ART SEWN UP

For her artworks, Kirsten first sketches the image and colours she wants on paper. Then she scans the images into her computer, putting it through Stylista software. “Using the software, I select which stitches fill each section and the direction the stitches go. You can have 15 different needles threaded with 15 colours and you need to work out which colours go first as the colours layer over the top of each other, like a lino- cut print. It’s quite techy.” Similar to any baby, Baby the machine needs to be watched to make sure she stays out of trouble. “Some angles will make it cut out and I’ll need to re-thread it, so I can’t just walk away. “Again, depending on the design, about four hours after it starts, stitching at 850 stitches a minute, the artwork is done. That’s substantially quicker than the 60 or more hours most designs might take to hand- embroider.” stfabiola.co.nz