Drawing with Thread

It seems as if the 'drawing with thread' craze is sweeping the sewing world at the moment. This is a largely due to an amazing new book just published by the talented duo Minki Kim and Kristin Esser called Sew Illustrated. It involves taking an image, be it a photograph, sketch or artwork of virtually any kind, and transforming it into a stitched picture. For anyone has a love for sewing, and is also even slightly artistic as well, this is something you can do.I've been doing this style of thread drawing for a couple of years now, and only just feel like I'm scratching the surface. The more I do, the more addictive it becomes, and the more possibilities arise. I love the puzzle of working out what layers go down first, and working out how it all fits together.Here is a little floppy bunny that I sketched the other day, using some of the new Tilda fabric line. It turned out just adorably, the perfect little fellow drying on a line.

Then being on the kick that I am on, I turned this into a pincushion with a few pintucks and a cute little button. So much fun! Doesn't my $3 thrifted basket just look divine with it? I love it when I find unexpected props around the house.

My second little pin cushion that I want to show you, is a mixture of sewing illustration, and embroidery. I simply drew a flower pot freehand, and added a few stalks of lavender. The more random and messy you are, the more natural it looks. And really, there are no rules with this type of art...mix up as many techniques and disciplines as work for you! My only regret was that I didn't have any dried lavender on hand to add inside, but I do have some lavender essential oil which I think I will use to give it a gorgeous smell. And there's just something about that natural essex linen that adds the perfect rustic charm to any project.