Stitcher Profile: Waterrose

I'm a long time admirer of the work of Waterrose. Her intricately detailed and often mixed media pieces draw me into her artistic, dreamy world. She's sure to inspire you as well. Enjoy this short interview and be sure to stop by her blog to say hi.

Bari: Can you tell us a little about how you started embroidering?  

Rose: My mom taught me how to embroider and she was taught by her mother who was from Ireland. One summer day she handed me a small basket with a piece of linen, some embroidery floss, needles and a small pair of blunt end scissors. We sat together on our back porch and she began teaching me, starting with the straight stitch.  She was left handed so some stitches took a lot of patience for me to "get" it.  Especially French knots. But as the summer passed I was able to do most of the basic stitches. Once I got into high school nothing was safe from my needle and I made the coolest design on the back of my jean jacket and bell bottoms. I wish I still had those!

It wasn't until about six years ago that I began to focus on embroidery again. As I sat and stitched it reminded me of my mom and those summers...it was a wonderful feeling. Prior to picking up embroidery again I designed and made quilts.

Bari: I’m  crazy for your artful cuffs. Do you free stitch them or draw your lines first?

Rose: Thank you so much!  80% of the time it is all freehand work. It's difficult to draw on wool, so it either comes out right or it doesn't. Recently I've been drawing my designs in illustrator just to have a reference to go by as I stitch. For my art pieces I generally print out my design, tape it to my window, tape the fabric over that and then lightly draw pencil lines for my design. Although, as I'm stitching I generally change or add to the design.

Bari: What is your favorite way to use embroidery?

Rose: That is a difficult question. My favorite way to use embroidery is mood dependent. Recently I designed a calendar and I really enjoyed that, but now I'm itching to work on some cuffs.  I'm also getting ready to add two new mediums to my designs and I can't wait until I can get to those...  It will be a little while longer since I have to finish some classes....lol

Bari: Can you tell us a bit about this 3d piece: Fiber Art Hand Embroidery Invention Art Umbrella Man? He’s so incredibly unique and detailed... and looks very labor intensive.

Rose: I use to manage a small intellectual property law office. During that time I saw a lot of designs and "art."  Not long ago I also discovered Stumpwork embroidery. I love how it looks, but it seemed that much of it was done with flowers and garden themes. It is all beautiful, but I wanted to use it differently. I then had an aha moment as I was researching something else. That's when my "Umbrella Man" came to life. I have another piece that I'm creating but it has taken a back seat to some other new designs. 

Umbrella Man took me a long time to create. Each piece of the "fabric" for his clothing I hand wove. Very tiny stitches with a lot of different types of thread so that I could create different textures for each garment. The umbrella was a challenge and a lot of fun to create. When you look up under the umbrella you can see the copper skeleton holding the fabric.

I really didn't track my hours, but I spent time almost every day for a couple of weeks working on this piece.  I had a vision for the frame, but no metal working skills. I enlisted the help of my husband to create the frame and he did such a wonderful job.  He also added his own vision and I fell in love with what he created.

Bari: Do you have a certain time of day or a certain place you like to stitch in?

Rose: I generally stitch in the afternoon or evening. I love taking a break in the afternoon with a cup of tea, listening to a book or music and stitching. And, in the evening as I watch some of my favorite shows. If the weather is nice I like to just sit on my patio and enjoy the day.  We also do a lot of off-roading and many of the places we go is quite a distance away so I stitch as he drives.

Bari:  Any favorite materials or tools? Flosses?

Rose: No material, tools or floss is safe! I really love stitching on wool since it is so soft and easy to get a needle through, as is felt. I still use a lot of DMC thread, but have ventured into silk and hand dyed thread from a local needlework shop.

Bari: Do you teach or have any upcoming events?

Rose: I haven't taught any classes yet. I also own a business outside of my creative endeavors which keeps me busy and requires focus. However, since designing my new calendar, which is a kit for others to complete, I hope to begin a workshop online and at a needlework shop.

Bari: Where can we see more of your work/buy it?

Rose: RIght now my work can be found on my blog, or in my Etsy shop. I plan to do some art shows next fall.

http://waterrosez.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Waterrose

Thanks so much for featuring my work on your blog!