By the Sea

          The sea has always enamored me: the continuous flow of the waves, shells that litter the sand, and its inhabitants moving about the water. God, the Creator of all things, by His word made the sea and creatures in it (Gn 1:6-7, 20-21). He commanded the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, great sea creatures according to their kind (1:20-21). God called it good, meaning excellent of its kind (BLB.org), with overtones of perfection. I wanted to capture the excellence of His sea-based animals using variations and repetitions of stitches such as the stem, back, cross, blanket, chain, and fly. 

Would you like to try stitched representations of the sea? Follow these steps:

1. Look through unsplash for images focusing on patterns. Feel free to choose one of the photos from my curated collection. (https://unsplash.com/collections/hb5KTZPLI-Y/ocean)
2. You don't have to select an animal. Coral, waves, sand, and fossilized urchins translate well into stitch.
3. When you decide on your selection, crop it down.
4. Squint your eyes. What patterns and shapes do you see in the image? 
5. Remember you want to capture a representation rather than replication.
6. Then, decide on what stitch would best translate the pattern and shape. 
7. The adaptability of the blanket stitch works very well with coral and other sea items. Consider other basic stitches, too.
8. Back your fabric with some a stabilizer that your needle can easily penetrate. I use a soft flannel; however, a needle will pass through gauze and muslin as well. I do not use a hoop. 
9. Work with a sharp, thin needle for ease and control.
10. Then, either draw your pattern freehand with a soluble pen like a FriXion, or sew through a pattern created on tracing paper. If you draw on your fabric with a white pen, check to see if you can remove completely on a separate piece of scrap. Sometimes, the markings leave a ghost line. 
11. I primarily stitch with eight, twelve, and fifty-weight threads. If you vary the weights in your piece, it provides dimension. 
12. Finally, start stitching. 

That's it! Experiment and let your imagination roam free. Please let me know how your sea stitch piece turned out in the comment section should you try your hand at it.

Sea Urchin (2022) -- Image by Petr Sidorov

Sea Tortoise (2022) -- Image from Abner abiu Castillo Diaz 

Jelly Fish (2023) Pouch pattern from Petal Plum by Ellie Beck -- Image by Jose Felipe

Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." (21) So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Gn 1:20-21 NKJV).