finding cain

Embroidery is nowhere near forgotten, and in fact, it's experiencing something of a resurgence as artists around the globe are putting their own unique spins on the craft. Indonesia's Irene Saputra is one of them, and more than 45,000 people on Instagram already follow her.  Handmade from colorful threads stitched onto fabric, Irene's embroideries begin as original illustrations. What I really like about her stitched pieces is that some of them are meant to be worn. Look at an array of her handiwork!

I'm a big fan of free embroidery artist Tina Crawford . Ever since I saw Freak Show Dolls (pictured above), I have sought to keep abreast of her work. The London-based stitcher captures her subjects by sewing their impressions on textiles, paper, and even food packaging. "The sewing machine makes me come alive," she says. "The fluidity, the speed, the risk – it's an incredible instrument that I found by chance to keep me sane and is now an extension of my hands." Because today is the 35th anniversary of Studio Ghibli, here's a video of Tina drawing Totoro with her mighty sewing machine. pic.twitter.com/VQuT7vHpAm — Tina Crawford (@Tobyboo) June 15, 2020

Using Instagram, Russian artist Vera Shimunia has built a following around the landscape designs she creates onto palm-sized embroidery hoops. Each piece is delicately handcrafted and most of her illustrations are rendered in evocative, vibrant colors. Vera is a self-taught fiber artist; and she refers to herself as a needle painter. Look at these images: they're so intricate, you'd think they're actually paintings. Be sure to check her IG to see more of her work and even get her tips on how to create these things. Which needlework do you find the most impressive?