One of my favourite embroidery types is free motion embroidery.

This is achieved by the sewing machine and a special foot that allows you to move the machine to stitch in a loose sketchy way. Fine art drawing is not my strongest area, so by drawing using the sewing machine is my preferred method!

These samples were completed as part of my final project at my Uni degree. The project was inspired by the book 'The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady' (Final piece - ‘An Embroidered Country Diary, but before that piece was made, I had to undergo lots of samples of techniques, like these pieces, to help with the final outcome. I gathered lots of old knitting patterns which I stained with coffee to give a more vintage look.

I could have achieved this with book pages but since my speciality is textiles using knitting patterns gave it a more unique and ‘textiley’ feel!

I sourced old Irish Linen handkerchiefs to fit the vintage vibe of the book- I layered these two elements together to create a multilayered ground to sample on. Inspired by cow parsley and fern leaves I stitched leaves in a loose way using black thread to give an impactful sample!