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How To Embroider A Picture

Monday, May 17th, 2010 by Alyice

The inspiration behind this work came one day when I was thinking about my now deceased mother. She had hand painted a pillow case for me that I couldn’t help but think would make a lovely hand stitched, or embroidered, reproduction.

That same day, I received a stack of 4×6 photos I had ordered from an online printer and found myself highly disappointed in the quality of the printing job. It looked as though the printer had begun to run out of ink and instead of replacing the cartridge, let the print job finish.

At first, I thought about returning the photos and asking for the images to be reprinted. But then I thought about the embroidery idea and realized that their mistake could be my good fortune.

“How cool would this photo look with embroidered accents?” I thought to myself.

So I pulled out my husband’s embroidery thread (a project he had long given up on), a seam ripper, a crafter’s cutting board, and a sturdy needle for hand sewing and got to work.

An hour later, I had turned a negative into a positive.

I liked the way it came out so much that I created one for a Christmas present for my sister Candice, another for a friend’s teenage daughter, and another for me. Then I pulled out the remaining six prints and little-by-little, I stitched my way to six more works of art!

How To Embroider A Picture

Create an 8×10 painting on watercolor paper. Let dry.
Photograph, or scan, painting.
Have 4×6 copies of painting printed.
Remove some of the shine from the print by spraying a light coat of spray adhesive on the image, followed by a matte acrylic sealer. Let air dry. (This creates a little texture to the photo paper and makes it a bit sturdier when stitching.)
Punch holes, using a seam ripper, throughout the print, outlining the image.
Use embroidery thread and a hand quilting needle to stitch the design, making sure to tie it off on your first stitch and again on your last stitch. (French knots make great leaves and/or flowers.)
Hand paint a sheet of watercolor paper to create a background paper. Let dry.
Place the glass, from the frame on the background paper and trace. Cut out the 4×6 rectangle.
Grab a few self-adhesive risers. Adhere the hand embroidered print, slightly off-centered, to the background paper.
Hand stamp a single word, from top to bottom, on the right side of the background paper using acrylic paints. Let dry.
Frame the work in a simple, black wooden frame.

Keep Creating

Posted in Art How-Tos, The Wall Art | 3 Comments »

A Little Feng Shui Anyone

Thursday, May 13th, 2010 by Alyice

A little feng shui anyone? How about a little child’s play?

Though I am not a feng shui enthusiast, I do believe there is something to creating a peaceful environment in the home via furniture arrangement and the placement of decorative accents.

When I first created the “Live Joyfully” piece, I sat on it for a few months, trying to decide what image to include beside the tree. But the more I starred at the canvas, the more I liked its simplicity. Something about the piece just brought thoughts of peaceful, joyful living to mind. And so I settled on leaving it alone and now, I am glad I did.

As for child’s play, what parent wouldn’t want to bestow a few good vibes in a child’s room?

In China, the elephant symbolizes energy, strength, and power. In Buddhism. the elephant symbolizes patience and wisdom. In Eastern countries, the elephant symbolizes one’s status in life; usually royalty. In the United States, the elephant symbolizes the ability to maintain one’s mental health for a very long time. And if an elephant’s trunk is raised and captured in photos or art, it symbolizes good luck (or good fortune).

But for me, I think elephants symbolize the ultimate power of love.

Did you know that elephants can only be separated by death or capture? Or that they immediately go to the aid of another elephant who is injured or attacked? Or that they co-parent each other’s children? Or that they have no problem showing their love for one another? Or that they actually morn their dead? They even have rituals!

Keep Creating.

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Wood Burned Canvases

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 by Alyice

Back in April of 2009, my husband brought home some used wood and asked if I could use it for anything.

“Of course!” I exclaimed.

As he commenced to cut the planks of wood into 5″ x 5.5″ blocks, I thought of all kinds of possibilities. When he was done cutting, I stacked the blocks and placed them in a storage cabinet in the garage. And there they sat until last week.

Last week I got an idea. I’d create wood burned canvases!

My first attempt came out alright, but the head was too small for the canvas. (Note the “Be Brave” canvas in the lower left corner.)

My second attempt came out better, but the black marker I used to create the image showed through the paint as I wasn’t quite perfect in burning along the lines. Needless to say, I switched to pencil.

By the fifth and sixth attempts, I finally had a handle on the wood burning tool—slow is definitely better! And I discovered that with just a minor tweak here and there I could give the same image a slightly different look.

Next, I’d like to incorporate some assemblage into my pieces: decorative door knobs for feet, decorative hooks for holding keys, and even clock hands for a working clock.

Keep Creating

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproduced or displayed elsewhere without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.