embroidered contour map
The “just for fun” project that unexpectedly took all summer
After finishing The Data Dress, my fingers were itching for another interesting data-related embroidery project. I decided to stitch a topographic map of my favorite stretch of mountains back home in Utah. I have spent whole days wandering by myself around these peaks and valleys, and nights peering up at starry skies from a hammock. I got my first good kiss here, and later mourned my first heartbreak. I’ve hiked to the very highest point of Mount Timpanogos with people I love.
These mountains are a sacred place to me, and I wanted to do them justice.
I took to Pinterest for inspiration, and found an informative post from the blog Free + Unfettered. After downloading a contour map of Utah, I cropped the section I wanted and printed it out to trace onto my linen.
I planned to fill it quickly, using seed stitch. However, I made a course-changing decision when I experimented with satin stitch… at which point I was 1) hooked, and 2) committed. Satin stitch is glossy, padded, and very time consuming. The end result would look extremely polished, but it was going to take a loooong time.
In the end, I spent around 60 hours on this project. Much of that embroidery time was spent tucked into the corner of the couch, propped up with pillows, watching endless episodes of Jane the Virgin. I regret nothing. It was bliss.
Here is the final result, which now hangs on the wall in my sunny Boston apartment!
MULTI-SENSORY BONUS: A beautiful song about maps, reflection, and loving where you come from.
Half Acre by Hem (from the album Rabbit Songs)