Modern Embroidery

embroidered ASL i love you

Since another World Embroidery Day is just around the corner, I updated this 2018 post and added more information about the embroidery artists and what they’ve been up to lately. Also, since it is World Embroidery Day, I listed what countries they are from and/or living in. 
—S


In honor of the upcoming World Embroidery Day (July 30), here are 18 modern embroidery art pieces and patterns!

travel embroidery by Le Kadre
Via My Modern Met.

1. Travel memories.

Charles Henry and Elin Petronella (a.k.a. “Le Kadre”) embroider scenes from places they travel.

Artists: Charles Henry and Elin Petronella

Countries: France and Sweden

Currently…

  • Still together, but no longer going by Le Kadre, the artistic couple’s new website is simply charlesandelin.com.
  • They’ve also created the Charles and Elin Academy, where they offer online courses in modern hand embroidery.

 

Little leaf embroidery
By Brannon Addison via Brown Paper Bag.

2. Intricate blooms.

Brannon Addison of Happy Cactus Designs does spontaneous freehand embroidery of tiny flowers, leaves, and ferns. Doesn’t this piece just look so joyful?!  (h/t Brown Paper Bag)
Continue reading “Modern Embroidery”

DIY Día de los Muertos

Large tissue paper flower arch at Dia de los Muertos celebration in Mesa

Decorating sugar skulls at CraftHack this time last year prompted me to learn more about Día de los Muertos and the handmade elements of this tradition.

All Souls altar at MSA Annex
Community altar in Tucson.

“Day of the Dead, or Día de los muertos, is a time for commemorating the dead, celebrating with family— both living and dead—and appreciating the cycle of life and death.”

– National Museum of the American Indian

 

San Xavier shrine

When you lose someone you love, they don’t stop being part of your life. They remain in your heart and your memories. There’s something beautiful about recognizing and honoring this presence.

 

Día de los muertos ofrenda
A Day of the Dead Altar via Elba Valverde.

La Ofrenda / Altar

One way to do this is by making a small altar (ofrenda) for the October 31 – November 2 celebration.

“Making a Day of the Dead Altar is about memories and traditions and the most important part is that you enjoy the process …  add [your] own special touches … add the four elements, water, wind, earth and fire in some way, the picture of your beloved one, food, flowers and candles.”

Elba Valverde

 

pumpkin shell ofrendas
Pumpkin shell ofrendas via Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica.

These altars can take many forms. Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo has even created ofrendas inside foam pumpkins!

 

sugar skull quilts by Amy Loh-Kupser / i-stitch.com
Sugar skull quilts by Amy Loh-Kupser / i-stitch.com that I spotted at The Quilt, Craft, and Sewing Festival.

Calaveras / Skulls

“The calavera is an important symbol in Mexican culture, representing ancestors and the celebration of the continuity of life through generations.”

Kathy Cano-Murillo

Decorating Sugar Skulls

Colorfully decorated sugar skulls are probably the most iconic element in Day of the Dead celebrations. You can purchase blank sugar skulls that are ready for you to personalize. Or you can use a mold to make your own from sugar, white chocolate, or (if you’re not going to eat them) plaster of Paris!

plaster dia de los muertos decorations by the crafty chica
Plaster of Paris Sugar Skulls via Kathy Cano-Murillo.

When we did them at CraftHack, our friend Shanlyn led the demonstration. She brought in plain white sugar skulls she had made at home and showed us how to decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, and sanding sugar.

Sugar skull project at CraftHack
Shanlyn’s sugar skull demo at CraftHack.

I covered mine in slightly sparkly black sugar to give it a different look. Then I added flower sprinkles on top to give it a Frida Kahlo-esque headpiece. It didn’t come out perfectly, but it I had fun trying it out!

Sugar skull from CraftHack

Sugar Skulls in Other Craft Projects

The sugar skull motif pops up all over the place – especially this time of year! A few crafty examples…

Sugar skull embroidery by Happy Sew Lucky.
Via Berene Campbell.

Embroidery – Berene Campbell (Happy Sew Lucky) created this cute pattern that features a sugar skull with scissors behind it, like a crafters’ pirate flag!

