Machine embroidery is a fascinating technique – and the
creative possibilities are endless! Using a technique known as “thread
painting,” I create my miniature landscapes on a sewing machine,
which is my drawing tool. My embroideries begin with designs on
silk fabric, hand-painted and airbrushed using silk dyes. Next
come trees, foliage, and flowers, all created with two or three
basic stitches: the straight stitch, the whipstitch, and the ziz-zag
stitch. The silk dyes provide a lustrous background and the embroidery
threads add rich texture to each piece. (For more details on the
process, go to the Technique page.)
Whether you’re interested in taking a workshop or you’re
looking for a unique gift, you will find it here on my website.
For orders or commissions, please email me at eve@evebotelho.com or
call (585) 442-6114.
I’ve always had a fascination with creating
on fabric. As a child growing up in England, I spent weekends and
summer vacations visiting my grandmother, who was a milliner and
a dress designer. Her studio was in her home by the sea in a small
village on the English Channel, and I remember watching her as
she molded and created hats, in her own original patterns. After spending several years as a nurse, I
began my formal training in art. I spent a year at Mansfield College
of Art, where I took a foundation course, and then graduated from
Loughborough University in Leicestershire with a bachelor’s
degree textile design with an emphasis on embroidery. After moving to the United States with my
husband in the early 1980s, I began to experiment with fabric,
paints, and thread to create small landscapes. Soon, I began to
use threads as other artists use paint. My inspirations have been
the landscapes of England and my present home in the Finger Lakes
region of upstate New York. As I learned, I began to add dimension
to my work, as shown in the whimsical window scenes (See three
dimensional work on the gallery page). My series of bunny designs
began with requests for children’s pieces. As you can see,
I also have a great affection for rabbits! For 20 years now, I have sold my work at craft
shows and galleries and taught workshops throughout the United
States and Canada. I have enjoyed the enthusiasm of my students
and have gained much from them in the process of teaching – as
much as I hope they have gained from me. |
