For Carol Maberly, embroidery is a mindful way to reflect on the Taoist wisdom of Lao Tzu.
My first foray into embroidery began in Year 7 at school, thanks to a very enthusiastic sewing teacher who taught us all the basic stitches via a “boring” sampler. I took those skills and in the early 1970s embroidered my flared denim jeans with peace symbols, and rainbows. Since then I have scoured books, attended classes and followed blogs on embroidery
This book came about organically due to the convergence of two things – needing something to keep my hands busy, and discovering Lao Tzu’s writings. As I read his verses, I found I kept mulling over the words, trying to understand what they meant, and reading them in various translations. A Melbourne winter means a lot more spare indoor time, and I used that time to embroider the words onto a piece of linen. From there it was a short step to embellishing it with embroidery and appliqué.
I found the experience very cathartic, trying to understand what his words meant and how I could express them through embroidery. It was a peaceful, meditative experience.
The process took me five months: around 300-350 hours. Either stitching in silent meditation or listening to audiobooks.
All the fabrics and threads were from my stash, which has mostly come from op shop finds, or donations from friends. I found a discarded tiny piece of naturally dyed green wool fleece at the Bendigo Wool and sheep show, that worked as trees and bushes.
The book uses basic stitches: stem, chain, buttonhole and French knots. For the shading and the lettering, I used a single strand of DMC cotton in a split stitch. Part of the meditative aspect of this work was thinking about the words and how I could best visually express them with the embroidery. For example, where the text speaks of a wheel and spokes, I tried to make most of the imagery in a circular fashion.
I had not planned on doing anything with the book, other than to take it out and look at it. But I have enjoyed sharing it with others, and hearing how they relate to Lao Tzu’s words, and what it means in their lives. I love how everyone feels and understands something different.
I am still feeling the emotional and peaceful benefits of making this book, so I am not ready to override these feelings by starting another book. Instead, I am working on some minor embroidery ideas, around the visible mending of clothes.
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