This semester, for our Technology and Innovation in Education course, we will work on a free inquiry project. When I knew about our project, I thought my inquiry should be related to crafts. I like crafts, I think crafts help me to connect to myself and to relax.
I have seen lovely embroidery projects on Pinterest, and my interest in learning how to embroider has grown. Then, I think our free inquiry project is a great opportunity to try something new.
If you have not heard about embroidery, according to Wikipedia, embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn.
Photo by Gio Gix on unsplash.com 
Photo by Lucas Mendes on unsplash.com 
Photo by Magdaline Jhon on unsplash.comPhoto by Lucas Mendes via unsplash.com
My goal is to finish a project like any of the ones above and document the process, but we will see where my journey takes me.
I have compiled a list of pros and cons:
Pros:
- I like crafts
- The materials are easy to find and budget-friendly
- I will learn something new
- It will be a time to connect with my inner artist😉
Cons:
- I do not know anything about embroidery
- My final project might turn out to be too ambitious
- It can be time-consuming (embroidery+school+work)
- If I run out of time, I might not enjoy the process
As you can see, there are important cons to consider, but if I set aside one hour or two per week, I think it will be manageable.
I am happy to share my embroidery journey with you. I wonder if you knew about embroidery? Have you ever tried? What do you think I should embroider as a final project, any suggestions?
P.S. Here is a video about embroidery:
Until next time,
R.
Hello, Reyna.
So you did go with embroidery after all! I don’t think you should worry about how expansive the project is; remember our instructor telling of a previous student who chose to teach themselves to build a table? They didn’t finish either by term end either; this inquiry isn’t about having a finished product, but rather the documentation of your learning process.
My mother did embroidery; she used to make a large Christmas stocking for all her friends’ and relatives’ children, fully covered in stiching. I don’t recommend you try a project like that, however–it took her months and months to finish one of those!
Didn’t Shruti, our art instructor from last term, say she did some embroidery? You might want to send her an e-mail and see if you can get some tips from her, or if she can point you to interesting patterns or designs. You should definitely pick a design that interests you, since you’ll be staring at it for a long time.
I like how you laid out the pros and cons; it’s clear and easy to find. The tryptic of example images is beautifully laid out as well, offering nice variety within a compact area.
It’s a minor thing, but since you quoted the Wikipedia definition of embroidery, would it have been convenient for the browser interested in learning more to hyperlink the definition to the actual article?
Take care,
– Emmanuel
Thanks Emmanuel! Your mom’s Christmas stockings sound lovely. Thank you for suggesting emailing Shruti, I will surely email her. The Wikipedia link is a great idea, I just added it.
Thanks again,
Reyna
Hi Reyna,
I also love crafts so I’m excited to see you picked something crafty. I don’t have any experience with embroidery so I look forward to learning a bit about it through your inquiry.
I would just like to encourage you by saying that inquiry is not a linear process. Maybe you will spend your time learning little bits and pieces and maybe you will finish with a big elaborate project. It is fun to have lots of freedom and you can let embroidery take you wherever it does.
A suggestion would be that once you get the basics of embroidery, work on your projects while watching a TV show or a movie. I used to do that when I would sew and it made the time feel less like a project and more like a fun hobby. Most people easily find time to watch TV so if you combine that time with embroidery it will be easier to dedicate the time to your projects.
Also it may be weird but I really like that human heart embroidery. I think combining science and art is really cool so that one appeals to me.
-Kasey
Thanks for the suggestions, Kasey 🙂 I agreed the heart looks super cool!