The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Maggie and Mildred

Thanks to Schinders for telling me about this great stitched video: Maggie and Mildred from Holly Klein.

I had a quick Q&A session with Holly:

What made you decide to do a stitched animation?
I’ve been making my own films since college, and they’ve always been handmade in some way.  I started doing stop motion animation, but found it too hard to control the puppets, so I went back to making things in two dimensions.  I’ve always been a crafter, so knitting, sewing, and cross-stitch were mediums I love using in my animation.

How long did the film take to produce and how did you do it?
It took me about nine months to stitch all of the elements.  I stitched the house first, then made the characters with all of their parts and outfits seperately.  I then scanned everything into the computer, cut them out, and animated them in the computer.  The whole process took me just under two years.

What do you think of the future of stitched animation? Is there one? Or is it insanity?
It’s definitely insanity, but there is always a place for old techniques used in new ways.  When I worked on the film “Coraline” I was dazzled by the handmade attention to detail of the sets, props and puppets.  And so much of it was taken for granted in the final product!  But I’m a fan of craftsmanship of all kinds, and think that things made by hand are the best things on earth.

Holly is in the process of making other handmade films and blogs about her adventures. I think she’s terrific and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

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The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge is brought to you in association with Embroidery As Art, the inspirational stitched art blog from the legendary Jenny Hart.

Tagged as: animation, Cross Stitch, Cutting & Stitching Edge, Holly Klein