What would we do, baby ...

... "Without Us"?


An awesome homage to an 80's sitcom classic, stitched by Marshall aka sailor.mouth on Flickr and posted to the Manbroidery group.

Interview with a manbroiderer | filmresearch

If you've visited the Manbroidery Flickr group lately, there's no doubt you've seen some fish. Lots and lots of fish. Much of this is the work of the extremely talented filmresearch, aka Mark Bieraugel. I caught up with Mark for another installation of my "questions with a manbroiderer" series, and he opened up about his background, his inspiration, and his stitching projects both current and future. Oh yeah ... and those fish, too!

Please tell us a little more about you -- your background, interests, etc.

I grew up in a household where creativity, crafts, and creation was just taken as another practical thing. That is what you get with two parents from the Midwest. My Mom seemed to always be sewing her three boys Halloween costumes or making custom shaped cakes, while my Dad was doing pen and ink sketches of planes he flew, like the S-3, or making something out of wood.

I have really found something amazing in embroidery. I love the incredibly long rich history of embroidery, the dynamic stitching world right now, and the supportive community of stitchers world wide.

How & when did you first become interested in embroidery? What was your first project?

I have been always drawn to needlework, but never thought I had the patience or skills to do it. I became interested in embroidery after reading about Jenny Hart and her company, Sublime Stitching. Hart seemed to have a matter-of-fact quality like my parents: that anyone can and should do embroidery. I took a class from her in Seattle in the winter of 2009 and have been madly stitching ever since. Please don’t blame her for my sometimes wonky stitches, ok?

I had been looking for a creative outlet and it turns out that embroidery is it. My first piece of embroidery was an original hand drawn graffiti ‘tag’ done by my partner which I embroidered in split and satin stitch.

How would you describe your style?

Bold, passionate about color, line and pattern with a smidge of humor. Unconventional images stitched in bright colors. A friend of mine called my stitches ‘rustic’ but I prefer the term ‘enthusiastic.’

What inspires you?

For images I am always looking at books, especially encyclopedias and other reference books. I am also really inspired by animal and plant species, diagrams, formulas, and new stuff I have never seen before. Flickr, Esty, and other stitchers make me drool with such amazing pieces. I like the bold lines found in traditional animated films, tattoo flash, and admire artists such as Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, and Mark Ryden. With regards to materials I hit the thrift stores to find vintage fabrics, floss and cording all of which just beg to be made into something new.

Fiber artists such as Richard Saja, Jennifer Porter/Porterness, Joetta Maue, and Frederique Morrell all continue to inspire me. Oh and Walter Bruno Brix is incredible.

What is your favorite embroidery project that you've made? That someone else has made?

My favorite is ‘Cannonball Run’ for its placement of the coelacanths and the title. I like how this piece seems almost animated. The fabric, which has toy soldiers, cannons, and cannonballs and the colors all seem to work in harmony with my added coelacanths.

My current favorite piece has to be the Siphonophorae by Penny Nickels. This grand piece really inspires me to embroider something amazing, unusual, large, and from an underserved animal kingdom. Her punctiliousness and patience sort of scare me as well.

Do your friends / family / co-workers know that embroidery is a hobby of yours?

I am an over sharer, so pretty much everyone I know more than casually gets an earful about my latest stitching project. I seem to always be toting my latest piece around, if not to work on it to expose it to the nearest person. Plus I am sort of evangelical about the power of embroidery as a creative outlet, a means of relaxing, and a terrific low cost hobby.

Do you stitch in public? If so, what is the strangest / funniest / most interesting reaction you've gotten from others?

I do stitch in public, often while waiting for appointments. With 99 coelacanths to stitch I have to embroidery when I have a bit of time. One time at a doctor’s office a man just started talking to me about how much his family used to make latch hook rugs over in England where he was stationed in the military. But most people are too busy texting to notice me stitching.

Can you tell us about your current project, “99 Coelacanths"?

