“The hardest part is the first stitch” is what I vividly recalled from the instructor. Nearly 12 months later I still find the first stitch the hardest part, where do I begin?
Many people have asked what intrigued me to this hobby. It was simple, I couldn’t afford the art I found on Instagram, so I decided to make it myself.
There were many first-time experiences conjured from this new hobby. Like visiting crafting stores and shopping for items. Where do I begin, or best of yet, what are the things I need even called? Like many amateurs, YouTube was the academy of knowledge. It was like walking into a vintage thrift shop at first, as timid as I usually am, my nerves began to strike when asked if I could be helped. Circling back to where I begin, what do I even need? The shop keeper gave me a thorough walkthrough on fabrics, threads, needles and as time and projects have passed, the shop owner knows my name, I know what I need now I know what I need, what I want, to the shop keep remembering my name.
The 90s was a great time for cartoons, who can truly say they did not enjoy Hey Arnold or Pokémon. Since my body was running out of space for tattoos of these characters, I might as well replicate them elsewhere, on a piece of fabric. It starts out with a sketch of an image onto the fabric, the choice of colors can be overwhelming, there are just a plethora of shades and tints; do I want the barn red, or the blood red, maybe the cardinal red, maybe anxiety…but once confirmed the journey begins.
The choices of knots are endless but, you just need your top 5. The French Knot is my personal favourite. Like many artists, I have an infatuation with flowers. With flowers there are many types of knots from the Closed Herringbone, Vandyke, accompanied by a Stem stitch and perhaps complimented with a Lazy Daisy, so many knots, which one do I choose, anxiety. With all these options, I began to learn how to leverage each technique. One does not need to do it all, one just simply needs to be aware of their tools and execute when appropriate.
It does not look like much in the beginning, after about 10-20 stitches one might even think this was not what I intended so hope and confidence may begin to dwindle; what is this abomination? However, half-way through as the image begins to come together, I realize that I am actually creating something beautiful and the motivation picks up again. Once the piece is completed the satisfaction and contentment enters the mindset like euphoria. Such a symbolism for life itself, it starts off with the first thread and as more and more steps are taken, one may think is this right path? Have I made the right choice; but as persistency follows, the light gets brighter and brighter near the end of the tunnel. Each flower I embroider, begins with nothing but a sketch like a seed, if the love is given, this seed will sprout and eventually blossom.
8 months into the pandemic and about 67 pieces later I might have found a genuine piece of myself I can truly call me. Each piece I embroider hides my emotions blanketed by colors and textures. Speaking on behalf of millennials I have always found it hard to concentrate in general. Distraction surrounds us at every corner with flashy gimmicks accompanied by a myriad of aesthetics. If that is not enough, our cordial thoughts, slowly eats away at our mental state and one realizes it was not as warm and fuzzy as one had hoped for. Its been 7 months since I broke up with my partner and they cloud my mind with memories every single day. How does one escape from such incredulous reality while moments from the past vibrate in my soul?
There can be negative paths and positive ones, this one is my positive path to sanity, this is where I begin.