 

Sugar Skull printable via Live Colorful
Via Elba Valverde.

Cupcake toppers – This design is one of the free printables Elba Valverde offers on her site, Live Colorful!

 

Skull necklace by Vesna Taneva-Miller
Project and photo by Vesna Taneva-Miller.

Necklace – After Vesna Taneva-Miller visited Mexico City, she was inspired to create this Día de los Muertos necklace from a necklace chain, beads, and sari silk.

Tip: If you don’t have a skull bead on hand, you can make your own with polymer clay!

 

Skull coloring page
Original image by Emily Mathews, modified by Artsashina for Super Coloring. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Coloring pages to print off or color online.

 

Terra cotta pots decorated like sugar skulls!
Calavera planters via Creative Kismet.

Day of the Dead PlantersRegina Lord painted terra cotta pots to look like sugar skulls and then planted succulents in them. The tutorial is at Creative Kismet.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Berene (@happysewlucky)

 

QuiltBerene Campbell also made this awesome Sugar Skull Quilt using a variety of appliqué techniques!

 

papel picado at Tucson Museum of Art

Papel Picado / Punched Paper

“Delicately decorated tissue paper represents wind and the fragility of life.”

– Karen Castillo Farfán

 

Papel picado
“Skullflake” papel picado via Crafty Lady Abby.

Colorful papel picado banners 3 ways…

1. Folded tissue paper method.
Tip: Sketch your own design or use a printable template.

Papel picado by Live Colorful
Via Elba Valverde.

2. Elba Valverde’s Papel picado shortcut with simple shapes and regular paper.

Mini papel picado by Tikkido
Via Nikki Wills.

3. Miniature papel picado. Nikki Wills of Tikkido used a paper craft punch for the bottom edge – it looks like this lace border punch by Martha Stewart. But I bet an eyelet or daisy punch would look great, as well!

 

Marigolds
A vase of marigolds via Tom of View from Another Angle.

Flowers

“The ofrenda (the altar), traditionally includes the yellow marigolds (cempasuchitl) the sweet scent that leads the departed home toward their altar…”

– Vianney Rodriguez

flower crown
Photo by Fiona Galbraith.

1. Marigold Crown (archived) by Nicole Valentine Nelius. This one on Etsy has a similar vibe.

Paper flowers via Made Everyday
Via Dana Willard.

2. Paper (napkin) flowers – Using paper napkins in place of tissue paper will help the flowers hold their shape. It would be fun to experiment with different color combinations and textures! (I added some cute ones to this Party collection.)

 

Mini tissue paper flowers by Tikkido
Via Nikki Wills.

3. Mini Tissue Paper Flowers – A similar process on a much smaller scale! For these, you actually use a scalloped circle paper punch to create the “petal” shapes in the layers of tissue paper.

 

Marigold margarita
Via Vianney Rodriguez.

4. Marigold Margarita – Vianney Rodriguez made her own marigold-infused tequila with organic dried petals. Then she added citrus juice, cointreau, and salt around the rim.

Día de los Muertos flowers

What traditions are meaningful to you as you remember your loved ones?


– Día de los Muertos Resource List –

Papel picado at Pasqual's in Santa Fe, New Mexico

 


Updated November 2023.
Originally posted October 2017.

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Local Art Loves

A couple weeks ago, I invited everyone to share art from where you live. Since then, we’ve seen #localartloves from the east coast to the west coast!

Photo by McKinley Art Solutions

San Francisco, CA

Matt McKinley of McKinley Art Solutions shared work from Justin Hoover’s ‘Martial Spirit’ exhibition, currently at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco.

Photo by Traci Cavanaugh York‏ @TraciYorkWriter
Traci Cavanaugh York‏ @TraciYorkWriter

New Hampshire

Traci York shared some of her nature photography from the chilly Northeast.

Local first arizona

Cottonwood, AZ

The northern office of Local First Arizona shared shirts hand printed by Christy Fisher, who makes clothing from reclaimed fabric, as well as jewelry from recycled glass and vintage silver.

