Passionflower - Embroidered Linocut

"The real work of this life is not what we do every day from 9-5…
The real work is to be passionate, be holy, be wild, be irreverent,
to laugh and cry until you awaken the sleeping spirits,
until the ground of your being cleaves
and the universe comes flooding in."

— Geneen Roth

INSPIRATION

When I told George (hubby) the Weavers Guild asked me to have a solo exhibition that included embroidered pieces, the first thing out of his mouth was, "How about a Passionflower?".  The thread-like flower was the absolutely perfect subject to portray with embroidery.  Just the thought of how cool it would be pushed me to say yes to doing the show.  It also happened to be blooming right at that time and I was able to go into the backyard to take reference photos.  The flower is so stunning that one hardly notices the plant has really beautifully shaped leaves.

SKETCH

When composing the sketch I had to balance four elements: the flower, the leaves, the fruit and the tendrils.  I spent a lot of time fussing with the tendrils.  I also had to figure out what would be printed and what would be embroidered.  I planned to print everything in green except the sepals/petals of the flower, which I would cut out and print in pale purple.  As you can see in the photo above, the thin filaments of the flower actually "sit" on the sepals/petals.  And that is the part I planned to embroider.

TRANSFER

Here you can see the sketch has been transferred to the carving block.  It is always a good idea to either print out the reverse image for reference while carving (or flip the sketch over if done on translucent sketch paper). 

CARVING

When I was carving this piece in December, it was so cold outside I moved everything into the middle storage room in the basement where it was warmer.  Otus kept a close eye on my work.

The flower was the first element I cut out.  My plan was to print everything at the same time...so I would ink the plate green and ink the flower in purple and carefully lay it back in.  I had never done this puzzle-piece kind of printing before and was a excited to try it.

After carving all the interior details I cut the excess plate away from the leaves.  I love how the plate looks before printing.

TEST PRINT

Before printing with "real" ink I like to pull a quick test print using a stamp pad.  This helps me check to see if I need to make corrections before printing with the oil-based ink, which is harder to clean up.  Here is a video of that step.

Seeing the test print I noticed that I missed carving the lines of bottom-most leaf.  Sometimes you can only see these things once they are printed!

PRINTING

In this video you can see me inking both the green leaves and lavender flower and then placing them together for printing.  I then laid the paper down and burnished.  You can't tell in the video, but I freaked out a little on the inside when the flower came up with the print!  Luckily I was able to just peel it off and the print was OK.

Oooh, I love a photo of wet ink on a plate!

And here is the print, ready for embroidery.

EMBROIDERY PLANNING

I have found the best way to sew into paper is to plan ahead.  This means scanning the print into the computer and planning each hole in Illustrator.  It was particularly important for this piece as I wanted the flower to have the radiating lines be equally spaced.  And I wanted the lines to be shorter on top than on bottom to give the illusion of fore-shortening.  

I also had to make sure the holes wouldn't be too close together or the paper would tear.  I literally printed this out on paper five or six times and decided the holes were too close together.  Each time I had to go in and re-make the lines...I wanted to tear my hair out by the end!  

You will understand after watching this video.

PUNCHING HOLES

Below you can see I printed out my planned lines and holes onto a transparency so I would know where to hammer the holes.  You can also see flower lines in the background that were too close together.  I didn't want to waste transparencies so I kept lessening the number of lines and trying again on the same transparency.

GROMMET

I don't know why, but I love grommets.  When I was first starting to think about this piece I knew I wanted embroidery radiating from a central hole and that hole would need support.  A grommet was the perfect solution!  I thought I was going to use a metal grommet.  I even bought metal grommets with that intention.  But as I went along I realized that maybe a metal grommet would rust over time.  So I started researching plastic grommets.  

The problem with plastic grommets is they only sell the squeeze hand tool that won't reach very far into a piece of paper.  I ended up using my metal grommet die mandrel with the plastic grommets.  As you will see in the video, it didn't work perfectly, but it got the job done.  I ended up making tiny slices into the plastic grommet with an X-acto blade to help it flatten. It was a balance between hammering hard enough to connect the front and back, and being careful not to crack the plastic grommet. This video shows making the holes and attaching the grommet.