This series of coelacanths allows me to explore all types of embroidery on many different types of fabrics and materials. When I was about ten years old I read a book about the rediscovery of the coelacanth, and have thought it my favorite fish since then. Coelacanths are a primitive fish, virtually unchanged for millions of years, and they just hang out in deep water caves off the east coast of Africa. I like that they are an interesting shape, and don’t have a bunch of associations tied to them. They are a bit of an empty image I can use to explore color, pattern, and stitching techniques. Plus, living fossils are just plain cool.

As for the number 99 I like a stretch goal to aim for, and I love making a series of similar, repeated images.

What are your plans for your next project, or upcoming series?

I have a boat load of ideas for future projects, including a five foot long coelacanth, which would mean a life sized version of the critter. I am particularly excited about is a new series of 92 animals not normally seen in embroidery representing different animal phylum.

Thanks for the great interview, Mark! We can't wait to see what you do next.

Prepare to be Woo'd!

For today's installment of "5 questions with a manbroiderer" I am thrilled to introduce those of you unfamiliar with his work to Howie Woo, aka WooWork on Flickr.

I first came across Howie's work via the Manbroidery pool on Flickr, where he had posted his "All-Thumbs Portable Reviewer" (below) and the series of photos that, essentially, told the story of Howie's day. I was immediately struck not only by Howie's evident talent, but by the colorful personality and abundant whimsy that shines through his work (helped along by his beautiful photographic style). I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love seeing such crafty talent combined with a healthy sense of humor. And that's what Howie does so well. This guy is hilarious, people!




Those initial photos led me to Howie's photostream and ultimately to his blog, WooWork.com. I soon found myself several hours poorer but several smiles richer, and I was convinced that I wanted to highlight Howie and his work here on Feeling Stitchy. Though more of a yarn crafter than an embroiderer, I just knew our readers would enjoy his work.


So, without further ado, please join me for 5 6 questions with Howie Woo!

It is evident that you are a prolific crafter. What types and styles of crafting do you enjoy, and which would you say is your favorite?

After making 2D movies and 2D drawings for most of my life, it's an addictive thrill to crochet something in plushy 3D!

I don't have a favorite craft, but it's always fun to learn crafty new ways to share stories.


When did you first start making things? How did you become interested in crafting?

Since I was a child, I would wander into yarn aisles and marvel at the wide range of colours and texures. After decades of bugging people to make something yarny for me, I finally tried crocheting when my girlfriend began crocheting scarves in 2008.


How would you describe your style?

I try to keep my stories and creations playful, which is a fun challenge when life isn't always set at "playfulness priority mode"!

It's clear that humor plays a huge role in your work. Can you tell us more about your sense of humor and how it influences your projects?

In person, I don't talk much or tell funny stories (my girlfriend, MJ, is the one who can make a room erupt into laughter), so seeing the reactions to my yarn tales is a rare treat for me.
What is your favorite craft project that you've made? That someone else has made?

My latest craft projects are always my favourite, but my favourite craft project from someone else is BitterSweet's rabbit that she crocheted from a paper clip while stuck in a hospital. I admire the idea of making fun things even in grim situations.


Who are the people who inspire you?

My girlfriend, my mom, and the online crochet community have been incredibly supportive. I'm so grateful for their encouragement, and they inspire me to keep learning and to, ideally, keep improving.

Thanks so much for sharing your work with us, Howie!

Do you know any manbroiderers that should be featured here on Feeling Stitchy? Do you have any questions that you'd like our manbroiderers to answer? If so, please leave me a comment below!

Five questions with a manbroiderer | Spicy-Shots

I'm very excited to launch a new feature here on Feeling Stitchy that I'm calling "Five questions with a manbroiderer". Today I'd like to highlight the work of Glenn Dragone, aka Spicy-Shots on Flickr.

Aside from a career in the home textiles industry, Glenn is a prolific crafter. He is an accomplished quilter, knitter, and photographer in addition to being an amazing embroiderer (as evidenced by the images of Glenn's work that you can see throughout this post ... by the way, is anyone else excited for Tim Burton's upcoming take on Alice in Wonderland?)

FS: When did you first start embroidering, and how did you become interested in the craft?

GD: I started embroidering last April. Basically, I’ve always been attracted to things that are created with any form of needle and thread. I’ve been knitting for years. During a mindless meandering on the internet, I came across some antique redwork. I was fascinated by the simplicity and decided to give it a try. The embroidery evolved from that point.

