Suffragist Inspired Pillow

My Suffrage inspired pillow took first place for embroidery at NY State DAR this month. While I didn't place on the national level, I am very proud to have represented my state. My essay is below.

First place certificate

Inez Milholland, Suffragist- pillow

What could be more American that the vote? Our entire system of government, and way of life, is predicated on our right to participate in the democratic Republic our patriots help found 239 years ago. Unfortunately, our founding fathers did not “Remember the Ladies” as Abigail Adams requested, and many disenfranchised Americans would have to fight their own revolution in order to gain the vote.

One American who took up the cause for woman suffrage was Inez Milholland Boissevain (1886-1916). A native New Yorker, raised in the Adirondack, New York City, and England (where she learned at the knee of Emmeline Pankhurst and her Women’s Social and Political Union), Inez arranged an impromptu suffrage event in a cemetery near Vassar College when the school refused to allow Harriot Stanton Blatch the curtesy of speaking about suffrage on campus. In 1913 she became the face of the movement when she led the suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. on the eve of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. Her untimely death from pernicious anemia in November of 1916 solidified Milholland Boissevain as a martyr for the cause.

Women in New York would not win the vote until 1917. Nationally, it would take another three years, culminating in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in August 1920.

Milholland Boissevain also worked for peace in Europe during World War I, working tirelessly on behalf of the soldiers, women, and children. She was a war correspondent until her pacifist views caused her removal from Italy.

My original embroidery design uses my own handwriting as the font for Inez’s name, and the words “Suffragist” and “Pacifist”. My embroidered portrait technique is used to recreate a well-known image of Milholland Boissevain. I chose yellow and purple because they were the official colors of Alice Paul’s National Woman’s Party, of which Milholland Boissevain was a staunch supporter. 

I choose to Celebrate America! Exploring Our American Heritage by using my right to vote in every election, honoring all of the people who fought, whether they were patriots during the Revolution, Abolitionists during the Civil War, suffragists during the 72 year fight for “Votes for Women”, or the citizens who marched to end voting restrictions.

Inez Milholland, Suffragist, Pacifist- embroidered portrait pillow

I encourage all of you to submit something to a contest. You never know!

Happy Stitching!

Batman Imagined: Embroidered portrait for Batman Day

Did you know that Batman Day is July 23, 2014? Well, it is. & one of our local libraries decided to do something about it. Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY has a bunch of cool events lined up for Wednesday. Checkout the schedule on their Facebook page HERE.

OK, so what does this have to do with me as an embroiderer? Glad you asked. The Folklife Center sponsored a Batman art contest called Batman Imagined. I decided to enter an embroidered portrait of a Batman character. I chose Batgirl (aka Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's daughter) because 1.) she's a woman & 2.) she's a librarian (just like me on both counts).


My co-worker Dan thought this image would be great for an embroidered portrait. So, Using my typical method, I figured out the best lines & created my pattern.

Batgirl embroidery pattern

Next up, tracing the pattern with plain ole pencil onto white cotton muslin.

Tracing Batgirl onto white cotton muslin with pencil

Once the embroidery was complete, I tired a different technique for framing in the hoop. Using a 14" embroidery hoop, I backed the embroidery with purple felt & placed the entire fabric sandwich into the hoop. I like the effect much better than my previous method, however the felt is a bit thick. Maybe I will use flannel next time.

Finished portrait off to the show

Here is Batgirl, Superhero Librarian on display with some of the other artwork submitted to Batman Imagined in the Folklife Center Gallery of the Crandall Public Library. I went to check it out today with my daughter & a friend. Apparently, my piece is rather popular with the librarians!

Batgirl, Superhero Librarian in Batman Imagined exhibition

I didn't do it for the art contest. I did it to have one of my pieces on display in the exhibition. Awards will be handed out on Wednesday during Batman Day. I wish I could go, but I have to be a superhero librarian at my own library that night. (I'll let you know if I win anything..)

Happy Stitching!

Redwork Portrait Won a Prize!

Now that I have finished my newest work of art & submitted it to an actual, real-live art show, I figured I let you know how my last competition went. I don't mean to boast or anything, but isn't blogging about sharing? & I am so proud that my embroidery is getting some recognition now that I have stopped being scared & started putting it out there. This blog & you, my readers (& fellow bloggers), have helped me with that! So, "Thank you!"

Mom & I heard back from the DAR this week. Mom's Sunbonnet Sue quilt took 2nd place in the Quilt category in NY State! My redwork portrait pillow took 3rd place in embroidery. This was the essay that went with my piece:

Portraiture has been around for as long as art has existed. Pre-historic human figures were featured in the cave paintings of Lascaux (France), and the rock art of the Anasazi (Southwestern USA).  Throughout recorded history, wealthy people paid artists to render their likeness in oils, marble, and bronze. With the advent of photography in the Nineteenth century, and the subsequent advances in technology through the Twentieth century, more and more people, no matter their circumstances, were able to have their “pictures taken.” Because of the accuracy of photography, artists began the experiment with abstraction, cubism, and surrealism in portraiture. Today, my twelve-year-old daughter is better at snapping a “selfie,” or self-portrait, with her iPod, than I ever was at trying to capture her essence with my own digital camera.