I think I made it look easier than it was in the video. I had to hammer A LOT and fairly hard. The risk of cracking the grommet or messing up the paper was high and I REALLY didn't want to ruin the print after punching all those holes (not to mention all the work printing!).

That is why I did a little dance when the grommet was set and paraded it around the house.

EMBROIDERY

It was very satisfying to start the embroidery and to watch as the flower formed.

FABRIC MARKER

My original idea for the pink filaments at the center was to use embroidery thread.  However, once I saw the span of the threads to cover the grommet I realized it would be too much pink.  I decided to use a fabric marker instead and this gave me more control.  Plus, if you look closely at the flower, the pink part looks kind of "dotted" and this was easier to achieve with the marker.

This video shows the sewing and coloring of the flower.  I spend a fair amount of time making these videos trying to get the music to match the activity.  I was super happy with the way this one turned out, so turn on your volume!

BEADWORK

I knew the reproductive parts of the flower were going to be the most challenging to make, and I bought a ton of different bead options.  Here is a diagram of the parts so you know what I am referring to.

When I saw these stone beads at Michaels I thought I could use the "tubes" as the tree-like styles.

However, the "tubes" were too long.  I tried cutting them with my Dremel tool but it was REALLY hard.  Finally I pulled out my thirty-year-old wet saw and it worked like a dream!

When I first made the anther "tree" I was so excited that I got it to "stand up" just using the tension of the thread.  I did have a giggle at how phallic it was.  But I was just following what the stigma and styles really looked like! 

It made me laugh (and cry) even harder when I tried to feed the "tree" through the center hole in the flower and it wouldn't fit!  I ended up "cutting my tree down" and had to sew the tree through the hole, which was not easy.

I studied the flower closely to decide which beads/stones to use and in this photo was trying to decide how to represent the anthers.  

I chose tiny gold stones for the anthers and decided to connect them with thread instead of a bead or wire because there was already a lot going on.

This video shows the beadwork process.  Something about the music in this one makes me laugh, so again, make sure your volume is on!

When I finished the beading I was so glad and breathed a big sigh of relief. The hardest part was over!  I remember taking this photo and then put it away in the flat files for safe-keeping.

...But then it occurred to me that I couldn't really call the piece finished because I hadn't painted the three fruits yet.  

WATERCOLOR  FRUIT RUINATION

I have hand-tinted my prints with watercolor a million times and it doesn't take me very long...so I thought I should finish the piece.  However, I chose a new paper for the embroidered prints, called Nepalese lotka paper, that I have never used before.  Just to be safe I did a little test on a piece of paper.  I was very happy with the color and even Photoshopped it into the print to make sure I liked it.  Yes, I did...so I proceeded.

I  started at the top left fruit and worked my way down.  It only took about thirty seconds to paint one fruit.  When I was on my third fruit I started to notice something out of the corner of my eye.  At first I couldn't understand it.  Why was there color where I hadn't painted yet?  Did I color outside the lines?  And then the sick realization came over me that the watercolor was BLEEDING...and not just a little bit!

It all happened so fast.  In less than a minute I had ruined the print I had worked on for weeks!  

In the above photo it only looks a little wrinkly where it bled.  But in real life there was a subtle, yet present yellow green color.

COLORED PENCIL FIX?

I was sick about it.  My mind raced to think of a solution.  At first I thought I could softly color in the background a light yellow green to cover up the bleed.  In this video you can see my desperate attempts to fix the problem.  Things got darker and darker on many levels.  I thought about calling the video, "From Beading to Bleeding" but chose the more optimistic title, "Bleeding, The Descent of Darkness, and Ruination."

In hindsight I should have realized the potential for bleeding after my color test on that scrap of paper.  I remember at the time thinking that my test circle had beautiful edges...edges that were created by bleed!  Anyway, I might have been a tad dramatic in my above video.  But at the time it felt terrible.  

When I look at it now it is not quite as bad as I thought.  But it certainly was not what I was going for.  So I decided to start over again.

STARTING AGAIN

This blog post is turning into a tome so I thought I would spare you the re-making of holes and grommets and start with the sewing.

