We love ALL sorts of crafts here at 91, but we particularly love to see traditional crafts brought right up to date for the 21st century. We’ve focussed on weaving and cross-stitch on here before and today we want to highlight hoop embroidery and show that it is a super cool craft to have a go at, and not hugely difficult to learn either! We thought we’d pick out some of our favourite makers whose work has inspired us to grab a hoop, needle and thread and start stitching!
Image via Sew and Saunders
Sew and Saunders is one of our favourite UK based embroidery designers, with lots of her work inspired by current botanical trends. We love the simplicity of this leafy design, the use of one colour giving it a chic contemporary vibe.
Image via Miss Katiuska
It’s also the simplicity we love about Spain based maker Miss Katiuska‘s work and the use of a modern font in this particular example. Plus, we love the monochromatic palette with a dash of pastels thrown in. She also sells kits via her Etsy shop to get your started.
Image via Cinder and Honey
If bold, bright colour is more your bag, then these beautiful butterfly designs by Canadian Cinder and Honey are perfect. It is actually the PDF patterns that embroidery artist Caitlin, sells via her Etsy shop, so you can dive straight in and replicate these at home!
Megan Eckman of Studio MME started her business as she wanted to offer ‘approachable embroidery for modern stitchers’ – and her graphic designs inspired by landscapes and landmarks are certainly a far cry from chintzy florals and country cottage scenes our grandmothers might have stitched! She sells kits, pre printed fabrics and PDFs via her US based Etsy shop so you can easily stitch yourself a Rocky Mountain scene or the Statue of Liberty!
Image via 91 Magazine craft special. 
Megan in fact shared one of her fun projects in our Craft Special which published back in 2014. Follow her party animal pattern here.
image via Stephanie Lapre’s IG feed
Another US maker whose stitching makes us swoon is Stephanie Lapre. Again it’s the graphic and monochromatic designs that gives her work a contemporary edge. Her Etsy shop is currently closed while she restocks, but you can follow her lovely Instagram feed for updates.
Image via Sarah K Benning
It is American fibre artist Sarah K Benning who bucks the trend for simplicity through her beautifully intricate designs depicting mainly potted plants. The circular scenes are almost like mini paintings there is so much detail included. Sarah is now based in Menorca, Spain, and her Etsy shop is dedicated to a fun monthly subscription project where subscribers receive a new design each month to work on.
We love how so many of these embroidery artists are working to make their craft inclusive, offering patterns, kits and projects for keen stitchers to get involved with. Plus, it’s such an affordable craft – embroidery floss, a small piece of cotton and a hoop and off you go! We’d love to hear if you’ve given embroidery a go, or have got inspired by these lovely pieces of work.
