thread play | Mr X Stitch

Creative chaos made from thread Take a moment and imagine your embroidery without the confines of fabric, needle, and stitches. Imagine the thread in your hand going wild and free, streaking through the air, leaving contrails of color, texture and dimension. You’ve just created imaginary string art. Now let’s do it for real. Just as spring break is upon us here in the USA, your thread wants to get out of its box and make an episode of Threads Gone Wild. Here are two ways to get started making string art. Bounce from nail to nail like you're in a pinball machine, using fun fibers like Micro Ice Chenille (the fuzzy green one here) and glow-in-the-dark thread (by Kreinik). It's thread play, and it's fun. OPTION 1: Upcycle found string art If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at string art, but didn’t know where to begin…or wanted the easiest way to begin, try a project like this. I found a cute string art design at a TJ Maxx in the USA, removed the boring plain yarn and replaced it with more fun fibers. No design experience needed. It takes minutes, no hammering required, and your design looks better than the original. String, fiber, thread...whatever you call it, grab a variety and start stringing them around nails. Layer, play with different thread textures, different thread weights. What I used in this model: Wild & Free cactus string art from TJ Maxx (from www.NielsenBainbridgeGroup.com) sharp embroidery scissors One spool of Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille in Fern Green One spool of Kreinik Tapestry #12 Braid in 053F glow-in-the-dark lime Instructions: Purchase a string art design from a craft store, home goods store, or antique store With the scissors, remove the plain yarn currently wrapped around the nails that are in place on the design. Start wrapping with the new, fun threads using Micro Ice Chenille first. Tie one end around a nail, then start “stringing” it, wrapping it around the other nails at diagonals, or as desired. When finished with that thread, tie the end in a knot around a nail. With your finger, push the chenille down the shaft of the nail slightly to give you room for the next thread. Use the other thread, the Tapestry #12 Braid in the same manner, on top of the Micro Ice Chenille. Layer different fibers for a more visual, exciting string art. I used Kreinik's Micro Ice Chenille (fuzzy green metallic) on the bottom, then Kreinik Braid (glow in the dark green) on top. OPTION 2: Create your own from scratch Paint a wooden base your desired color Draw or use cookie cutters or clip art outlines, cut them out, and temporarily tape them onto your dried wooden base. Hammer nails around the outside of our paper template. This is a good way to work out stress from the day, by the way, but always be careful when using a hammer and nail. Safety first. Decorate with threads by stringing the thread from nail to nail (tie thread ends around a nail and make a knot to secure beginning and end). Add words or embellishments around the string art with paint, paint pens, and stencils. This sparkler was made by Samantha Tornes using a variety of Kreinik threads. She went wild, had fun, and found creative freedom. It's string art. Why string art is a mental vacation for a stitcher Before you start your next cross stitch, felting, Tapestry or sewing project, make some string art. This is no-fail “embroidery” where you can’t go wrong. Every once in awhile, don’t we need an escape from the stitching “rules”? Use it to experiment with different thread types without worrying about neatness, technique or pattern. Feel the freedom to layer different kinds of threads for more visual interest. Choose colors that stir your soul. Mix up thread types to be as varied and interesting as life itself. String art, while starting out as a means of teaching math to students, has become a means of creating three-dimensional art. Layering different types of threads simply adds to the dimension. Do you remember a moment from childhood when you disregarded the outlines in your coloring book, and wildly drew dashes of free-form color side to side? It may have been frenetic motions, with cares thrown to the wind, energy materializing as you performed free-form coloring. Wow that felt good, didn’t it? Go do that again, with thread. Metallic threads really let the sun shine on your stitches. They capture light. This one uses a fuzzy metallic (Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille) along with a glow-in-the-dark Kreinik Braid. Too fun. This is a creative vacation from a stressful day, or even a quick get-away from a cross stitch WIP. Go wild. For more information String Art portraits, http://www.laarco.com/works/frida/ String art how-to video: https://youtu.be/DN8u0ODwDWI Kreinik metallic and glow-in-the-dark threads, www.kreinik.com String-art art installations: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/string-art-216854 Search “string art” on Pinterest and Instagram for more inspiration For the most personal string art, add threads in your favorite colors. This monogram uses Kreinik's red Micro Ice Chenille (fuzzy metallic). So fun. Guaranteed no one else has anything like it!