IggyStarPup

Phoenix-area, AZ

Courtney Doom (a.k.a. IggyStarpup) in Phoenix shared some of her pop-culture inspired embroidery hoop art.

Photo by Phillip Liebold

Phillip stopped to take a photo of this Tempe mural.

@olibalcells mural

I shared the work of several artists on Instagram including a mural by Oliverio Balcells and collaborative paintings by teenagers at Durango Detention Center.

 



 

Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

Art Hidden in the Hills

It’s almost time for the annual Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour (HITH) in Cave Creek!

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Last year, I went with Phillip and our friend Ling. I had about 13 studios on my to-visit list, but we really took our time, so we only made it to 5 of them.

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The Tour

Over 40 working artists open up their studio spaces (often in their homes) two weekends in November to showcase and sell their work.

Most participating artists invite others to join them at their spaces, so there might be 7 artists at one studio (3 or 4 is more likely) with art for sale and sometimes prints of their work. In fact, I learned about the tour when I was doing graphic design for one of the artists, Robin Ray, and getting her work printed on greeting cards, aprons, calendars, etc.

studio-tour-7

At the last HITH tour, it seemed like there was a lot more art at different price points than in the past. There are the large statement pieces which – rightfully – cost a good chunk of change, but many artists are also doing smaller works to fit smaller budgets or living spaces.

There was live music at a few of the locations. We heard banjo players at one and a Native American flautist at another.

Many artists do demonstrations or work on pieces during HITH. They may show how they shape ceramics or be daubing oil paint on a canvas when you walk by.

We’ve gone in the past, so we had some favorites to revisit, as well as new artists to check out.

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The Art and Artists

It was great chatting with the artists. I worry sometimes when I’m talking to artists that I’ll insult them by not understanding their work the way they intended. The ones we talked to on the tour were really happy to hear what our impressions were, answer questions, and talk about their techniques.

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Here are some highlights, along with the studio number where the artist will be exhibiting at this year’s HITH tour.

Robin Ray (studio #9), who first told me about the tour, has more time now that she retired from teaching. In addition to her ceramics and painting, she is now making mixed media works inspired by Mexican shrines. We stopped by her place near the end of the day, and it felt like a party with friends sitting around an outdoor table, laughing, snacking, and pouring wine.

studio-tour-10

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Also exhibiting at her studio was Ken Ryan (#9), who makes sculptures from metal and fabulous gnarly wood, as well as custom rustic furniture.

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Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter (#27) does collage-style paintings of items from her childhood on custom-milled wooden bowls.

Eddie Sparr (not exhibiting at HITH 2015) explores the relationship between mechanic structures and organic ones. You can find him at Big Red Robot Gallery or at Hibachibot, the Korean BBQ food truck he and his wife recently opened. They’ll be serving breakfast burritos 7:30-10a and lunch 11a-3p at Big Red Robot on 11/21, so you can fuel up on the way to the tour.

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The atmosphere at BH Bowman Studios felt calm yet vibrant, perhaps reflecting the quiet intensity of Barbara Bowman’s own abstract work in acrylics. There were candles lit, sculpture artists along the front walkway, glass mosaics on the back patio, musicians in the living room, and a mix of media throughout the house.

In a side room with a covered pool table, Julia Patterson (#29) exhibited a wall of pastel landscapes I could look at all day.

studio-tour-1

Christoph Heede (#30) constructed a kiln that’s big enough to walk in and also does raku ceramics, which he finishes in open flames.

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Betsy Halford (#27) uses unusual found objects, like electrical components, to make jewelry and mixed media pieces.

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One artist (I think it was Sandy Pendleton at #29) attaches bells from a village in India to her glasswork.

Something I hadn’t seen before was 3D printed sculpture. It was cool to see artists like Kevin Caron (#29) experimenting with new technology.

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Judy Bruce (#42) had a series on nerds and a series of mixed media works about her mother, remaining beautiful as she fought cancer.

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studio-tour-14

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Really, everyone was great with the exception of one artist (not pictured/named in this post) who was unnecessarily harsh after Ling took a photo and then creepily kept watching us the rest of the time we were at that studio.

