BY CARLA SINCLAIR
Six years ago, embroidery was still stuck in create her own patterns, such as a girl skull, tiki
the granny section of the craft world, under head, sleek cat, hula dancer, cherries, and an
the same roof that housed lace doilies, electric guitar. She also created her own line of
crocheted tea cozies, and needlepoint roses. Then hip embroidery kits called Sublime Stitching,
along came spunky Jenny Hart, with her stitched which contain original patterns, floss, a hoop, and
celebrity portraits, pin-up girls, and pink-flossed instructions, including a few of her own invented
skulls, and a new wave of embroiderers was born. stitches. “I like to invent stitches and give them
Hart, a 30-something who lives in Austin, grew up funny names, and they’re often derivative of other
reading underground comics, enjoying the illustra- stitches that are really basic.” Some of her original
tions as much as the stories. “It was this interest stitch names include the Bamboo Stitch, the
in illustration that was the driving force behind me Twinkle Stitch, and the Scalloping Chain.
getting into embroidery.” She’s even got her own way of tying things up.
Embroidery depends on illustrations, she explains, “There’s a technique I use for making a knot at the
and this is what makes it different from something back when you’re finished that my students [Hart
like knitting. “That’s why it appeals to me so much.” teaches embroidery workshops in New York] were
Before Hart became a rock star in the world of calling my ‘Secret Knot,’ which I thought was funny.”
floss and hoops, she was an exhibition coordinator Although Sublime Stitching is “overwhelmingly
assistant, helping to hang lights and install shows. successful” (thanks in part to Plaid/Bucilla, a
“Then I had the incredible good fortune of being major craft manufacturer who recently picked up
laid off. I was elated. I thought, ‘ This means my her kits, which means Sublime Stitching can now be
dream can come true.’” found in Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the like), she’s
Hart wasted no time diving into her craft. After her only just scratched the surface of what she wants
first embroidery project — a portrait of her mother to do. “I’ve always wanted to see embroidery not
— “I got totally addicted to it. I had to be embroidering just in nontraditional subject matter, but also with
something every day for the next 3 or 4 years.” From nontraditional materials.”
family portraits, she made the jump to pop stars, who For instance, she embroidered a screen door,
include Marianne Faithfull, Dolly Parton, and Iggy Pop. using bright green and yellow glow-in-the-dark
Many portraits later, Hart decided to try decora- 6-strand floss, which she doubled over to give it
tive embroidery, but was disappointed in the tired
patterns and outdated instructions that were
“My interpretation of the mythic, Mexican weeping
available. It was all too rigid and uptight. woman — as a chola with a tattooed tear and her cry
Instead of dropping the craft, she decided to of ‘Donda está mi hijo’ tattooed on her forearm.”
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