With the fabric secured tightly between the two plastic hoops, Brianna Henry stares at the circle.
It’s how she starts every embroidery project because, with endless options, her creations are limitless.
“A lot of my designs are inspired by the particular fabric I use, or the colours I’m inspired by. Sometimes, I sketch an idea out on the fabric and it goes OK,” she said with a chuckle.
She enjoys creating wreaths and bouquets by layering threads and designs
Brianna Henry, 27, started embroidery three years ago as a way to relax and unwind. Since then, she’s started a small business selling her designs. – Millicent Mckay
When Henry first started her embroidery hobby about three years ago, she was looking for something to do creatively with her hands. One night while her husband was out, she asked him to pick up some supplies.
“I bought a couple of patterns online. Soon, I was doing it constantly. And while I was really enjoying it, I wasn’t very good. I’d never stitched anything before,” said the 27-year-old.
“It takes patience and practice. You really need to be devoted to it to get better.”
Soon, she was reading through a book of stitches, detailing the different types and techniques.
It’s a slow art, she said; it’s not something a person can pick up and finish within an hour.
“The first pieces I started were floral bouquets. I basically would rough outline and then fill it in as I went. I’d work with different colours of threads and details.”
Brianna Henry creates texture in her embroidery pieces by using different thicknesses of thread, colours, and stitches. – Millicent Mckay
As she continued to hone her craft, people would tell her that her embroidery pieces were beautiful and that she should consider selling them.
“I was asked to recreate a bridal bouquet for a wedding commission. Monograms as well. You can customize each creation. It makes a good keepsake, even hanging decorations in a newborn’s room.”
But selling her work didn’t come immediately.
“I was nervous to put anything out. People said they were good, but I wasn’t sure they were good enough.”
Another Island maker asked her if she ever considered entering an Etsy pop-up or starting her own Etsy store. That interaction helped her gain more confidence to start a business, Hoop and Holler.
Brianna Henry works on an embroidery piece at the P.E.I. Fox Den, an artisan shop located just outside of Summerside, where her pieces are available for sale. – Millicent Mckay
Of all of the embroidery she creates, Henry said likes the different wreathes she can make by designing flower patterns and bouquets.
“It’s all about layering. I love the texture in pieces I can create by using different thicknesses of thread. It’s always fun. Every piece depends on what works for you and what works for the piece.”
The practice of embroidering is relaxing, she said.
“Any craft where you can use your hands, focus on it, but then still have the opportunity to have the tv going or listen to music while you work… there’s nothing better than embroidering while you’re under a cozy blanket with a cup of tea by you and a movie on.”
She said she’d like to start working on more personalized pieces, a trend that she’s seeing among makers.
“I feel like embroidered flowers and greenery are always going to be popular. But I’ve seen lately people are using thread to paint a picture rather than use traditional stitches. People are getting portraits made or even pet portraiture. So, a piece of thread will have six individual strands, and then an artist will use those six strands to start the project. Adding a more authentic texture to what the picture is of.”
Getting started
Get a hoop
Pick a material (not too thick) and thread.
Secure fabric in the embroidery hoop.
Using a pen or other writing utensil, sketch a pattern on the fabric lightly; this will act as a guide for the pattern.
Depending on the design, there could be several stitches used to fill in the design (running stitch, whip stitch, fishbone stitch, woven wheel, etc.)
Once finished, Henry adds another fabric to the hoops acting as a backing.
The process
Brianna Henry, 27, started embroidery three years ago as a way to relax and unwind. Since then, she’s started a small business selling her designs. – Millicent Mckay
When Henry is finishing a project, she prefers to finalize the creation in a wooden hoop.
“They’re really simple and pretty and compliment the projects compared to the bright-coloured, plastic ones. But when I’m in the process of making something, I prefer the plastic ones, because they can hold the fabric really snug, and that’s what you want.”
The hoop must be snug and tight against the fabric to make sure the material doesn’t crease, which can make the process harder and impact the designs, she said.
“I prefer to use cotton or linen because it isn’t super thick. When the fabric is thick, it will be harder to stitch. I typically use quilters cotton and D.M.C. embroidery thread.
“As for needles, get some that are big enough so you can thread the needle, but one that’s not too big that it will leave visible holes in the fabric. I also keep a pair of small, sheer scissors.”
For someone who wants to start an embroidery project but doesn’t have the materials, there are many local Canadian artists that can supply them with the materials, pdfs, and kits.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of kits become available to people wanting to give it a try. I think it (and other hobbies like this) are being sold a lot more and becoming more popular because people are looking for a way to relax.
“And it’s an awesome craft because it’s portable. You can do it where ever you want.”
She said those looking to try a new hobby, including embroidery, shouldn’t be a perfectionist.
“If I could go back and tell myself anything, it would be just that, not to be such a perfectionist. Just have fun and be creative. Don’t be so concerned about the end result. Make it about the process and get enjoyment out of it. Use it as a way to relax or learn.”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