No one else the rest of the day had a problem with photos. Of course, if someone doesn’t want photos taken of their work, I’m happy to respect that. I just think they should ask politely.

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So….back to people who are awesome.

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At Desert Rat Forge (#43), metal artists Paul Diefenderfer (“Dief”) and Gordon Paul Mischke (“Gordy”) work in their outdoor spaces on large metal sculptures. Paul demonstrated how he heats and shapes metal. Gordy, one of our original HITH favorites, updated us on some of his long-term projects.

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Several other artists also exhibited work at the site. One was Josh States, who makes really nice knives and other metal and mixed media pieces. He also told us about the Camp Verde Pecan and Wine Festival, which would be fun to check out sometime.

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The Grotto

We ate lunch at Grotto Cafe, which has lovely outdoor seating, coffee, panini, salads, and gazpacho.

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– More info –

If you’re in the Phoenix area, check out the 2015 Hidden in the Hills tour November 20-22 and 27-29.

  • Program
  • Full map – Clicking the numbers will take you to artist info. Clicking below the map allows you to register and create your own personalized tour map with the studios you want to visit.
  • Our 2014 tour map – In case you need additional suggestions to get started.

studio-tour-9

Photos:

  1. I couldn’t track down the artist for this piece. 
  2. Selfie with Ling. Think she snapped this one – mine were terrible.

The Tour

  1. Robin Ray (studio #9)
  2. Booths and artwork of (l to r) Betsy Halford, Christiane Barbato, Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter.

The Art and Artists

  1. Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
  2. Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
  3. Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
  4. Ken Ryan (#9)
  5. Eddie Sparr (Hibachibot)
  6. Julia Patterson (#29) and her artwork
  7. Christoph Heede (#30)
  8. Betsy Halford (#27)
  9. Kevin Caron (#29)
  10. Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
  11. Studio of Judy Bruce (#42)
  12. Artwork of Christoph Heede (#30) on his home/studio wall.
  13. Artwork of Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
  14. Desert Rat Forge (#43)
  15. Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
  16. Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
  17. Artwork of Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
  18. Artwork of Josh States / Dos Gatos Designs (#43)

The Grotto + More Info

  1. Grotto Cafe
  2. Cave Creek sunset

 

Leaf Love: 7 Fall Craft Ideas

Whether or not the leaves change where you live, you’ll fall for these projects!

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Embellish Leaves

Try applying paint or glitter directly to leaves. You can use leaves that are green or autumnal, real or silk, dried or pressed – you can even print your own!

1. Gold-Painted Leaves: Gold paint against richly-colored fall leaves is just gorgeous! A single painted leaf or small grouping of them in a simple frame would be lovely.

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2. Hojas Pintadas / Drawn-on Leaves and Wreath: You could also go with an earthier palette and use ultra fine tip sharpies or paint pens where you wanted more detail. Once you have a stack of patterned leaves, you can gather them into a fall wreath.

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3. DIY Falling Leaves Garland: All you need is some glue and glitter to make your leaves sparkle! Then hang them from a ribbon to create a garland, sprinkle them across a table, or display them in a glass jar. If you wanted to use real leaves instead of silk ones in your garland, you might want to skip punching a hole in favor of tying the ribbon around the leaf stems or attaching with clothespins or hot glue.

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Leaves for Embellishing

Use real leaves (any color) to stamp, shape, or decorate.

4. Stamped Leaf Mandala Journal Page: Use leaves as stamps for your journal pages to remind you of the local flora. Stamped leaves in different colors can form the basis of a pattern like this mandala.

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5. Leaf-Imprinted Clay Necklace: Press a small leaf into clay to make a one-of-kind pendant.

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6. Sand-Cast Birdbath in a Leaf Shape: This is the most involved project on the list, but the step-by-step instructions make it look totally doable. A large leaf becomes the form for a concrete birdbath. You could also skip the pedestal-making steps and create an oversized leaf-shaped bowl, which would be a fantastic base for a fall centerpiece.

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7. Foliage Pumpkins: Decopauge ferns or fall foliage on white pumpkins for an alternative to the traditional orange jack-o-latern. (original project, left photo)

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Photos via respective sites.