Victoria Gertenbach – Contemporary Embroidery & Textile Art Inspiration

Boodilly (also known as Victoria Gertenbach) is a textile artist from Lancaster, PA. A phenomenally talented embroiderer she produces a wide range of products, including quilts and stitched illustrations. Her work combines freehand machine embroidery with retro styling to great effect. The B movie quality of the piece above is spot on. It is clear that she has remarkable skills in using sewing machines, although she humbly downplays the amount of effort involved. This piece may only be 4" by 3" in size, but it is amazing! Again the freehand machine stitching style, but used to great effect. And as if this embroidered excellence wasn't enough... ... she produces amazing quilts. I never really appreciated quilting, but work like this does a great job of changing people's minds. You can find out more about her at her blog, and purchase some of her work via her etsy shop. She has also been featured in a wide number of books, and quite rightly so. To finish I quote what Bascom Hogue says in her Flickr testimonial: "Boodilly has studied well the mid century American style. And now, without irony or slavish imitation, she is bringing it to a new audience. Yes, it is another birth of what's stylish and cool for all ya'll who missed it the first time around." ----- The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery, the contemporary embroidered art book curated by Jamie Chalmers. Featuring 30 textile-based artists from around the world, it's a must have for needlework fans.