As an artist, my media of choice are thread and fabric. I am an embroiderer focusing on redwork. A few years ago, after seeing the embroidered portraits of embroidery artist, Jenny Hart, I began stitching my own. I started out with a self-portrait, and then moved on to embroidered portraits of my daughter, and nephews. This particular embroidered portrait, Portrait of a Young Woman in Redwork, which I am submitting for your consideration, is a combination, and a continuation of all that came before. Based on a “selfie” taken by my daughter, this portrait is rendered in redwork by me. It is a modern representation of a girl coming of age through a traditional, folk art form popular from 1880-1930. By combining all of these elements, I am Honoring Our Heritage: Art through the Ages.

Below is the embroidered portrait I made of my daughter Fiona from the  selfie she took last year. Rendered in redwork, DMC floss #321, & sewed into a pillow using one of the fabrics from an Alex Anderson redwork fat quarter pack.

Redwork portrait pillow

My 3rd place certificate! My embroidery won't be headed to National this year, but I'm pretty proud of 3rd place. Let's see what next year's theme will be...

3rd place certificate

 

Award winning Reindeer

If you are looking for the Grown Your Blog post- click HERE. But feel free to leave a comment on any of my posts. I have the monitoring off for the next week to make it easy to comment. Thank you so much to everyone who has visited! I am so grateful for your help, compliments, suggestions, & follows!


My mother & I have belonged to the Daughter's of the American Revolution (DAR) for about 10 years. Last year we decided to enter their art competition for member daughters. In a way it is also an essay contest. So, this year we spent a bit more time in composing our essays that accompany the photographs of the art.

Since this years entries have just been submitted on the state level, I thought I would share my award winning entry from 2013. The theme was something like honor our heritage today... I don't recall the wording. This is what I wrote:

In December 2004, I was at a friend’s house for a holiday party. My daughter Fiona, then 3 ½ years old, & another little girl were bored, so our hostess brought them some paper & crayons. One picture Fiona drew was of the stuffed reindeer toy sitting on the couch with her. I am always on the watch for new embroidery patterns, & had just started embroidering my daughter’s drawings. I immediately thought this one would be perfect. Deciding to use a basic outline stitch in only two floss colors, I tried to mimic the simplicity of the line drawing in embroidery. The child-like fabric bordering the embroidery is subtle. The fabric on the back of the pillow is bold and graphic.
This pillow now graces the living room sofa every holiday season as a family heirloom in the making.

Blue ribbon redwork reindeer embroidered in brown & red

Showing the backing fabric of the pillow

I won the blue ribbon for NY State in embroidery, & advanced to national, but did not win at national. Maybe this year! The above 2 images are of the blue ribbon pillow. & it won a red ribbon at our county fair this past August.

This is one I did in traditional redwork

Redwork is a style of embroidery. Though, traditionally, rendered in red (hence it's name), you can stitch it in any color you want. In the reindeer below, I used 3 colors.

Wall hanging using brown, tan, & red

This one is stitched in blue...

Given to my daughter's grandmother- This reindeer was stitched in blue

Ribbons at the fair

I am very excited to report that my embroidery won 4 ribbons at the Washington County Fair this year! Since this is the 1st time I have ever entered anything in the fair, I am very pleased.

Embroidery display in Handmade and Homegrown Bldg

Embroidered portrait one 3rd place

 I wish the redwork, embroidered portrait of my wonderful daughter would have placed higher, but 3rd is great. It is a lovely piece that I am really proud of. I think competition in that particular category was pretty stiff. Plus, redwork only requires a few stitches, so it's not the best for showing off what the stitcher can do. The comment I received from the judges was that the picture appeared too large for the frame & I should have used something to keep the fabric flat in the frame. Fair points on both counts.

Holiday reindeer pillow took home 2nd place

 This reindeer pillow is the same pillow that took 1st place in the NY State DAR competition this spring. I am happy it received recognition from 2 different organizations!

My "We Can Do It!" pillow took home a blue ribbon

 I am proud of both of my 1st place entries. The "We Can Do It!" poster from 1943 has become an iconic image. I even have a lunchbox that features the image. I adapted the poster to create this embroidery pattern & have stitched it a few times.

The redwork quilt below is another original design. The patterns are based on 5 portraits, one of my daughter & the others of her 4 cousins from their 1st birthdays. It is a wall hanging that, I think, my mother loves as much as I do.

Redwork quilt of my mom's grandchildren came in 1st place

It's (nearly) Fair Time!

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Summer means lots of things to lots of people, but I think many would agree that "The Fair" is a summer must. No matter where you live, fond memories of local county fairs abound.

For me & mine this means the Washington County Fair on Route 29 in Greenwich, NY. (The fair is technically in the Town of Easton, but as Easton has no post office, or even one, unified zip code, the address says Greenwich. Bear with me, the historian in me is coming out. Let me switch gears again.) It is, arguably, the best county fair in NY State.

Anyway, Mom & I have decided to (gasp) enter some of our projects in the fair! Why had we not thought of this before? Mom has been quilting for nearly 20 years & she used to win awards for her clothes when she was in 4-H. The quilt divisions tend to be pretty competitive, but Mom did get 3rd place in the NY State DAR competition!

The needlework/embroidery/cross-stitch divisions tend to be a bit more open. I have quite a few pieces that fit into the categories. Plus, two more projects I need to complete before the middle of August. All told, we are submitted 6 items each!

portrait of Fiona in progress- based on a selfie

Oh, & Mom has a new blog! Check it out here...