Yesterday I finished the last piece I had planned for my spring 2021 collection. In January I decided to use every hoop I already owned before uploading anything to Etsy or buying any more supplies, especially frames.
Mr. Pigeon & Mr. Finch, spring 2021
Mostly by accident, this decision created a space where I could see my pieces as existing in a shared universe, like a Madeleine L'Engle novel. In everything visual, I have a pastel, surreal aesthetic, and a dark floral folklore vision. Accordingly, I divided my hoops down the middle. On the fairy tale side I made five full-sized pieces and three miniatures in dark colors; on the dreamlike side, I made five big pieces and two little ones in white and watercolors.
I balance embroidery and writing by taking them in seasons. I don't write or embroidery very well if I try to do both in the same day, so I take it a few months at a time. I'm waiting on some materials to finish the backs, and then I'll start uploading to Etsy a piece per day. There will be some slightly fancy face masks, and maybe a couple of unexpected items.
I've had a lot of fun being a full-time embroidery artist for the last 3.5 months. I'll keep stitching through my hiatus because that's the only way I can watch movies or listen to podcasts now, but I'l shifting into novel-writing mode. I have to write a book about this confused creature:
Nosce Teipsum, by Brittany Harrison
While I'm obviously hoping that starting a Tumblr will get my work in front of more eyeballs, I'm doing this mainly because the embroidery art community on Tumblr is more about the visual feast of the work we do, and less about a bunch of people promoting small businesses. And the art side of embroidery art is what's keeping me interested. I suspect that shops that specialize in a signature design make more money, but doing something different and more challenging each time has been extremely fun. I would miss it doing one thing eight hours a day. (But then I should be so lucky as to design a single product in-demand enough to support a whole shop. I'll cross that bridge if I'm fortunate.)
What I actually meant to say was, I'm going to treat this blog like an archive of my designs. I'm selling originals, so I want to circulate the images, and also have them online where I can find them. I have lost so many hard drives, you don't want to know.
If you came here from my my IG or other blog, thanks 4 being a pal. You can expect maybe 70% embroidery or art posts and reblogs, 30% craft/process journaling. That's the other reason for this blog: I can't journal on Instagram. I am old, I am old, I shall [black text on white-out) complain about typing with my thumbs till I die. Why can't we update IG from desktops, it's maddening.
