“Embroidery should not only be beautiful to look at, but serve a functional purpose”

Afirm believer in seeing both the pretty and the practical of embroidery in equal measure, Dhara Shah (owner of popular Instagram account @chain_stitch) has just released her first book, The Embroidery Handbook, helping others to achieve the same in their stitching. Here, we go behind the threads with one of the book’s projects.

How does this jacket reflect your style?

I feel that embroidery should not only be beautiful to look at, but should serve a functional purpose. I grew up seeing it regularly used in apparel and household items, and for me that is a wonderful way to add handmade beauty to your daily life.

Did designing with a book in mind change your approach to the process?

Definitely! If I were to make a standalone pattern, it would span more than 20 pages with photos for just about every stitch. I didn’t have that liberty while working on a book. So, the instructions had to be limited to 4-5 pages, yet still be lucid enough for beginners to follow. The whole process really forced me to be economical with my words. Also, the projects needed to complement each other while fulfilling different aims. Some focused on really fine stitches while others, like this jacket, made use of as many textural stitches as possible.

Which stitches did you use, and why?

This jacket was my way of saying ‘play with your patterns, don’t take them too seriously!’ They should serve as a guideline, a boundary within which you allow yourself to experiment. I wanted to take a really simple pattern, just circles of different sizes, and give it a sophisticated twist with various stitches and shades of blue. Towards the end, I’d used a wide variety of stitches to highlight different textures. There’s a mix of really simple stitches like running stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch and backstitch, and then some more complex ones like French knots, stem stitch roses and woven wheel roses.

How did you pick the colours?

I wanted to explore all the shades of a single colour. I could have gone with any colour and the results still would have been interesting. However, blue on blue (denim) is so eye-catching, and the circular shapes create a feeling of water bubbles – the blue works in that respect, too. I love how the different shades of blue come together across all the textures.

DHARA SHAH

Dhara is an embroidery artist and author living in Poland. She makes original embroidered hoops, patterns, bags, quilts and apparel, and has just released %"/ /01 - 11"/+ +! 01&1 % $2&!" ,,(

The Embroidery Handbook. @chain_stitch