"Yarn Bombing" Embroidery

Urban environments aren't fun, to put it bluntly. When I think "urban", I think of a sense of dullness, like grey buildings, and concrete. Likewise, when you think of graffiti, you default to the negative connotations - whether it's violence, gangs, or simply recognition of it being vandalism. Then, I discovered "yarn bombing".

Yarn bombing, simply put, is knitted graffiti. Originating from Texas, it all began when Magda Sayeg knitted a cosy for the doorknob of her boutique, and people loved it. She formed a group called Knitta Please, and they collectively worked together to tag parts of town, from trees, to lampposts, an even a bus or two. The term "yarn bombing" may not be entirely accurate, since many of these displays are commissioned art installations now, but they definitely resemble graffiti in a warmer, more whimsical way. 

I chose to try to replicate the look of yarn bombing through embroidery - it would create a similar look, but without the legality issues, and would generally be quicker. I went out and took a photo of a signpost, printed it as a transfer, and transferred it to some fabric so I could begin to embroider. I took two different approaches, reflecting on pictures I'd found. One of my ideas was based upon the random patterns and stripes, and the other related to adding a "character" into the scene. I didn't plan out my designs beforehand. I prefer how my "character" (an embroidered snake on a tree) turned out. Personally, I think it looks cuter and has more character than the mishmash on the lampost.

My embroidery work isn't the neatest, which impacts how much I like the outcome. I know I need more practise with embroidery for the results to look successful, but I don't think my fabric helped. I repurposed an old t-shirt for it, and the material had some stretch, which made embroidering the designs harder than I already found it.

Overall, I still really like the concept of imitating yarn bombing using transfers and embroidery. My execution just wasn't too great this time. It could be interesting to revisit the concept at some point, trying again with more a more suitable material.