Keukenhof Gardens: Inspiration and Interpretation.

Bev Malcolm is also a member of the Broiderers Group of Guelph.  Bev and her husband visited the Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands while on a tour.  They liked it so well they went back on their own and spent a day there.  It was such a good memory that Bev wanted to record it in stitching in order to enjoy it more permanently.

Bev took her inspiration from a photo her husband took of the gardens..  She used the techniques from Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers specifically Tulips and Muscari.

The embroidery is 8″ square.  The stitching is dense and it took her several months to complete.  Though if one stitches at our meetings only, it will inevitably take awhile to complete anything.  The fabric was mounted on a rectangular frame with a tight tension.  Despite the density of stitching, there was no puckering and it did not have to be stretched before being framed.

Her embroidery gives a good sense of the glory of the mass of spring colour in the Kukenhoff Gardens.  There is a picture of the original at the end of this posting where you will note that her embroidery is an interpretation and not, an exact copy.

I want to take a moment to talk about inspiration. Most of us start stitching with a kit.  Whatever it’s source, online, a store or a garage sale, it connects with our imaginations and urge to be creative.   A good quality kit is expensive.  By this, I mean that the designer knows how to stitch and the design is appropriate and stitchable, the directions are clearly written and the fabric and threads are of good quality.  You will enjoy working with this product and the result will please you.  Not all kits fit into these specifications.  This is an excellent way to learn how to embroider.

When experience and abilities have developed, we move on to trying an embroidery that is more personal.  It may not be an original but an ‘inspiration’ triggers a creative urge.  This is what happened for Bev.  The memory and visual experience of the Kukenhoff Gardens motivated her to stitch her memory.

It was not a ‘copy’; it is an interpretation using needle and thread.

Here is her Inspiration.  Go back and compare it with her interpretation.

Thank you Bev for your inspiration and for sharing it with us.