I’m afraid the title of this article might be promising you too much.
This is really just an article about a piece of fabric, a book, and an idea – and not necessarily in that order.
It’s an idea that’s percolated on The Back Burner for a long time. I’ve never done anything with it, though I have collected little bits and bobs related to it – a piece of fabric, some fonts and glyphs, some ideas here and there, hither and yon.
I must say hither and yon, because aye, matey, I’m talking about a map.
I’ll warn you in advance that this might take you down a Rabbit Hole if you’re an explorer.
Did you ever read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island? It wasn’t until I was an adult that I read it and appreciated it. I remember reading it as a kid, and I remember watching movie versions (including, yes, the Muppets!). I remember growing up with abridged versions of the tale in picture books and so forth.
Admittedly, though, I was well and truly grown by the time I read the honest-to-goodness unabridged book and realized how much I liked it!
Recently, just to keep the candle burning, I listed to the audio version narrated by Timothy West. It was great!
But where am I going with this?
Treasure Island, you see, began with a map. This map:
And that’s what I want to talk about.
The Seeds of a Pet Project
I would imagine that every craftsperson, artist, hobbyist and the like – every “maker” as we call them today – every “creative spirit” if you want to get poetic – harbors pet ideas about projects that they want to do Some Day.
I do. I have loads of such projects! Mostly, they swim around in my head, resurfacing now and then when something pricks my imagination and prompts the idea to resurface.
Some actually get written down, though. This must mean that their siren song is just a bit louder – and a bit more persistent – in my head.
And some get written down and get “collected upon.” That is, when the opportunity strikes, I collect something towards the realization of that project.
Cartography
I like cartography. It’s a fascinating subject. Over the years, it’s had a particular attraction for me because I love history and geography, but also because I love the art of map-making.
So I’ve collected images of antique maps, I’ve purchased books on maps and cartographers (John Speed, anyone?), and I’ve put together a veritable Link Fest of information that I find interesting and helpful about cartography.
An Intersection of Interests
I’ve also done the same collecting with information on embroidered maps, because when two of your favorite interests collide, what else are you supposed to do?!?
I like the idea of embroidering a map!
It’s not a new idea. It’s certainly been done before.
Historically, maps have been embroidered, and relatively frequently.
This embroidered map of England and Wales is a fabulous example.
Or hop on over to the Victoria & Albert Museum website, and search their collections for “Map Embroidery” – and you’ll find some terrific examples. The image above is from this embroidered map held by the V & A – and it is lovely!
Whitney Antiques also has some beautiful embroidered maps worth looking at, too.
And of course, you can find contemporary embroidered maps here and there, too. In fact, I wrote about this most excellent embroidered map of New Jersey quite a while ago.
So, yes. It’s not as if I’m toying with an original idea.
But an idea doesn’t have to be original to have merit. If we had to wait for an original idea in order to do anything, I promise you, nothing would ever get done. Original ideas are pretty rare.
A Specific Book on Embroidered Maps
I’ve got a copy of Stitching the World: Embroidered Maps and Women’s Geographical Education by Judith Tyner.
Just a quick note on this book: This is not an easy book to find, nor is it very affordable. If you are really passionate about embroidered maps, you might want it for reference or to point you in different directions for research and ideas. Is it absolutely essential to pursuing the idea of embroidering maps or even learning their history? Not necessarily. Still, it is interesting! I don’t regret having a copy. You can find it available here at Routledge publishing, at the most reasonable price in paperback, and as an e-book (you’ll need to be able to navigate setting up access to the reader platform they use). Just note that the e-book does not necessarily provide great high-quality images for zooming in on, so if you’re oscillating between print and digital because you think you’ll get better zoomable images in the e-book, I was disappointed to discover this wasn’t the case after purchasing the electronic copy, too.
Tangible Gathering
And I’ve gathered the same types of resources on the topic as I have on cartography in general: images, links, stories, resources, and so on.
So I have collected upon this idea of embroidering a map.
But I’ve also purchased the first solid, tangible item that moves me a little closer to the realization of an embroidered map, and that is a piece of fabric.
When I saw this piece of champagne colored crumpled silk, I couldn’t help thinking of The Map Idea.
At this point, The Map Idea is just an idea. It doesn’t even have a footing in reality, when it comes to the subject of The Map Idea – the what or where of the map.
Who knows? It might just be a map that begins as the basis of some vague tale, some kind of fiction, with the only reality being its map-ness.
Maybe it will be a map that has to do with my own history? Or the history of a place I love? Or perhaps it will reflect someone else’s history? Someone I admire in history, for example. I really don’t know.
But it’s a start. At least I have a piece of fabric. And we will see from here what develops. It will certainly be an exploratory journey, one step at a time.
