Reflection
Sewing has always fascinated me. It's amazing what a seamstress can do. It's like a plant making its own food. I was familiar with hand sewing but I am still not accurate with it. The spaces in between the thread are uneven and the sewing itself is untidy. Now, I make a mental note to keep my stitching tidy, either by marking out on the fabric or bearing it in mind. I was able to set up a sewing machine after countless tries and this achievement excites me as I am able to make something quick without the painful and long hours spent on hand sewing. I tried out different types of stitches from basic to decorative stitches. The goal was to understand the different types of stitches and how they can be applied across different designs and uses. This class taught me patience and concentration. Hand stitching is time-consuming thus, it requires a lot of dedication. Despite the difficulties that I face with hand stitching, I still prefer it to machine sewing. Maybe it is due to the reason that I am still unfamiliar with the sewing machinge and what it can possibly do.
Process
We were tasked to hand sew 20 different types of stitches. We were lucky enough to receive a stitch glossary - or at least, it seemed like it to me. I worked from beginner to advanced level, ranging from decorative stitches to functional purposes. My first trial was unsatisfactory as I did not use the proper thread and the stitching was messy. After much nagging from my mother, she made sure I did the stitches all over again.
The sewing machine in my home has 25 different stitch designs. Some of these designs look better with a longer thread length or a tighter thread. We adjusted the settings till we felt that it was right.
This is an embroidery piece I did for myself, it is a movie poster to one of my favourite films: Her, 2013. I spent a few months as I did not work on it consistently. I enjoyed making this piece.
Brief: Sharing
The article that I am working on is an interview with Nathan Williams, the founder and editor-in-chief of Kinfolk. The magazine influenced me a lot. What I enjoyed the most was the writing - I could relate to it as I had a similar writing style. At the same time, the quaint yet quirky photographs and interesting topics are my next favourites of the magazine. The interview revolved around Nathan and Kinfolk itself. My embroidery piece summarises the entire interview: what Kinfolk is about: casual entertaining and community.
A simple three-tiered cake is shared with three people. The cake has been done with machine sewing and the cake decorations are from the machine stitches as well. The hands are hand stitched with split thread. A two tone colour for the hands show shadow and highlights.
