Sometime during last year's 365 project, I had this idea that I should try embroidering to music. Not listening to music while I embroider, which I do often, but actually using a song or songs to influence the embroidered piece. I can't remember who the artist was, but I remember reading about a painter who used to do this. He (I think it was a he) would pick a piece of music and paint to the music. I can't remember the details of his process, but I remember being intrigued by the idea. I didn't end of doing it last year, although I did make a few pieces inspired by songs or musicians.
I decided to try it out this week. I picked seven songs, although the original list changed slightly, and I didn't pick the seventh song until today. I decided to focus on some of my favorite songs for this attempt. I didn't set any parameters for myself except that I had to embroider for at least the length of the song, but I could listen to it as many times as I wanted while completing the stitch journal entry. I didn't necessarily focus on the lyrics or narrative of the song. I did for a few of them, but for others, I focused on the vibe of the song or the emotions I feel when I listen to it.
This was way more fun than I thought it was going to be. Often, I found myself focusing on the pace of the music as I stitched. This was particularly true for "Jubilee Street" and "Dancing Barefoot." Both songs have really powerful builds within the music and I found myself stitching faster each time I listened to the song during those moments and then slowing down again when I restarted the song or the tempo changed again. I also noticed my stitch length was different if a song was faster or higher energy. I also found myself embroidering much larger sections of the fabric, like I was responding to the vastness of music or parts of the narrative. "Where Are We Now?" is a good example of this; I was trying to mimic traveling by train and the feeling a person has when watching what passes by.
I definitely want to do this again, but I'd like to pick songs I either don't know or don't listen to with any frequency. It would be a completely different experience in the best way possible. Any song suggestions?
Here's this week's recap. I'm linking to a version of the song on YouTube for each one. With the exception of "You Can't Stop the Beat," this is the same version I listened to while I was embroidering.
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| June 12: Where Are We Now? by David Bowie (back and straight stitches) - this is from the second to last album Bowie recorded. The song was released with no notice like it was just dropped into our lives like magic. This is one of my favorite later Bowie songs and it makes me think of traveling and the things that pass by when you look out the window of a train or a car. |
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| June 13: "The Fall" by Electric Light Orchestra (stem and straight stitches)- this song was featured on the ELO side of the soundtrack to the 1980 cult classic Xanadu. This is one of my favorite movies and I will legit fight people about how great this movie is. It was way ahead of its time and people need to appreciate for the weird thing it is. The soundtrack features songs by both Olivia Newton-John and ELO. This is my favorite of the ELO songs; it's basically a break-up song. The scene in the movie is unintentionally funny and the song is perfect for its purpose. |
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June 14: "I Bet on Losing Dogs" by Mitski (back stitch) - I "discovered" Mitski early in the pandemic because of the movie Hearts Beat Loud (highly recommend). One of her other songs is featured on the soundtrack and I immediately bought the album it's on and it quickly became my most listened to album of my pandemic music moods (Fleetwood Mac's Rumors was the album I listened to most in the early part of the pandemic). Anyway, I love Mitski and I love this song. It makes me thinks of big sighs and unrequited love. It's such an upbeat, but lonely song. I don't know how she does it.
This song was the shortest song at 2:50; I listened to it nine times while embroidering. |
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June 15: "Dancing Barefoot" by Patti Smith (back stitch) - I love a lot of Patti Smith songs, but this one gets stuck in my head the most after "Ghost Dance." The motion of the song is what inspired this entry; the song is constantly moving and spiraling. The lyrics reflect that feeling too. Smith's songs are all poems. This one is one of my favorites.
I don't know if it's true or not, but the subject of the song is supposed to be Jeanne Hebuterne. Hebuterne was and artist and the common law wife of the painter Modigliani. I read somewhere that Patti Smith wrote this song for women like Hebuterne who were consumed by love to the point that it takes over, which is very evident in the lyrics. |
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| June 16: "Jubilee Street" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (back, straight, and satin stitches, French knots) - I remember the first time I heard this song. I immediately had to listen to it again. And again. And again. I think I listened to it six times in a row. Like a lot of Nick Cave songs, it's an odd narrative that sort of meanders and could be about a lot of things. The girl named Bee always sticks in my head; I imagine her living in the man's head and buzzing around since he's guilty of something or regrets something related to Bee. So I stitched a bee and then meandering lines that are meant to follow the narrator around. This was the longest song I picked. I listened to it four times while making this piece. |
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June 17: "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the musical Hairspray (straight stitch and a whipped stitch). I went up to Baltimore yesterday to see the touring company production of this musical. I love Hairspray; the original 1988 movie is one of my favorite movies and the musical and the movie adaptation are wonderful, although I dislike John Travolta as Edna, but the rest of the movie is great. James Marsden should be in more musicals. Anyway, I love this song. It closes the show and it so joyful and wonderful.
The link I included is to a version of the song that was recorded by members of various casts of the show, as well as musicians and other performers to benefit the Actor's Fund during the pandemic. This is one of my favorite versions of this song. |
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| June 18: "Dreams" by The Cranberries (stem stitch and French knots). I had a different song picked out for today, but heard "Dreams" on the radio while I was driving home from early voting. Dreams always make me think of the color blue (no idea why) so today's focus was on a color rather than anything else. I also ended up flipping my hoop upside down. I haven't done this before with this particular hoop stand and it was great. The top photo is from when I was actively embroidering and the bottom photo is once I flipped the hoop back. It's fun. |
WIP: I started working on the second abstract piece for my From the Back series. This one features parts of a drawing I did a few weeks ago. I may use the full drawing for the third abstract. I'm using back and split stitch on this piece. More to come!
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| Currently in progresss |
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| Original drawing |
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| I used hoops to map out the lines of the design. |
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| On the fabric |
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