Do you have a project idea that bubbles to the surface now and then, that you day dream about, slowly plan towards, and hope to realize some day? Have you taken any steps towards realizing it?
Consider this a developing tale. I’ll share more when I have more to share!
I presume you know about Catherine Jordan and her embroidered maps that she teaches for EGA. If not, check them out.
I hope you’ve run across Catherine Jordan’s wonderful embroidered maps. She’s taught her process for various groups.
I know exactly what you mean about projects bubbling under!
And as for maps – my first large piece of embroidery was a map of England and Wales, which I embroidered aged 10 in 1975. I remember being so absorbed by it that I spent most of a holiday in Venice with my family beavering away on the coastline. The English counties had all been changed the year before, in a major government reorganisation, and the map showed the new counties, each with a symbol (mountains for Cumbria, lace for Nottinghamshire etc). There were little embroidered whales and ships in the sea, and a compass.
I was so proud of it when it was finished. My mum had it framed, and I gave it to my granny. After she died, I reclaimed it, and it now hangs on my wall, half a century later.
It’s so gratifying to see an idea come to life. I became obsessed with embroidered maps a couple of years ago, so I designed and embroidered two of them – one of which won a ribbon in the California State Fair!
LOVE this! I love maps too! I often receive books about maps, map books, atlases of various kinds for holiday gifts! Thoroughly enjoyed teaching geography at our homeschool cooperative a few years back. Never thought of embroidering one though! Wow!
I would love to stitch a map of Middle Earth!
My son, who loves geology, and I had a great discussion on a map of the world from the 16th ? century – flat in 2 halves. Gary was fascinated with the idea of taking a globe, and drawing it flat in such a great way. When he said the cartographer’s father was a shoemaker, that opened a whole discussion on taking a flat piece of leather, and turning it into a 3-D shoe. And crumpled silk! Not a fabric I’m familiar with, but so interesting! I’m looking forward to your updates!
The idea of making an embroidered topography map of my hometown has been in mind for many years. My inspirations are Australian Aboriginal “map” art, thread painted landscapes (I’ve done one), and just an appreciation for the topography and history of my small town in a narrow valley near the Continental Divide in Montana. I haven’t abandoned the idea, I just need it to gel into something I can execute, a place to start. It is that starting place that gets a project underway even though I can’t yet see the completion. My process has always been, start, then solve step by step. It is done when it is done.
Fascinating post today! I love hearing about the things that grab hold of your imagination and don’t
let go! It may be different for each of us, which is part of what makes it fascinating. I think that piece
of fabric appeared right when you needed it and it definitely knows what it wants to be. (I can’t be the
only one who hears fabric talk, can I?)
My own “dream project” was a stitched version of “the road rise up to meet you” poem – but translated
from the Irish that is so much more nuanced and poetic. I took Irish lessons years ago and the instructor
shared what that poem, in her words/opinion, “started out as before it became mistranslated and overshared.”
This version was read at my mother’s funeral. I’m happy to say that after having it in my head since the 80s,
I finally put thread to fabric. The words are stitched and I’m working on the borders now! It’s going to be gigantic,
about 4 feet long and 3 feet wide and even though it will take who knows how long, it makes me so happy every
time I work on it!
I so love this! It’s always fascinating to see the thinking behind projects of artists. I do have a question for you – how do you organize both the digital and tangible parts of the project?
I love this! I’m interested in stitching maps too. About a month ago I finished a needlepoint map of the counties of Texas. It was orginally designed by Susan Goodnight and Kathy Hazlett but I changed things a bit. My husband collects antique maps of Texas, is on the board of the Texas Map Society (yes there is such a thing), and is a meteorologist. I filled in the counties with colors depicting the average annual rainfall. The design area is 16″ x 16″.
I’ve considered stitching one of his older maps from the 1820s using surface embroidery stitches. It would be much smaller. I chose this time period because my family came to Texas in 1821.
A lovely someday project! Mine is a globe in the style of the Westtown School. Although it’s already been done and instructions are available, it’s a project I want to put my own spin on. I look forward to updates!
Yes!!! I want to create a Cabinet of Curiosities, but can’t afford a “real” box, so, again, yes to starting to collect things toward that goal. I found a reasonably priced wooden box, I’ve made a tiny start on the interior divisions, with a plan for 2 hidden drawers.. And some special threads have become part of my stash. I have some drawings of what I may embroider on some of the sides and ideas percolating in my head for others and how to add doors, etc. for more things to open, hide, etc. I’ve purchased several books on making boxes to help with making drawers and am planning possibly to do a lift out knot garden (embroidered) for one side of the interior. Big ideas, so far, not enough time. Sigh… But lovely to mull around at quiet times.
I have had a personal project that I call “Embroider the World” and I have finished embroidering maps of some of the continents! I am coming from a less aesthetic perspective than you are but it has been great fun nonetheless!