Amina tells us how stitching feeds her soul

Why do I make... why do I stitch?

First of all, why are simple questions like this so hard to answer? I got really puzzled when I was trying to find an explanation for my urge towards 'making', but on second thought, after I stopped searching for a nice reply and thought about it in a plain manner...sincerely, the answer is actually indeed simple.

I make because there is something that is pouring out of me and seeking to be expressed in a material form. It seeks to find a shape, colour, texture. To be seen and felt physically rather than stay a vague and obscure image in my mind.

There was no moment in my life where I sat at the table, took a pen and a piece of paper, made a list of pros and cons, and decided that stitching is the most suitable craft for me. There has never been a rational reason for that. In fact, if I were to choose a hobby, maybe I would rather do ribbon embroidery since it is easier, faster and more popular where I live.

My embroidery is more like a passion that grew from a little spark when I tried some stitches as an experiment and simply couldn't stop.

My journey had ups and downs. There was even a time where I had a sort of block against embroidery and was afraid to take a needle in my hands. But in the end, the yearning for stitching took over and a little nudge from one of the readers was enough to get me back on the track. If you are reading this, thank you again, Doris :)

What I find the most beautiful in embroidery is how it turns the plain surface of fabric into a piece of me. My embroidery is a reflection of my feelings, emotions, as well as interests and tastes. It's amazing how you can take something that sits inside of you and stitch by stitch pull it out to the light of the day.

Crafting is fascinating, really, and, in my mind, can be easily considered one of the wonders of this world.

As for my style... I'm still struggling to put it into words even though I do have a certain idea in my head and heart.

If you look at my designs you might notice that I have two main tendencies: florals and geometry. I'm not going to lie and say that I came up with it completely by myself. As a matter of fact, I was greatly influenced by tattoo and line art that I came across at one point on Pinterest. I don't know what this style means for the other artists, but as for me, the combination of these two themes – geometry and florals - struck a chord with me as a believer.

I'm muslim and I believe in God and admire all of His creations which are, in themselves, a combination of two things (well, in my simple mind, that is). You might have heard about a golden ratio, a certain proportion that everything in this world is subjected to. This is what I express in the geometrical part of my art. Order, precision, proportion. Florals, however, express the beauty of chaos and imperfection... They are not scaled or proportioned, they are not built upon a pattern and are not subjected to any rule. They just bloom from under my pen or pencil :)

To be honest, only about 10% of all of my ideas and images I have in my head get their final stitched form. Others stay in my notebook either as a very simplistic doodle or even just as a worded description of the image. But yeah... usually, I have to at least write it down, otherwise, my mind will have a fever, haha.

My blog is a space I started as a support for those who will like and want to stitch my designs. For example, I can't put a lot of details into a stitch description in my PDF pattern. At the same time, a place like this allows me to write whole essays on such topics! I have crash courses on french knots, bullion knots and stem stitch apart from my regular stitch lessons. It also allows me to share some tips, lifehacks, tutorials and my thoughts.

I believe that many of us experience the need to express ourselves through some kind of medium. Sometimes it is vital for soothing your mind and pleasing your soul. That's why there should be enough free educational material for you to manage at least the basics.

I started embroidery with some free resources and it was only logical to give back to this community and help others with the same passion. I do my best to help all the beginners to make their first steps and always get excited when my readers send me their questions. It means they trust me so at those moments I'm full of gratitude :)