The good thing about starting again is that I had a chance to make changes.  I thought the white thread of the flower was not impactful enough the first time around, so I changed the outer threads to purple.  

Above you can see the sewing progress and below the final print with new sewing.  I was happy with the purple thread.

NEW BEADS

I also decided that the stone beads were too heavy and thought I would try something new.

I bought lots of new "tube" options for the anthers and ended up choosing a delicate Dentalium bead.  I chose Dentalium because the shape starts very thin and expands bigger, like the actual styles do.  

I almost chose a Buddha as the central ovary, but in the end went with a lovely carved white Bohdi bead.  I don't think it is from a real Bhodi tree, but I liked the reference to the sacred fig tree. 

Below you can see I also chose tiny gold metal beads as the anthers this time around. I decided not to connect them with any thread because I liked the cleaner look and felt their presence was enough to represent the anthers.  Any self-respecting plant biologist should know what I was going for!

COLORED PENCIL FRUIT!

As you might imagine I was SUPER nervous to color in the fruit.  I did a gazillion tests of various media and ended up going with a combination of colored pencils and metallic crayons.  The metallic is very subtle, but I was pleased with the overall effect and so very thankful to finish the piece!

CHOP & SIGNATURE  

Because I am not a total sadist, I had put the chop stamp on the prints before making the holes, grommeting, sewing, beading, and fruit coloring.  Technically you are supposed to do this step at the very end as a stamp of approval.  But you also risk messing up the whole piece with a blurry or crooked stamp!

FINAL PRINT

Below is a photo of the finished piece.  

FRAMING

I really liked the natural wood of this frame with the purple of the passionflower.  And I will be offering these prints framed on the website.

SHOW

At the Weavers Guild show the "Passionflower" hung next to the "Teasel" print.  

When I was researching the passionflower to make the label for the show I, of course, came across the common reference to it as a saint's halo and association with the crucifixion of Christ.  But the flower was also known to native Americans before the arrival of the Spaniards.  There is a fascinating discussion of the role passionflower likely played in the lives of native Americans here that suggests that its calming opioid effects were well known and potentially used to open doorways to the supernatural.  The same author also fully explores its historic use as a symbol of homosexuality.  

But what I find most interesting about this flower is its call to us to explore our passion.  I actually remember seeing this flower for the first time.  We had moved into our house in Cincinnati and I was walking through  the backyard.  In the far end of the yard was a fence with a vintage wire trellis and when I turned the corner I saw a flower that stopped me in my tracks.  I had never seen anything like it before and could hardly believe that such a flower existed.  It looked like living purple fireworks with another fireworks coming out the middle...and it was alive!  

It is funny that I even recall that moment, but the plant really had quite an effect on me. I had no idea that twenty years later I would make an embroidered print of the flower and be writing a VERY long blog post about it.  But it sparked something in me that day.  It sparked a passion I didn't even know I had.  My love of the shape and form of plants was in its infancy, but it was certainly there...and the plant brought my full attention to it.  With it's radiant purple hair, coiled tendrils and trident leaves, the passionflower seduced me.  How fortuitous that, all those years ago, a plant with the name "Passionflower" lit some internal fireworks that have led me to my vocation as a botanical artist and seeker of the miraculous in the mundane.

And I would argue that we all have something that lights us up.  Yes, every single person has this thing we call passion.  We don't know it, but we are all walking around looking to be lit up.  I think it happens all the time.  This lighting doesn't have to be a lightning burst... it could be a little spark.  But we have to notice that scintilla and perhaps blow on those flames to keep them alive.  We may have to feed it some kindling and tend the flame with attention and care.  So I am always on the lookout.  I keep my eyes open for that flicker of interest...that sparkling tug of the heart.  Because that little tug has the potential to grow into our passion.  And when we find it, there is no doubt we will "shoot across the sky and let our colors burst."  It is my deepest wish for us all, because there is nothing else like seeing a soul on fire following their passion.  Happy Fourth of July!  

"Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

It's always been inside of you, you, you

And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe"

Singer
Katy Perry 

Songwriters

Esther Dean / Katheryn Hudson / Mikkel Storleer Eriksen / Sandy Julien Wilhelm / Tor Erik Hermansen

This print is now available at NessyPress.com.