Zena van de Poel started stitching at the beginning of the Pandemic, creating small pieces of art for her friends and family across the world. Inspired by memories of her childhood, you’ll find a menagerie of animals and pets in her detailed stitching.
How did you get started designing embroidery? Always an artist, or was there a “moment”?
As a kid I loved to draw and do crafts, an interest that was definitely instilled and fostered by my mother. She’s a very creative person herself, as are all the women in my family. Except for the odd venture into cross-stitching I don’t think any of them ever did any other hand-embroidery.
Unfortunately it was art class in high school that sort of dimmed that light in me. Creating for the sake of hitting certain objectives was not exactly very inspiring, especially in an environment where academic achievements take precedence over anything else.
After that there was a long period where I’d only use occasions like holidays or birthdays to make things, as I didn’t even consider that creating could be a big part of my life again. I dabbled in different crafts, but never really stuck with anything for a long time.
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But as for many other stitchers I’ve encountered: the pandemic changed everything. I’m from the Netherlands, and moved to Canada just over six years ago now. Being that far away from the people I love is always difficult, but not being able to help in any significant way during that period of time was incredibly challenging.
During those first couple of months of lockdown the urge to make things became bigger than ever before. I used whatever crafting supplies I already had to make care packages for my friends and family back home. Being able to make those small “I’m-thinking-of-you” gifts really helped alleviate some of the anxiety.
It was during that time that I really started to focus on embroidery. It was of course hard to find supplies, but a little sewing kit and fabric scraps were enough to get started. I noticed that you only need to learn a couple of simple stitches before you can basically recreate any image you want on fabric. And the repetitive nature of stitching can be almost quite meditative, like a form of mindfulness.
Eventually I ran out of family and friends to make things for, which is when I decided to see if I could find other homes for my pieces by putting them out in the world.
Why did you gravitate towards embroidery over other crafts/arts?
To people who are not familiar with the craft it might seem limiting: it’s usually just made with a round hoop and a needle. You can’t mix threads as if they were paint. You can’t build structure and mass by adding clay. And you can’t easily cover up or erase a mistake.
But to me embroidery offers the perfect balance between a sense of freedom and those limitations. As with any art, anything is possible, and there really are no rules. But the restrictions help me to not feel overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities, and can actually aid the creative process. So much of our art and media is displayed in rectangle frames. It’s something our eyes are so used to, which makes figuring out the right composition in a round hoop that much more interesting.
While you can’t actually mix colours, you can create the optical illusion of blending. I’ve added yarn, paint, pencil, felt, beads and even plants (in the form of a botanical print on the fabric) to my hoops. And there are still so many new things to try.
I love to figure out ways to solve those ‘problems’ using what I already have.
What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours? Is there an overarching theme that connects all of your work?
Even though the process of creating is primarily for myself, I do still see my pieces the same way I saw the things I made when I first started stitching.
Crafting has always been a way for me to create gifts for others, to show people I love them. And I’d like whatever I create now to serve that same purpose.
I get such pleasure from being at a craft market and seeing how people react to my work, having them tell me all about their beloved pets that look like something I’ve made.
I don’t see myself as the most technically proficient stitcher, or the most artistic. But I do want to add a little twist to what I make, to turn it into something I haven’t seen before. As I started stitching as a means to reduce stress, I want to make things that put a smile on my face, and by extension on those of others’ as well. Which means that practically all my work includes animal or other nature themes.
My animal creations are mostly realistic, but still have a bit of a painterly and whimsical quality to them. I achieve this mostly through stitching with strands of different colours at the same time, making every stitch always slightly different from the one before. I also love creating almost an impasto with my stitches, layering them in such a way that they make the slightest relief. And if I think a piece could benefit from it, I like to add another material, like paint, beads or yarn.
How does your environment influence your creativity? / Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
Sometimes my inspiration comes from a more intrinsic place based on a memory, and other times it’s more extrinsic and practical, based on for instance a fabric or technique I want to use and trying to figure out what animal or scenario would suit it.
In the broad sense of things my inspiration comes primarily from my family and nature. Some of my happiest childhood memories are based around the family pets and my grandparents’ farm. As a child I spent whole days just climbing trees and puttering around the animals. Even at home we always had multiple cats and bunnies hopping around the living room, which I think is why stitching animals gives me such joy to this day.
Inspiration also comes from the materials I have, by digging through my own craft supplies or those at the thrift store. Setting those parameters for myself, where I find a way to use whatever I have, actually really helps me to get really creative.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
Generally it’s a bit of both. Usually I create a quick sketch, an outline of an idea. But I figure out the colours and stitching techniques as I go along. It would probably save me a ton of time if I planned everything out from the beginning, but fully knowing what I’m going to do just doesn’t suit me. I guess the way I stitch reflects the way I live my life.
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?
At the moment I stitch anytime I can. The only thing I do try to schedule is the type of project I’m working on. While I’d love to just work on my own ideas 24/7, I do also accept commissions and I sell other items at markets.
Considering the themes I naturally gravitate towards, I get asked to create pet portraits regularly. Which is such an honour, and I really enjoy creating those portraits. But the mental load of making them is quite a lot higher than when I’m just stitching any animal. Which is why I give myself time to ‘play’ and decompress with other projects while I’m working on those custom portraits.
So I usually have an A-project (like a pet portrait with a deadline), a B-project (a new idea I want to work on) and a C-project (restocking smaller items for markets) going at all times.
Describe your creative space.
In one word: messy! Due to a lack of space in our apartment, my projects are currently spread out on the dining table. Luckily my husband is super supportive of my craft so he doesn’t mind (it helps that his hobbies take up quite a bit of space too).
