Murriel Mapa picked up an embroidery kit and fell in love with stitching. After doing a few kits, she tried making her own designs. She now sells her designs as DIY embroidery kits, staying inspired with encouragement from her creative friends.
Why embroidery? How did you get started?
I was given an embroidery kit during the pandemic, I was recently laid off from my job and like many folks, had so much time on my hands. I finished every puzzle I had, I cleaned the house twice, and I just basically ran out of things to do.
And then I picked up this kit and fell in love with it immediately. It felt like the first time in a long time that I didn’t check my phone or look up at the TV for hours on end. I was just so totally immersed in learning the stitches and threading my needle that I finished the kit in just one day. I immediately ordered another one, and another one, and then eventually I decided to try making my own designs.
Now I sell DIY embroidery kits myself, just like the one that taught me to embroider in 2020. It feels very full circle.
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When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
I think I’ve always gravitated towards making things. I was definitely that kid who had magazine clippings plastered all over her locker and collages of teen heartthrobs on my walls in my bedroom. I also used to alter my own clothing growing up and I made all my own Halloween costumes too.
What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours?
I like to think that my watercolour backgrounds on my pieces help my work stand out on its own. I love creating an atmosphere with the backgrounds and then using embroidery to bring the focus to the forefront. It creates depth and makes the hoop extra personal to me.
I also recently have started making and selling embroidery frames! These frames are super simple and effective and just make your embroidery stand out on your walls or shelves. Every piece of art deserves a frame!
What different creative media do you use in your work? How do you organize all of your creative supplies?
I mostly just use watercolour paints for the background of some pieces. But I also sometimes incorporate beads and other things like that too. I’m also an avid thrifter and so often I thrift my fabric and hoops and even sometimes thread, which can accumulate quite quickly. I hate to admit it, but my organization is basically stuffing as much as I can into drawers so it’s not so unsightly. Oops!!
How has your work changed over time?
It’s so fun to look back on my first embroidery pieces. There’s definitely more of a playfulness to them then, and I think I’m constantly trying to put that aspect back into my current pieces. I think there’s always a sense of freedom when you first start a new hobby, because you’re just learning it for the first time, and there’s something really wonderful about that.
Also, learning how to threadpaint took a really long time. This is the technique used to do intricate pieces like the pet portraits and house portraits. It uses short and long strands and many shades of colours to add shadows and depth to the portrait. These pieces take me the longest, sometimes up to 40+ hours per piece, but I always love how they turn out!
What (or who) has been your biggest inspiration in keeping your creative energy going?
I’m super lucky to have a lot of creative friends who inspire me constantly. One of my best friends is a ceramicist and we are each other’s biggest fans. It’s so great to be able to talk about the highs and lows of being an artist with someone who totally understands, even if we work in different mediums. I feel so inspired by her work and if I could buy all of her pieces, I totally would. Her business is @aemceramics and you should definitely check out her amazing ceramics.
Where can people see your work?
You can find my work at the Royal Alberta Museum Gift Shop (@royalalbertamuseumshop) and the Lacome Museum Gift Shop (@lacombemuseums), as well as a couple Edmonton markets – I’ll be vending at Oddbird (@oddbirdfair) May 10-12, Strathearn Art Walk (@strathearnartwalk) on September 7, and the Edmonton Folk Fest (@edmfolkfest) Artisan Market August 8-11!
Interview posted May 2024
Browse through more hand embroidery projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy.