3rd Place, The Exemplary Challenge

Stitching to the Moon is a whimsical piece inspired by the DreamWorks logo. The stitching figure is worked in mostly embroidery stitches, and the fabric on which the girl is working is an actual real piece of fabric. The moon is studded with various attachments such as sequins, flat backs, paillettes, and beads. In addition, a few stitches that can stand on their own—like Smyrnas, four-way Continental, and Diamond Cross are used to fill the moon. I also used various star shapes, some found in books and online, and some of my own device.

This piece is intended as a small celebration of embroidery and the embroiderer. This is my first time ever working on black canvas, and yes, I have heard all the horror stories. But there are very few counted techniques, and exact precision was not necessary in most places.

My intention was to stitch a large star at the upper point of the crescent moon, but I couldn’t locate the chart I sought, and finally realized that the earrings I was wearing were the perfect enhancement for the piece. And so, I sacrificed the earrings “for the sake of art.’