Open Studio 4:

An explanation on the vortex shape

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone is well.

I’ll cut to the chase with this one, since many of you have been patiently waiting for quite a while, but I finally have an explanation on how I use the blanket stitch to create the tightly wound circle shapes!

It’s not a new technique, it’s just the blanket stitch, something I happened upon while experimenting and considering the geometry of the stitch itself.

Some people have called them vortexes, some people have said they look like the burrows of some species of spider. I chose this motif to represent the ace cards for my tarot project, because those cards represent the pure energy of that suit. To me, this motif feels like coiling and spiraling discs of energy. It’s not a motif I frequently make; it really does take a long time to achieve such density, even by my standards.

But it does make for some pretty cool texture!

My video explanations for my open studio posts are my casual interpretation of a workshop. They are meant to perhaps inspire you in your own work, or offer a new technique you can use. You can read about my open studio concept here (and see a different explanation on how I use the blanket stitch and materials I use).

If you would like access to my video tutorials on a variety of techniques that I use in my work, I’d like to invite you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. My open studio is a modest way I can give myself a little more freedom to create more of my work.

Let’s go make some circles!