CONTEMPORARY EMBROIDERY REVISITS THE PAST

Redux in Portland, Oregon is hosting a group embroidery show called “One Stitch Forward, One Stitch Back”.

Opening Reception: April 2nd 6-10pm
Show runs: April 2nd through May 6th

The domestic arts have a long history of resourcefulness often salvaging and reclaiming materials. The 24 artists showcased here will take needlecraft back to those roots by incorporating repurposed materials while adding a contemporary spin to the art.

Check out all the artists, many of whom we have featured here before:

Emily Rose Baier, Berkley Illustration, Diem Chau, Pamela Davis, Jessica Friday, Kate Greiner, Rachel Hunnicutt, Iron Pony, Tracy Jager, Emily Katz, Carla Madrigal, Andrea Majot, Johnny Murder, Beth Murphy, Penny Nickels, Lucy Peterson, Cathy Pitters, Kristen Rask, Kristen Rupp, T.J. Sabatini, Charlotte Schwennsen, Cindy Steiler

Thanks to Plush You, which is where I shamelessly stole all of this information from!

This week I wanted to take a look at the embroidered eye. I found several, so get ready, there are a lot to see.

This huge, detailed piece by Mrs Gibson is so realistic, it looks like it was sketched in thread.

A cyclops flower is weird, fun, and totally unexpected, like a lot of the great stuff made by Crazy But Cute.

Luiza Chandy embroiders with and on usual materials – something you can see in her flickr photostream. This piece is stitched with cooper wire.

This wearable eye patch was embellished with a portrait of her own eye by the talented Nicole Wolfersberger. You can see Nicole modeling it here.

This gang of giant eyes was created and herded together by Spooky Daddy. Spooky indeed.

Sometimes the right frame takes an embroidery to the next level. Kirsty Neale used vintage glasses as a frame from this piece. Works very well, don’t you think?

This pair was embroidered by sallytheskellington one day when she was snowed in and decided to practice the long and short stitch. I love the way the colors blend into each other.

Corrine B made this creepy contribution. Her work is always so fabulous and freaky!

This famous eyeball was stitched by manbroiderer extraordinaire Johnny Murder for the Phat Quarter anatomy swap. I feel as though it is looking into my very SOUL.

I hope you enjoyed this perusal of peepers. (I’m sorry, once I thought of it, I had to type it!) See you next week!

Beefranck’s Emporium is brought to you by Kreinik’s gorgeous silk and metallic threads. Go get some!

If you’re in Austin, Texas you have to go and visit Over and Under, a fantastic exhibition of contemporary embroidery at the Yard Dog Gallery, curated by Jenny Hart. The show runs from 6th November until 6th December and features a terrific array of stitchers that (if you’re a Mr X Stitch regular) you know and love:

Diem Chau : Richard Saja : Orly Cogan : Emily Eibel

Kate Westerholt : Shannon Rankin : Jennifer Porter

And the awesomeness that is Johnny Murder.

And that’s only the ones that we’ve featured here! Suffice to say it’s a must-see show.

So, go, enjoy it and then come back and tell us all about it! Kthxbai!

Got a mention in a cool little article on handmadenews.org alongside my main hombre, Johnny Murder, the Crochet Dude and the cool cat that is Paul from Dudecraft.

Check it out!

There’s a little interview with me over at Johnny Murder’s excellent Manbroidery blog.

If you don’t know who Johnny Murder is, what’s the matter with you?

You can find out about him here.

And while we’re talking about the Murder household, don’t forget our recent post about these saucy pillow cases stitched by Johnny’s significant other, Penny Nickels.

Johnny Murder is the head of the Manbroidery group on Flickr. He’s a dude. He’s the kind of guy who would beat you in a fistfight for laughing at him for mentioning embroidery. Or at least that’s what I imagine.

Johnny does caricature stitches of characters that probably happen when cousins marry. They are creations from his Sloppyworld comic.

They are well observed examples of the scrapings at the bottom of the gene pool; they are disgusting and yet really cute at the same time…

They are also well finished pieces of work – Johnny clearly knows how to handle a needle and thread. And maybe he knows how to handle a gun as well..!

There’s so much more that could be said about Johnny; about his ashtrays across America project; about his awesome sideburns. Just go and explore his world and find out for yourself! Johnny and his partner in crime, Penny Nickels, sell their wares at their etsy store.