simona

today i want to introduce you to simona, perhaps the hardest working woman i have ever met.  she is a machine embroider and has been since she was 8 years old.  she embroiders all of her own clothing and also make bags, hats, belts, and other goodies to sell.  and get this, she embroiders EVERYDAY from 4am to 11pm.  girlfriend only sleeps 5 hours a night.

simona is from the colca canyon, an area of peru where this type of machine embroidery is the tradition and girls begin to wear beautiful outfits covered in embroidery at a very young age.  these days, the outfits are used partially to appeal to tourists who pay to take photos with locals.  but, there is also a great pride in the embroidered finery and to be known as having the most beautiful attire in your town is an incredible honor.

i have long admired clothing with free-handed embroidery so i was excited at the idea of learning how to machine embroider.  i just love the idea of using the needle as a pen.  but, what i didn´t realize is that i was going to have to learn how to draw all over again.

here is a panel simona made for me:

and here are some of my attempts:

 

simona´s husband, daniel, wrote jordan´s and my name on the second one.  it´s just so incredibly cheesy, you gotta love it.

and here´s one i did of my own design, although simona insisted i add the yellow stripes.  i call her the granny referee:

now i just gotta get myself the right presser foot so i can keep practicing...

Comments

[julie]

Oh simona sounds amazing ...4am!!! Why?? Your work is fantastic too!!!!!!

By the way...i would love to see some pics of ruins in quito!!!

[lisa s]

oh! amazing!!

yes! get the proper foot... want to see more!!

[shari]

risa, hi!
you are amazing. i love your machine embroidery. thanks for introducing us to simona. i'm enjoying meeting all of these fabulous women. xo shari

[Jessica Hood]

i just discovered your blog thru emily. i am fascinated. i cannot imagine what a life-changing experience it must be to live in ecuador. my mom's neighbor grew up in ecuador as her parents were missionaries there. she is an excellent cook, she says she learned about spices while living there!

[Clare]

yah, ditto. i came via the black apple.
i am loving the south american folk arts. so gorgeous. i wish i had have been able to access artisans like that when i was in morocco. but buying the same embroidery threads they used was the most i could manage :(

just because i have no idea, how much would embroidered scraps like you posted cost tourists? or are things only sold in as finished items like skirts and vests?

[jillypickle]

love birds! awwwwww...

[Julia]

Wow, impressed over here. Your embroidery is amazing! I love the granny with her silhouette and a few flashes of solid color. I love the borders on your pieces, too! I want to learn. =)

[dawbis]

wow! i just loved this post :) you did such a great job! i wish i had an embroidery machine now :) hehe

[risa]

julie - i´m going to start taking photos for you. and i´m not sure why she gets up so early. i think she should let herself sleep in after all those years of hard work!

lisa - i know! i know! i need to order it. risa, order the presser foot...

shari - and thank you for helping us learn more about some of the fabulous women in the blogosphere!

jessica - bienvendidos! thank you for stopping by! i left you a comment, but yes, living in ecuador has been life-changing!

clare - hola! i sent you an email, but for anyone else who is interested, usually embroidery scraps aren´t sold. but embroiderers from the colca do make all kinds of bags, belts, hats, etc. to sell to tourists and these usually range in price from about $1 to maybe $30. pieces of clothing can also be purchased but these are much more expensive. thanks for visiting! i hope you come back...

jill - stop it! yóu´re embarassing me!

julia - the borders are actually one of the most fun parts. you should totally try it.

dawn - you can do embroidery on a regular sewing machine...you just need the right presser foot. i would love to see what you would come up with!

[carol es]

wow risa, i love your embroidery work! very keen, lady! maybe i can send you a jacket and you can embroider something cool on the back of it. can you embroider through suede?

[Marieke]

Simona rocks! Wish I was so productive (or could do with so little sleep, for so long). Thanks for posting. And sometimes, the cheesier the better! x

[Clare]

oh... i think the spam filter (?) ate your email (i have no idea why). though it isn't the spam basket either.
if you care to send it again, i'd be grateful :)