5.11.2010

embroidery project: not for all the tea in china


For those of you lucky enough to be in the Seattle area on Friday, you should stop by Assemble Gallery and Studio's May Artwalk Extravaganza. In addition to the opening of their show of Emily Katz's embroidery work, Assemble is also hosting an embroidery contest with the theme, "Not for All the Tea in China.


I visited and fell in love with Assemble during our trip to Seattle, and I'm so excited to have the chance to participate in their contest. My piece, which is currently untitled, will be on display alongside the other entries starting on Friday. 


The eleven-by-eleven-inch piece of fabric features cross-stitch text in the center (the first time I've ever done cross-stitch on a surface other than aida cloth), French knots (of course!), large isolated chain stitches, and buttonhole stitches (which I learned how to do during an embroidery class with Rachel Hobson at The Stitch Lab).


I chose the design after a lot (a lot!) of deliberation. I ultimately decided to stitch a phrase that was a variation on my husband's response to the question, "What wouldn't you trade for all the tea in China?" The flower frame was inspired by the Liberty of London line of products that recently hit Target shelves--and the floral storage box I picked up from the clearance shelf during a shopping trip last weekend in particular.


For those of you that can, I do hope you'll stop by the event, check out the entries and vote for your favorite one, and support a great crafty and creative space.

UPDATE: Though my piece didn't win the contest (you can see the winning entry here), it did sell. Thank you for all of your lovely comments, both here and on Flickr!

11 comments:

  1. This is really cool! I especially love the circles. Those are the buttonhole stitch, right? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. that's gorgeous, Caitlin! omg. love those flowers in all the juicy colors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adaiha, yep, that's the buttonhole stitch.

    Thanks, Beth! I had fun with the color palette.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oooooh I love this! The color palette is so fresh and I love the flowers (definitely caught the Liberty inspiration). And I'm so excited for your new store! Exciting times ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Dianne! Glad to hear you caught the Liberty inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I Love, LOVE that cloth!!! I have never done embroidery, but seeing such wonderful piece I could get very inspired to make something! Oh! the excitement! the possibilities!
    Just come across your blog and I really like it, ; )

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for stopping by, Happy Squirrel! I'm so glad you like the piece. Embroidery is a lot of fun; you should try it out!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dang! Wish I was the one that bought it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. yay! congrats on selling this piece, Caitlin!

    ReplyDelete
  10. god i love your use of cross stitch for the text! Gives it a pixelated feel, brill! super neat as well.... inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, Heather! I do love cross-stitch!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment---it means so much to me! If you have a specific question, please be sure to include your email address and I'll be happy to respond.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.