Embroidery Art: Looking For Honey

by Keith Richmond

The artwork I have created is an embroidery piece that uses different shades of brown to make a geometric bear. Each shade helps represent the movement of the bear and gives it more flow. The direction of the string helps show the bear is not flat and adds value to the bear to make it look more detailed. The materials I used to create this art piece are embroidery floss, Muslin cloth, and an embroidery hoop. When I first started I had to sketch out the geometric shapes and make sure that is what a sketched bear would look like. I ended up having to redo it a couple of times because I was not able to get the lines done properly. The first time I made the sketch it looked off and not proportional to what a real bear would look like. When creating this entire piece I used the satin stitch, which makes large areas easier to fill in with a nice smooth finish. This helps create a smooth filled-in appearance that gives more personality and movement to the piece. Then for the eye of the bear, I used the French knot to give it more depth and to make it look still geometric but also add value at the same time. My sister inspired this piece and I ended up giving this to her as a gift. She ended up loving it and it is one of her favorite pieces.