FS: How would you describe your style?

GD: Since I’m rather new to the craft, I would call my style "ever-changing". I do gravitate towards 50’s and 60’s retro pieces. I also love classic illustration.

FS: What is your favorite embroidery project that you've made? That someone else has made?

GD: I was pleased with the Alice in Wonderland projects I’ve done. I like the original artwork and wanted to transform it into a 3 dimensional piece. There are tons of great embroidery artists out there. I have many favorites.


FS: Do your friends / family / co-workers know that embroidery is a hobby of yours, or is it a "secret identity"?

GD: Everyone knows that I have some sort of project in the works at all times. I am officially “out” and embrace my crafting.

FS: Do you embroider in public? If so, what is the strangest / funniest / most interesting reaction you've gotten from others?

GD: I’ve knit on a plane and haven’t really had any negative reactions. I do get the stares and the occasional .. “What are you making?” question from time to time. I would embroider in public. I just haven’t had the chance.


Do you know any manbroiderers that should be featured here on Feeling Stitchy? Do you have any questions that you'd like our manbroiderers to answer? If so, please leave me a comment below!

Antique Oliver

stitched by jerryleetypes

Dolemite

stitched by The Luskozas

It's hard not to love a little strong language on embroidery. And this is just that awesome.

Manbroidery!

Hey people, sorry to have disappeared for a while. Life sorta got in the way. Y'all know what that's like, eh? ;-)

Well, a little while ago I stumbled upon the embroidery (manbroidery!) of one Mr. Xstitch (on Flickr) and he just ticks all the boxes for deserving being in the Feeling Stitchy spotlight: he's a dude, he embroiders, he makes his own patterns of cars, pop culture figures and graffiti (yeah, baby!) I had to know some more so I asked him a few questions. Thank you, Mr Xstitch!

Why did you start doing cross stitch?

It all began with a trip to Canada - I wanted something to do and found myself in a haberdashery shop. I bought a pattern of an art nouveau head, and found it surprisingly enjoyable to do. After I finished that piece I wanted something different to do, but found it hard to source patterns that really tickled my fancy. In the end I settled for the Kiss by Klimt from the Cross Stitch Collectables site. But it sparked off a desire in me to make patterns that I wanted to stitch.


Can you tell us about your subject matter?

I've always been a fan of graffiti and street art, but have never been brave enough or artistic enough to actually do any myself. However, within the pixellated world of cross stitch, things make more sense for me, and having spent some time researching different graffiti pieces I decided to turn some into patterns and have a go at stitching them. The only flaw in my plan is that each of my patterns is about twelve inches wide and takes several months to complete. So periodically I’ll do some smaller pieces – ironic samplers or blackwork – as a way of making things interesting.



What reactions do you get from other people? (being a dude embroidering and all)

People are kinda surprised that I do stitchery, especially as I’m six feet tall with a bald head and look like I should a doorman rather than an embroiderer. But I extol the virtues of needlecraft, how relaxing and contemplative it is, and before long they can understand where I’m coming from. I do like to take small samplers onto the train when I go to work sometimes, just to provoke reactions in people.

This whole “manbroidery” thing is part of the inspiration for my patterns – I want to make patterns with subjects that men can feel comfortable doing. From supercars to superheroes, I want to make cross stitch more palatable for men, so that they can appreciate it as a more relaxing alternative to Gears of War or Halo3. That’s my main aim, and I’m feeling confident!


Where do you find your inspiration?

I spend a lot of time wading through RSS feeds from graffiti and contemporary craft blogs. There’s so much brilliant stuff happening out there, it’s terrific to see. I’m really interested in the political aspect of crafts and how they empower people to fend for themselves – I feel inclined towards more political work as time passes. But there are so many inspirational artists out there, I am humbled. I’m just a pattern maker really, I feel guilty considering myself as anything resembling an artist. I’m just glad to be a part of the craft revolution.

skulls!

from Mutant Angel

from loco white boy

be sure to view this large, people, it's amazing, hand-stitched, and Feeling Stitchy's first featured man-broiderer... :)