Happy Summer (and for those of you in winter….I send you a blast of Colorado sunshine)!
While, traditionally, winter seems like such a snuggly time for sewing under a warm blanket with a hot cup of something, summer has the slowness and freedoms that lend itself to creative experimentation. Embroidery is such a portable and ‘zen’ hobby to bring with you on picnics, vacations and other informal relaxing settings. It can turn any event that involves waiting into an opportunity to disappear into creativity (think car trips and plane rides)!
It made me think of zentangle. Have you ever heard of this? It is basically a way of creating patterns within a grid you create called ‘tiles’. It is unplanned so once you create the area in which to sketch, you can just let your creative brain take over. No logic required. It is supposed to stimulate creativity and relaxation. If you would like to learn more, just look up “how to zentangle” and there are lots of wonderful tutorials to get you started.
I decided that I could also get zen with embroidery!
Traditional zentangle does not use recognizable shapes. You create grids that you can sketch abstract lines and shapes within (keeps the whole logic thing out when you don’t use a recognizable object) but I decided to use some fun summer shapes like ice cream cones and succulents. I found some cotton fabric napkins at Target for one dollar each.
Now let the fun begin! There is grid to work within so you can practice different stitches within each section. Don’t think too much about it. Just stitch whatever you want!
Traditional zentangle is black and white but do what your heart wants. I always invite color!
Here is a close-up.
Next I made a classic scoop of chocolate ice cream and got a lot looser with my stitches.
I sketched out the shape and outlined it with black a single black thread. It easily lended itself to sections I could work within.
I just let my fingers do the walkin’. I filled in each little section with no thought as to where the finished product would land. Mindful embroidering is another way of looking at it; or maybe it’s mind-less since you just let the stitching take it’s own journey and try not to think too much about it.
I didn’t necessarily finish one section at a time but instead darted back and forth to different areas.
Well, thanks for stopping by! I hope you can make some time to grab this portable little project and stimulate your creative embroidery style!
Warmly,
Pam