In all Simplicity
An embroidered bouquet for Mother’s Day
For this new project, I wanted to go back to basics. I drew this bouquet with great simplicity, almost a touch of naiveté, thinking of those little homemade presents that children give their mothers, their eyes shining with pride. There’s a touching emotion in these drawings, with their hesitant strokes, that sums up all the love in the world.
And then, as the years go by, the gifts evolve, sometimes becoming more refined, more elaborate. But when you create something for your mother, there’s always a reminder of those first memories. It’s an almost regressive gesture, but a deeply comforting one.
In proposing this embroidery bouquet, I also wanted to offer my embroidery friends a moment of shared gentleness, a little space of calm and beauty. In today’s troubled world, these moments of creation are precious because they bring us together in a shared spirit of kindness and inner peace.
For flowers…
… for leaves
For this bouquet, you won’t find any precise indications on the choice of colors. This is not an oversight, quite the contrary. It’s an invitation because choosing the colors for a work destined for a loved one is a deeply personal process.
In my opinion, there are two ways of approaching this choice. The first is to compose a palette expressing an emotion, a mood, a message that you want to convey in a silent language. The second, more direct way is to think of the person who will receive the bouquet, and suggest her favorite colors, making her happy.
As for me, my choice was made with my mother in mind, who passed away a few years ago. By opting for shades that are both soft and assertive, I sought to convey all the affection I still feel for her as time goes by.
Here are the explanations and photos needed to create this work, as well as the drawing to download HERE.
These pink flowers are embroidered in long and short stitch, using 1 thread and 2 colors.
The corollas of these flowers are embroidered in relatively widely-spaced blanket stitch, then completed by adding straight stitches of different lengths and 2 different colors. Complete with a large French knot in the center.
First, embroider a petal in single weaving stitch with 2 colors above and below, alternating 2 passes of thread per color. A second petal is made in chain stitch and a third in side-by-side stem stitch.
The leaves at the top of this design are made in Cretan stitch, and the right-hand branch in fishbone stitch. The flowers are embroidered in straight stitch to form stars. Finish with a small French knot in each center.
This branch of white flowers is made with stem stitch and satin stitch for the bells. Add a few tiny straight stitches in the same color as the stems at the base of each flower.
Embroider the stitches of this cluster of flowers in satin stitch. Add a few straight stitches to represent small branches.
These leaves are embroidered in close two-thread fly stitch, they appear several times in this bouquet.
To embroider this branch, start by embroidering the upper part of the design in satin stitch. To embroider the lower part, start by placing large straight stitches horizontally on the empty part and covering it with a fine lattice stitch made from a single thread.
Each flower in this group is made in lazy daisy stitch and finished with a French knot in the center. Decorate with a series of French knots all around.
This bell-shaped branch is made using the satin stitch technique. The flowers are linked by a stem stitch.
This group of leaves in various shapes is created in long and short using several color combinations. Finish with a line of backstitches to represent the central vein.
Embroider this second group of leaves in the same way as the first.
