Cathy Cullis

"Bunny we shall be close"

I am massively in love with the mixed media/embroidery/book collage work of Cathy Cullis. There is something both incredibly Victorian about her work as well as undeniably modern. She's just so creative and inventive - I can't handle all the loveliness... 

Also see Cathy Cullis's flickr, blog, and etsy shop.

"all sorrows shall be gone"

"never stop dreaming"

"somewhere else"

"I shall be here for the dreaming"

Embroidery Hoop Art

Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com

While hopping around online , I came across the site for Stephanie K. Toland, a super talented artist. She has many impressive images of her paintings posted and while I definitely admire her work in oil, her embroidery hoop art is what really caught my eye. The clothes on a line trio shown above is my favorite. It just goes to show how a couple of concepts and mediums can overlap to result in something unique and charming.

The idea of art within the embroidery hoop frame is hardly novel, but there are so many ways to use the hoop that can still be fresh and different. I am curious about using the stretched fabric or canvas for drawing or watercolor mixed with embroidered touches. Maybe there can be some space on my girls' bedroom wall for a series of hoop art....

Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com

The Violinist Hoop Wall Art courtesy of maiseyhandmade via etsy

flight no. eight original wall art courtesy of TheHauntedHollowTree via etsy

Image courtesy of flickr

Luis the Raccoon embroidery hoop courtesy of OneLittleRedFox via etsy

Notebook Paper Cross Stitch embroidery wall hanging 'I love you' hoop courtesy of rugglesstitch via etsy

Image courtesy of The Phantom Moon via flickr

“I engage in the ritual of making and reshaping stories and histories.” - Maurizio Anzeri

 "Penny" via The Saatchi Gallery

Good lord am I in love with Maurizio Anzeri's work.

His embroidery on found photography is just so incredibly jarring and mesmerizing. It reminds me of that "Moving Pictures" series that I posted about last month, the color combinations found in magic lantern slides, the "Freemotion Art" of Gillian Bates, and the patterns we all produced as kids with the aid of the "Spirograph" toy. Someone has to make me a knock-off and quick!

(Mae! I'm looking at you... your plate isn't too full to make me a half dozen of these, right? Lucky for you I'm satisfied with admiring the images of the originals anyway... :) )

via beauty call

 "family album" via riflemaker

"Rebecca" via The Saatchi Gallery

{quote via beauty call}

not your typical embroidery...

These napkins and handkerchiefs are from a set of embroidery by Kate O'Conner (discovered via dainty doll). She gets her inspiration from the most unlikely of places: Craigslist, "missing" posters, and just goofy things she's heard people say. I love how these look like scribbled notes too. So neat (and funny) to see such every day language and handwriting on such a traditionally prime and proper place, the frilly hankie.


(see more of Kate O'Conner's work on her flickr page or her website: http://www.kateoconnor.ca/)

Freemotion Art

End of the Pier, originally uploaded by gillian.bates.

As a sewist who still has to concentrate like gangbusters to keep my hems straight, this freemotion machine embroidery by Gillian Bates is astonishing.

I'm in love with these pieces--the medium, the colors, the subjects. There's something so nostalgic and true about them.

And some of them are for sale in Gillian Bates' Etsy shop.

If you are willing to settle for a print, there are also postcards:

Now it's just a matter of choosing.