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American Made GOOD L I V I NG
Benning’s Inspiration
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
In her ongoing effort to bring embroidery out of Grandma’s attic, Benning takes a freestyle approach, using just a few basic techniques (rather than a lot of complex stitches) and five simple items.
“Whenever I travel, I seek out botanical gardens and wander greenhouses, take pictures, and sketch ideas for future projects.” 2
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Botanischer Garten, Berlin “My absolute favorite. So many of the details I find there make their way into my work.”
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The Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago “This is the first botanical garden I ever visited, and I instantly fell in love with it. I visited every few months when I was in school.”
1 GOOD SHEARS “Look for a sharp pair of scissors. Fiskars makes a range of products, from large fabric shears to small thread snips to really cool, TSA-friendly foldable ones,” Benning says (fiskars.com).
2 STARTER FABRIC “The best material for beginners is cotton: It has a tight weave, so you can keep your stitches close together. Linen is more challenging, but it creates a nice textural difference between fabric and stitching.”
3 A PATTERN “I use regular pencils to trace a pattern onto fabric, because I can achieve more detail than with a fabric marker. If you’re working with dark fabric, switch to tailor’s chalk or a white pencil.”
4 COLORFUL FLOSS “DMC embroidery floss and needles— I like size 5—are widely available and come in more than 400 rich colors. Plus, the thread is so silky and smooth when you’re sewing” (dmc-usa.com).
5 NICE HOOPS “I always use wooden ones. Once I’m happy with a completed project, I trim the excess fabric, leaving a quarter-inch all around, and secure it to the hoop with tacky glue.”
Kew Gardens, London “The glass houses here are an amazing mix of classic Victorianera architecture and modern designs.”
