Hooray, it’s Friday, time for a new post on StitchyFriday’s Instagram page, where you can follow the latest projects by illustrator Marijke Buurlage and her mother (and embroiderer) Aukje Kamstra.
Stitchy Friday is a mother and daughter embroidery project. “We choose an illustration of mine that we feel would look good as an embroidery,” explains Marijke. “We make sure that there aren’t too many colors, and we watch out for shapes, details and lines that may be too challenging. Once we’ve made our choice, we trace the lines of the illustration onto the fabric with the help of a lightbox. We spend a lot of time choosing the right colors of embroidery yarn, and then we get started.”
Collaborating with your mother
Marijke and Aukje encounter a challenge with almost all of the illustrations; after all, how do you embroider flowing water, for example, or which stitches should you use to best portray natural elements such as grass or trees? But it’s those kinds of issues that make the whole process such fun. And the responses they receive regarding their work and collaboration are extremely positive. “People have even told us that they want to start a creative project together with their own mother,” says Marijke. “I really enjoy working with my mom. We complement each other so well, and we have a lot of fun together. I think that, because of this project, our relationship has definitely become much stronger.”
A surprising angle
Another advantage of their collaboration is that Marijke and Aukje inspire each other: Marijke has discovered how relaxing embroidery actually is, and Aukje is increasingly thinking about taking up illustration. Again. She used to do it on a regular basis in the past and finds that she misses it every now and then. Marijke sees Stitchy Friday as a chance to look at her illustrations in a different light. “The varied stitches my mother uses for the embroidery works really bring my illustrations to life and give them a sense of motion.”
Would you like to get started?
– Go buy yourself some fabric, needles and yarn.
– Look at Pinterest or Instagram if you are searching for ideas and inspiration.
– Do not be put off by complicated embroidery; you can make lovely creations with simple stitches and beautiful colors.
- In Marijke’s Etsy store, you can also order a DIY Embroidery Kit (with a handy step-by-step guide) to embroider three brightly colored cacti.
