Craftings of The World

Deceptively simple, embroidery reminds of the power of understatement. The texture of thread becomes a powerful element, with its thickness and thinness measured out carefully, fuzzy when needed. It’s typically small (think of a piece of printer paper made from crisp, white linen) and packed with visual impact and exploding colors.

The British graphic designer didn't set out to learn embroidery, but acknowledges that "it just made sense to stitch things. Whenever I see something I always think 'what will that look like stitched?'" In sharp contrast to the time she spends on a computer with deadlines looming over her shoulder, "it feels brilliant to spend ages on one piece -- picking the colors, deciding on the type of stitches and then doing it."

But graphic design work isn't just in opposition to such meticulously made hand-craft; it's also part of inspiration: "in some cases if I do an illustration for a client that doesn't get used, I will then stitch it instead.

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