An embroidery is the theme of today’s blog poem. Enjoy!
A petal, a bud, a leaf, a stem. Stitch by stitch an image reveals itself, one right next to another. Colour, shape, structure, texture – I build the image that wants to come alive on the felted rectangle that is my canvas.
Enraptured by the simple motion of the needle like a breath floating in and out of my chest. I loose myself in the flow. I pull the yarn through gently until the newborn stitch lands snugly onto the felt, spooning itself next to its sisters, only seconds older.
Down into the depths of the soft felt, up like a sprout of new yarn. Indeed, I'm planting the flowers I stitch. For every stitch I add another layer – the outline, the stems, the positions of the flowers. Filling in any negative space with colour, structure and pure plant power.
My yarn is rich and airy, the motifs overwhelming. Flowing, compact, gushing forcefully across the surface, painting it with cushiony flowers like paw prints in the snow from the cat next door.
My stitches are for the fiber artists before me, beside me and after me. As I paint my wool with flowers people of the past flutter by like a whispering sigh, showcasing their richly embroidered cuffs, sleeves, suspenders and collars. Something to flaunt on church Sundays – a decorated mitten, a pompous skirt hem flowing momentarily in a bench row. Telling the story of who they were and where they came from. All painted with the richness of the stitches. Each execution a greeting from the artist and her skills.
This embroidery is for someone I have never met. Still I know them. We may live close or far apart, still I am connected to them, stitch by stitch. We are kindered spirits through the love of wool.
I want the receiver of my gift to know the love in my stitches, the sisters next to each other, flowers that fill the space, leaves complementing and stalks holding together. I want them to feel the vibrations in my hands as I pull the needle through the felt, the warmth in my soul as I add the next stitch and the next in my gift.
You don’t want to miss next week’s blog post. That’s all I have to say about that.
Happy spinning!
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- Read the new book Knit (spin) Sweden! by Sara Wolf. I am a co-author and write in the fleece section about how I spin yarn from Swedish sheep breeds.
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- I support Centro de textiles tradicionales del Cusco, a group of talented textile artists in Cusco, Peru who dedicate their work to the empowerment of weavers through the revitalization and sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region. Please consider supporting their work by donating to their causes.
Your work is beautiful as always! I love the colors you choose and the placement of the flowers. Did you felt the wool yourself?
Thank you! The felt is commercially felted from Swedish wool.
Oh, absolutely stunning Josefin! Beautiful work and beautiful words!
Thank you Wendy! 😃🌸🪡