Modern embroidery

This week I have been trying my hand at a new skill..

...embroidery  !

Embroidery is one f those almost ancient art forms that spans across the globe, and for me it carries especially nostalgic connotations...

In Norway the different patterns and techniques in embroidery is a symbol of where you are from...instantly recognisable to the people across the communities.....

Nowadays embroidery is considered by most to be old fashioned, not so in Norway where embroidery and cross stitching has been brought right in to the 21st century in the form of "guerrilla embroidery"....people, mainly women, all over the country are working out their stresses and frustrations by embroidering rather aggressive messages...

I will be doing a post on "Guerrilla embroidery" later, but for todays post, I want to show you how I've been getting on with my first tentative try at embroidery...

Being a self-confessed haberdashery phobic, I decided to face my shortcomings head on, and went out a couple of weeks ago and bought some Aida (that's the cloth you stich on to..), some embroidery thread and a hoop....

I knew I didn't want to do a ready made, traditional pattern, and when I found this Tattoo colouring in book I knew it would be fairly easy to transfer one of the designs on to my Aida...

I chose a traditional (in tattoo terms....think sailors) swallow motif with a wrap around banner, with space for my very own message...guerrilla style, and coloured it in.... 

 Then I simply traced the pattern onto my Aida, making sure it fit nicely into the embroidery hoop...

Ready to start embroidering....

I braced myself...I had no idea how to start...I did a little research online, but decided , in true June-style to jump straight in...I'm not one to mess about!! he he!

 

I chose a simple backstitch, and just followed the lines of my design ....making it up as I went along...

So this is how its turned out....so far!

considering I've never done any embroidery before, I am pretty pleased with the result....

 

 now the only question is...do I add some colour, or do I leave it as it is?

What do you think?

xxx

June