Hello, Embroidery

One of my intentions for 2019 was to start hand embroidery. I’ve been fascinated with the craft for a few months, and I figured the start of a new year would be a great opportunity to learn a new skill. And so I did!

I’ve recently completed three hand embroidery pieces, but the one I’m most proud of is my latest hoop. Unhappy with the lack of an Arabic translation of “empowered women empower women,” I took it upon myself to finally put my translation minor into use and translate it to what translates into English as “empowered women empower others.” Why ‘others’? Because I truly believe that a woman not only gives her fellow sister the support to be the better version of herself in whatever she chooses to pursue, but also helps men understand that an empowered woman is never a threat – but an equal voice.

As I progress with my embroidery, I’ve found myself more inclined to stitch Arabic quotes. As much of a juxtaposition to my daily life (I speak and write English most of the time), I find that the Arabic quotes are helping me appreciate my ‘mother tongue’ a little better. I have found, however, that I’m quite limited in learning new stitching techniques; especially since I’m not very inclined to learn any floral-related embroidery. Unfortunately, the latter is filled with an array of stitches I can learn! Rock and a hard place moment going on.

With that being said, I’ll continue to practice embroidery in hopes of one day learning most stitches, and refining my current skills. This is a hobby I’ve truly enjoyed as it’s helped me quiet down any anxious thoughts, and really focus on the matter at hand (pun intended!).

Here’s to more embroidery!