Quarantine Skillshare: Charlie Kolodziej’s Fantastical Embroidery

Charlie Kolodziej is a second year student in the College considering a major in either sociology or psychology with a minor in creative writing, urban studies, or computer science. Outside of the classroom, they write for The Maroon, play the drums in the Percussion Ensemble, and work for the Neighborhood Schools Program. You can find more embroidery on Charlie’s Instagram: @charlie_stitched!

The first time I met Charlie, they were wearing their signature bag with the UChicago phoenix embroidered on it, in eye-catching shades and textures of reds. I knew that it was born out of love and many (many) hours of careful and tedious stitching. Since then, Charlie has been cemented as “That Embroidery Kid”, and that’s a hand-stitched patch they wear with style.

I have been very closely following the recent resurgence of textile art, especially as “Circular Fashion” has become a more prevalent consideration of the average consumer. I have noticed more people knitting hats, crocheting two-piece sets, and learning to sew clothes and, more recently, masks. Embroidery has also emerged as a way to rescue clothes or fabrics that have become lifeless with new designs and as a rising de-stress practice for many.

Through this conversation with Charlie, we discuss their particular work, the embroidery community at large, the gendered history inherent to embroidery, and how anyone interested can begin to engage with the medium.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

When and why did you start embroidering?

I started embroidering at the beginning of my senior year of highschool following a breakup. Partially to distract myself. Partially because I saw my friend embroidering in the school’s art room and I was like “Oh, that’s really fucking cool”; over a break I bought the stuff and taught myself how to do it. I had a lot of anxiety. Embroidery definitely helps with that. I usually compare it to meditation because doing an action over and over again makes me zone out and breathe, which is really nice.

Is that repetitive action part of what inspires you to embroider?

Yeah, sometimes I embroider just for the sole action of embroidering and I don’t have any vision of what I am creating. I post a lot of the things I make on my Instagram, but 99% of what I make I don’t because I’ve just decided to stitch a cool pattern. There’s nothing really to these pieces, just the motion, and I find that relaxing.

Image of “Pandemic” (2020) via Instagram

I saw your most recent project “Pandemic” on your Instagram (pictured) and it struck a chord for me. Can you tell me more about it

My other “Art Love” is graphic novels. I’ve made and written a number of comics and short stories in the past. The use of panels really appeals to me because they are nice and ordered. So that’s the inspiration behind that piece. It is part of a series that I’ve been working on. But, with that specific piece, I went back and forth on whether to name it “Pandemic”, because I did not want to make light of a serious situation. I intended to just reference the anxiousness that everyone is feeling right now, and the general zeitgeist, so I ended up seeing that theme in the piece.

Why not show off the incredible detail of the work, by wearing it as a brooch or patch?

I do wish more people could see the intricate nature of the pieces because it is hard to discern through photographs, and a lot of time goes into each of them. In terms of wearables, I’ve been incorporating more beads into my stitching projects, instead of one or the other. I find this really hard to do without it appearing too kitschy or crafty-looking, not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Image of “String Theory” (2020) via Instagram

Is there a specific style that you tend to gravitate towards?

I think when I started I was very into hyperrealism and artists who make thread-based pieces look like paintings. Now, I’m totally the opposite. That style is still incredibly impressive, but, to me, it seems to take away the fun of embroidering. It is not painting. It does not need to imitate other opposing art forms. Why not create something new that is specific to this medium? Now, I use larger gestural stitches with chunky thread in combination with beading. It’s a little more camp… and there’s something inherently queer about camp.

Why do you think the embroidery community is expanding? Why are people gravitating towards this medium?

Obviously social media is playing a part in the distribution of embroidery work. There’s also been a resurgence in non-traditional ways of consuming and producing garments. Upcycling and thrifting have become more popular because of their lower toll on environmental waste. The Romanticist in me, however, would argue that because we are so tied to our devices, and embroidery is just the complete opposite of that, that maybe we are trying to escape and unplug. It is also just a really accessible art medium because it accepts all skill levels and requires very few materials.

Featured work from artists (from left to right): Jessica Gritton, Charlie_Stitched, Fistashka.Art, TheNudeNeedle, and Archcurate.

To follow up, in terms of the gendered history of embroidery work, which can be viewed as a functional technique of mending clothing and as embellishment, do you think those expectations of the medium have impacted your own work?

In short, yes. I think, partially because I see myself as more genderqueer, I do put a lot of thought [to how I situate myself in that discussion]. But, I do kind of like that it has this feminine side. In terms of the Instagram community, I am one of two or three other people I can think of who were assigned male at birth, which isn’t to say there aren’t a lot out of others out there, those are just the ones I know. It does feel like we are received differently although I can’t exactly pin down in what way. But, there is a community of queer and trans embroidery artists, who are producing valuable work about gender and [exploring themes and techniques that are unexpected for the medium]. For example, Jessica Gritton is an embroidery artist and a trans-woman who is processing her transition through embroidering and she is amazing.

How has embroidering your own clothing impacted the way you view your style?

Whenever I see someone who has hand-embroidered on their clothes — and you can tell it is hand-embroidered rather than machine-embroidered because there is more love in the stitches — I get super excited. I actually don’t have that many embroidered pieces that I wear regularly. My hat, bag, and jackets are all exceptions. I think at first this was because embroidery felt feminized, but since coming to college, I have felt more comfortable displaying my own femininity.

Image of Jacket and Bag via @charlie_stitched

What is your opinion on upcycling clothing from thrift stores to embroider on?

I come at this discussion in two veins. On one hand, I admire that people are manipulating old things in new ways and reinterpreting their clothes. This is both stylistically forward and environmentally conscious. But the other side of me remembers “thrifting” because I needed clothes, and not because it was trendy. However, embroidery feels more benign [than upcycling clothes with just a “Vintage” tag and a higher price] because it is more about making something new and feels less problematic.

How has quarantine affected your embroidery?

I definitely have more time! I’ve been producing a lot more stuff. My sources of inspiration have changed because I can’t really go outside and see something that inspires me. This series of works based on comic books came from being inside and reading graphic novels and being bored. Looking around my tiny apartment, rather than out in the world. I never really buy new fabrics, instead I recycle fabric from garments. So, the materials I gravitate towards have changed slightly.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to give embroidery a go during quarantine?

Start. When I first started, I literally Googled “basic embroidery techniques” and then just used an old t-shirt as a canvas. You don’t need any fancy types of thread or needles—DMC thread and needles are the really nice stuff, but that doesn’t have to be the starting place for beginners. Don’t be afraid to fuck up.

Featured photo via @charlie_stitched