If I could, I’d create a little nest for myself where I’m surrounded by all the pretty colours with all my supplies within arm’s reach. Where I’d spend hours stitching in a comfy chair with a heat pack against my back. And a nice little spot for our dog who likes to hang out on the chair next to me while I work.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
I’ve gotten to the point in my stitching where I’m no longer able to just watch a movie without doing something with my hands at the same time. I’m definitely the kind of person that does not handle silence very well so I’m always listening to or watching something. The kind of which depends on the complexity of the project I’m working on.
Usually if I do my morning stitching I’ll listen to a podcast. For something lighthearted I’ll listen to “The Office Ladies” or “You are Good”. For a more informative podcast I’ll pick an episode of “This Podcast Will Kill You”, “Hidden Brain”, or “You’re Wrong About”.
In the evenings, I’ll switch to TV shows and movies. Sometimes I’ll go for the very comforting background noise of familiar shows, such as The Office, Drag Race, The X-Files, or The Repair Shop. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of movies that require me to read subtitles as well, which is definitely not ideal when stitching at the same time, but worth it for incredible films like Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall.
And then there are YouTube channels that have great calming videos of people performing their own craft, such as Baumgartner Restoration or Bernadette Banner’s hand sewing videos.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
Inspiration seems to come in waves.
There are times when I feel like I need four more pairs of hands to work on my ideas, and other times when things are just not coming together. While I always have multiple projects going at once, when that spark of inspiration hits I have a hard time stopping myself from just obsessively working on that. Generally I don’t tend to enjoy projects that take me more than a week to complete, so I usually start a new project every couple of days.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
Usually when I think of designs it follows one of two paths: either I think of an animal I’d like to stitch and I find a technique or composition I’d like to try with that; or I think of a technique or design first and figure out the most suitable animal to create that with.
One of my favourite pieces I’ve made in the last year is one with two connected hoops hanging off each other. I had made a similar piece before, and wanted to think of other ways to make that configuration work. It either had to be an animal that’s inherently long (like a giraffe’s neck), or an animal moving vertically.
Again, through my family memories I immediately thought of my great-grandmother, who was a huge part of my childhood and early adulthood. She loved all animals, but was particularly fond of little mice, which she expressed in a huge collection of mouse figurines. So I made these hoops of little mice climbing up a rope with her in mind.
By creating twisted cord made with yarn, as opposed to stitching the rope, I was able to add more texture and three-dimensionality, while also solving the problem of why these two floating hoops would be connected.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
One of my favourite parts of the process is before I even start stitching. When I’m twisting and turning an idea in my head until the pieces fall into place. When I have found a way to use some of the materials that I’ve collected and thrifted over the years in a way that makes sense with the project I’m working on.
I think that for a long time I thought that the process of crafts was the antithesis of academic endeavors, but really they’re an extension of it. It makes me think of the Einstein quote: “Creativity is intelligence having fun”. Now I believe that the act of creating is almost more about problem-solving than it is about technique.
I do wish I were a more patient pattern maker. I know I could make things infinitely easier for myself if I spent more time fully fleshing out an idea instead of just creating an outline, but I can never wait to just get started. Giving in to that sudden urge to start stitching is like having a bit of delicious food, and savouring it is part of the fun.
How do you know a piece is finished?
Honestly, I rarely actually feel that a piece is done. But that’s where some of those perceived ‘limitations’ of embroidery also come into play. One of the differences between using thread and for example paint is that you can’t keep layering indefinitely. It can become physically impossible to pull a needle through a certain area if you’ve already layered stitch over stitch there before.
So while I could keep tinkering on a piece forever if that didn’t hold me back, I’ve learned to force myself to step away from a hoop at a certain point. Accepting that nothing has to be whatever your version of ‘perfect’ is the first time around, and you can always revisit an idea again, helps in letting a piece go as well.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
The unofficial Dutch national motto is: “Just act normal, that’s crazy enough”, which I guess is a version of the Tall Poppy Syndrome. It at times can make you feel like sharing your work with others in the hopes of getting some praise is absolutely not-done.
I definitely think that social media has played a huge role in my creative development. It has a less than optimal reputation, but the little online corner of stitchers (colloquially called “The Stitcherhood”) is what has kept me going. It’s a very non-competitive, but wonderfully encouraging space. Also being able to see what other people are able to create with the same medium is incredibly inspiring.
It has taught me that any creation is worth sharing. No matter where you are in your creative journey, whether you’ve just picked up a needle for the first time or your work has been in art exhibitions. In the wide online world there’s always someone who’ll relate to it. We all have pieces that we’re very proud of, and ones that we throw into a corner of the room in frustration never to look at again. Failing to exactly create the idea in your head doesn’t mean that you failed as an artist, which is I think a reminder many of us need to hear often.
I don’t remember the gentleman’s name, but there was a contestant on ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ who said: “Art is showing off for introverts”. And I think that’s true for many creatives and artists who share their work in the social media sphere. It’s solely because of faraway online friends that I’ve been able to slowly gain the confidence to develop my craft and get inspired to create things beyond what I ever thought I could do.
Other than that it’s probably craft markets that have motivated me to keep going. When I first started selling my hoops it was mostly to anonymous buyers online. But being able to create that more personal connection with customers, especially since I often get emotionally attached to my pieces, has made a huge difference.
What is your favorite accomplishment?
One event that made a huge impact in my life as a maker was being invited to participate in my first artist showcase. Besides it being my gateway into doing craft markets, it was my first venture into looking at myself as more than just someone fiddling around with crafts. That opportunity was a direct result of me sharing my embroidery online, yet another reason why sharing your work in the right space can make all the difference.
Where can people see your work?
At the moment I share everything I make on Instagram. And you can find me at craft markets in Winnipeg.
Interview posted April 2024
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