection " Wings of beauty" will feature the embroidery swatch as one of the designs. The design is looking closer at butterfly wings by studying macro views and bringing out the unique wing patterns of different butterfly species.

Inspiration

The major inspiration comes from the Indian designer , Rahul Mishra who is known for his beautiful and intricate hand embroidery. All of his works are embellished and have so much detail. I was inspired from the same. Apart from that, for the concept I chose to work with the insect butterflies. I decided to study the wings of the butterflies which made me realise they had beautiful and unique patterns.

Process

Follow along to see the various stages of embroidering this design and how it comes together

step by step each motif was embroidered. Satin and long and short stitch was mainly used to fill the designs. The colour palette involved warmer hues with a pop of cool blues

I sewed sequins as well in a circular form to accentuate and add elegance to the design. I tried to finally juxtapose my design before cutting it and sewing it up on another fabric which makes it more of an appliqué work.

Final Embroidery swatch

Here is the final swatch wherein i have also included few close up images of the design to see the stitch used and how a gradient is created using the shades of the same colour

Final render - Wings of Beauty

To finish off the design I had to put the swatch on flats to see how it would actually look as a design on garments. My visualization was only complete when I rendered them on the flats. It was exciting to see a new perspective and also intriguing to see a final version of my design.

We made it to the finish line ! What a tangled journey but was worth every second I should say. I cannot tell you the amount of times the thread got knotted randomly or how I kept messing up a stitch several times in a row but keeping my cool and finishing it is what matters. I enjoyed the process for it gave me insights into what design thinking actually looks like. Learning a skill like embroidery is quite delightful and I must say, it teaches one to stay disciplined and keep their composure.

So what are you waiting for? Grab colourful anchor threads and needles and obviously a fabric to sew on, duh ! and get started. Start slow and stay put unless you want to untangle the ten thousand knots that will show up randomly while you rush to the finish line. Work with different stitches and it's variations , new colour theories and don't forget to weave your personal stories along with every stitch you sew! Meet you curious souls in the next post, until then

Diksha

(a.k.a the fashion student you live vicariously through:))

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References

1. The Enchanted Garden (2022). Available at: https://rahulmishra.in/collections/the-enchanted-garden (Accessed: 6 June 2022).

2. Rahul Mishra On Covid-19, And The Romanticism Of Hope - Forbes India (2022). Available at: https://www.forbesindia.com/article/best-things-money-can-buy/rahul-mishra-on-covid19-and-the-romanticism-of-hope/63571/1 (Accessed: 6 June 2022).

3.Butterflies (2022). Available at: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/butterfly (Accessed: 6 June 2022).