This time I decided to make a special piece of embroidery. A portrait of Maryam Mirzakhani; an amazing Iranian mathematician who was the first female ever to win the Fields Medal.
I wanted to make something personal so took my time to make this piece; lots of patience, thread and probably too much coffee.
I thought I'd easily be able to create this. I made my transfer, stretched my fabric in my hoop and began to stitch. However my threads didn't agree! 馃槀
Creating a realistic portrait can be tricky! You have to think about shading, light/shadow effects, skin tones, proportions and stitching direction. You can't use just one colour.
Here are some tips I learnt throughout:
馃 1. Start with the eyes! Eyes are the soul of the portrait so try to get them in the right place and proportion.
馃 2. Don't use just one colour for the skin! Try mixing warm beiges, pale browns and pastel pinks together.
馃 3. Think about your stitching direction and length. This will make a huge difference!
馃 4. Don't pull your thread too tight! Keep your fabric flat. Don't make it into a mini embroidery drum! 馃槀
馃 5. Be patient with your details! Sometimes smaller stitches can make a big difference.
It's so funny thinking that while Maryam Mirzakhani was discovering super complicated geometric worlds with maths I was trying to figure out how to stop my 5 threads getting tangled! 馃槣
However, this has made this piece really meaningful. Both maths and embroidery need curiosity, creativity, patience and perseverance.
Maryam showed the world what women can achieve and I hope this handmade piece shows how I'm celebrating a little of her amazing story.
P.S I'm not a native English speaker so will try my best to avoid any mistakes. I will definitely make some mistakes though so thank you for reading this and being patient. It means so much!
Would you have the patience to stitch an entire face with so many similar coloured threads?