Gulmohar – embroidery

The gulmohar is my favourite tree. The myriad shades of red, orange and yellow amidst the verdant greens is simply mesmerizing and captures the spirit of summer perfectly. Juxtaposed against these vibrant hues is the shade under these trees, which are cool and inviting. What’s more, the fallen petals are a literal red carpet the tree seems to have laid out for us.

The gnarled trunk gives the tree a mysterious character, the hollows often home to birds and insects. The luxuriously spread out branches seem to, on the one hand reach out for the sky, and embrace the onlooker on the other.

One can spend hours marveling at this beautiful tree, as it sways gently to the summer breeze, sending fresh showers of flowers and leaves. Or watching the life it hosts – the birds hopping from one branch to another, the squirrels scurrying in a catch-me-if-you-can game, the ants, busy as ever, progressing in an orderly line to a place only they know where!

I have always wanted to embroider a gulmohar tree, capturing both its aspects – the vibrancy of its flowers and the peace on can find in its shade. Hence, the old man and his little friend appear in this scene, sleeping peacefully.

The background is painted in acrylic paints while the foreground is, of course, embroidered. This is my first mixed media project, and I hope I have been able to make the two media blend-in with each other.

Working on this project has been an incredible, almost meditative journey for me. I hope some part of the peace and wonder that I felt comes through to anyone who sees this work.

If you liked this project or have any feedback, please do leave your comments below.

Gulmohar

A tree that heralds summer

Oh what wonder

that a canopy of flames

hues of red and yellow

scorching the summer sky

should harbour a shade so cool

as to beckon a weary traveller

to restful slumber

-Madhulika

Daisies – embroidery

This is my latest project. I love daisies – they are such cheery flowers! I feel they smile at you. It is little wonder then that they attract pollinators such as the Monarch butterfly here.

The Monarch butterflies are one of the most commonly found butterflies. I love the play of browns and yellows on their wings.

I have attempted to do raised embroidery here. The petals and the leaves are padded with multiple layers of thread. The butterflies upper wing is detached – it was worked on another piece of cloth with a wire framing the edges, and then cut and placed here.

The other flower worked here is Ruby grass. I felt it brought a sort of wild flower feel to the embroidery rather than an ornamental bouquet one.

This project took me almost two months to complete. It was challenging, but immensely satisfying. Do take a look at a couple more photos below.

If you liked this project or have any feedback, please do leave your comments below.

Daisies!

An ode to a cheery flower

The weary heart wilts,
having withstood the travails of winter
Its icy winds, which mercilessly blow
Filling every space and every corner
With a sense of gloom that just won’t go

One hears the sun sigh,
Haggard and pale, haplessly wander
Its light shrouded by clouds of dreary doom
Frosty nettles tear its warmth asunder
Then what’s to cheer the heart, a withered bloom

And then I see them
A clump of daisies on the ground, otherwise bare
Smiling brightly, without a care
As a bunch of brazen imps would prance
Even the heartless wind makes them dance
“Forget the past!”, they seem to say
“For today’s a new day!”
Winter’s gone, spring is here
So wipe away that one last tear
With tens of little suns shining at me
Living the moment, fearless and free
Perhaps it’s time to bid despair adieu
And open my heart to hope anew

– Madhulika

Hello Embroidery World!

Welcome to my embroidery blog, where I will give you regular updates on my stitch-work.

Embroidery is probably one of the most beautiful art-forms, perhaps one of the oldest as well. It is almost hypnotic to watch the needle and thread dart in and out of fabric creating a pattern one stitch at a time. It also needs utmost patience and cannot be done in a hurry.

Most embroidery nowadays is done to decorate apparel. Machine embroidery has taken over, and how! However, there are those who still doggedly pursue hand-embroidery as an artform, to express themselves. This is the field I seek to explore. Somehow, art is one area where machines can never take over from humans. There is something artificial about the perfection of machines, don’t you think? This would make for an interesting discussion someday!

Although I love all forms of embroidery, the one that appeals to me most is needlepainting. Most of my work has been done using this technique and can be seen in the Gallery section of this website.

This blog gives me the platform to share my creative process and interact with fellow embroidery artists. Life is one journey of learning, and I look forward to learn and be inspired by all of you wonderful folks.

So until next time, take care and stay blessed!