My body is my garden was thought of as self care, self love and self respect.
Digging and submerging issues related to various female beauties has always been my motivation.
Materials:
- Cotton fabric 40x40cm, cream
- Stranded cotton: black, red, intense red, yellow, white, light pink, pink, light blue, blue, green, light green, purple, burnt yellow
- Embroidery hoop
- Gouache or watercolour paint
- Carbon paper
- Template [Download]
Instruction:
Stitches used
Backstitch, fishbone stitch, long and short stitch, satin stitch, split stitch, french knot stitch, lazy daisy stitch
Before stitching
Transfer the design from the template onto the centre of the fabric using your preferred method. I used carbon paper.
Paint the woman light brown using either gouache or watercolour paint. Be careful not to dilute the paint too much so that it doesn’t leak out of the outlines. Use a towel to contain any excess paint. It is a good idea to test how the paint interacts with your chosen fabric on a scrap of material before you paint the design. Allow the paint to dry fully before beginning to embroider.
1. For the woman's body in BACKSTITCH using one strand of black, working in small stitches to make the curves really smooth.
2. For the eyelashes and eyebrows I used the BACKSTITCH using one strand of black.
3. For the mouth I used a SATIN STITCH using one strand of red one strand black in the middle. Pay extra attention to the face detailing so that you capture the figure's serene expression.
4. Work the flower 5 in LAZY DAISY STITCH using two strands of dark red. For the bottom of the flowers use the SATIN STITCH with two strands.
5. Work the flower 4 in SATIN STITCH using one strand of purple.
6. Work the flower 3 in SATIN STITCH using one strand of white and cream. Outline the flower 3 in BACKSTITCH using one strand of black.
7. Leaves in FISHBONE STITCH using two strands of light green.
8. To the stem of flowers in SPLIT STITCH using two strands of green.
9. Leaves in FISHBONE STITCH using two strands of green.
10. Work the flower 2 in FRENCH KNOT STITCH using 2 strands of yellow. Outline the flower 2 in BACKSTITCH USING ONE STRAND OF BLACK.
11. FRENCH KNOT STITCH using two strands of pink and black.
12. Work the flower 1 in SATIN STITCH using one strand of light rose and rose, Outline the flower 1 in BACKSTITCH using one strand of black.
13. For the butterflies in SATIN STITCH using one strand in blue and orange. Outline the butterflies in BACKSTITCH using one strand of black.
Bio Giselle Quinto
I was first introduced to embroidery in 2012 back in São Paulo/Brazil where I was living at the time. A good friend of mine was into it and invited me to visit her stand at a handicraft market. She was selling an embroidery kit for beginners and I decided to give it a try. At the time I was studying visual arts, drawing was part of my life, but my relationship had always been with pencil and paper. And so I tried embroidering a few of my drawings at first and fell in love with the result, and haven't stopped ever since.
Embroidering was booming in São Paulo at that time. After getting praised online on a few works, I decided to try and sell some of it, and it was a success. After a short time I got my first commission, and I clearly saw the interest in my art.
I had just had my daughter, and at that time I was feeling lost and depressed. Motherhood had taken my freedom away -or so I thought, I needed to express it somehow. It was through embroidery that I healed my pain and intuitively created my style. There is a strong connection between how I felt at the time in the simplicity of my works. Always looking for a simpler get away. And I think it translates to my style: few stitches, few colors and fine black lines. Simplicity.
In 2014 I moved to Amsterdam, a massive change in my life, moving into the unknown, but I continued embroidering. It took me some time to understand that my art would be cloth and stitches. Nothing represents me better, and I don't see anything else I would do (and I tried! Tattooing for example). Gradually I found my inspiration in plants and women. It brings me warmth, gets me back to summertime in Brasilia, where I was born.
Embroidery for me is an extension of my design, of who I am. Today I do what I love for a living, and I sell only originals, at my online store www.gisellequinto.com.