Mo Milligan creates embroidery designs that are a mixture of nature, quirky statements and one liners. Her hoop art is hand made in Tacoma, Washington.
How did you get into embroidery?
I grew up watching my Dad spend a lot of his spare time illustrating science-fiction comic book art. I’d accompany him on trips to the craft store for his supplies and we spent a lot of time together drawing. In college I tried my hand at a number of art classes including photography, wood work and metal work. This past year the desire to find a space for my creative expressions intensified and by chance found a home with hand embroidery. Something with this medium just clicked for me and I realised I could see myself working out so many ideas with a needle and thread.
Where do you get your information from about different embroidery stitches?
My mum bought me a little embroidery book that has all your basic stitches which I use for references. A lot of the time I watch YouTube tutorials on how to create certain stitches and designs. I find it much more useful to actually watch someone doing embroidery instead of following step by step written instructions.
What’s the name of the book?
Where do you normally buy your materials?
I mostly buy them from a crafts store right up the street from me. I like to support local businesses but I also purchase items online especially the hoops.
What’s the name of the craft store?
Artco, but I have ordered things online from Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s Fabric and Amazon.
Do you always buy the same fabric and thread or do you switch it up?
My mother’s a big thrift store shopper and finds vintage hoops and bags of thread that she gives me. Some brands of thread don’t have vibrant colours so I mainly stick to using DMC threads. I experiment with a lot of fabric. I recently bought some muslin but didn’t notice that it had speckles of bleach on it so I used it as a backing fabric instead. The craft store I buy from has a section of pre-cut fabric that I sometimes use to add pops of colour to my work.
What other types of textiles would you like to experiment with?
For now I’m really satisfied working with embroidery but I’ve been thinking about how I can expand into other areas. I’ve seen some really cool banner work and think it would be fun to move outside of embroidering in hoops. I’d like to create patches that can be sewn onto clothing. My friend is having a baby boy and I want to make a few patches to sew on a little jacket for him.
Do you have a background in fashion?
No I studied fine art and photography in college. I worked with black and white film photography that you develop in a dark room. I’ve never worked with digital photography. I really like working with my hands; it’s interesting working with different crafts. Wood work requires a lot of patience.
More than embroidery?
Yeah, embroidery is very precise but you can always pull the thread back out if you make a mistake.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
Hhhhhmmm, there are a few embroidery artists that I admire. I occasionally message a few to get ideas from and ask questions; it’s nice to get some feedback. I had this idea of creating a travelling piece that one artist starts and passes on to several others to add to and complete.
It’s really impressive that you’ve only been doing this for a short time.
A couple of years ago I had a brief stint with embroidery. I stitched the names of my friends’ babies on card but found it really difficult and painful to push the needle through.
I know what you mean, I’ve tried to embroider on leather but made more holes than stitches!
Yeah I can imagine that. After making the name tags I took a long break. I later had a few ideas and remembered I had some supplies left. Once I got back into it I became obsessed!
It’s really relaxing and therapeutic to do something with your hands as opposed to staring at a computer all day or checking your phone.
Exactly and your mind can wander in a meditative way.
Most definitely.
That’s why I’d say some of the embroideries I like working on are long satin stitches where I stitch with the same colour for a while and change to another one. I find it very relaxing because you’re able to get in a flow.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
A lot of places, botanicals and florals mainly. When I walk outside I see lots of things that I want to try and embroider. I’m also inspired by pop culture and funny things that people say.
Do you ever embroider for the pure fun of it or do you always have a project in mind?
Sometimes it’s fun to just try techniques to practice but most of the time I have an idea and work on multiple projects until they’re all completed.
How long does each hoop take to make?
It varies quite a bit as it depends on the design. The Stay Series where I design hoops that have messages like Stay Salty for example tend to take a longer amount of time because I have to be much more precise in making sure the negative space for the lettering is neat. That hoop (pictured above) took around 10-11 hours. I like to switch things up because I sometimes get tired of working on the same piece. In those moments I think of something less complicated to stitch so I get that satisfaction of completing something.
That’s true, staring at the same piece for a long time can be tiresome and you wonder when will it’ll end!? How big are the hoops you use?
The Stay Salty hoop is 5 inches. I normally work with hoops as small as 3 inches. I have a few that are 7 inches but I haven’t thought of what to make in them yet. I tend to draw on a smaller scale.
Using bigger hoops can be difficult sometimes it because the fabric doesn’t stay as stretched out as it would in a smaller hoop.
That’s why I haven’t used the oval hoops as much, I like the way they look but they’re kind of wonky and hard to keep the fabric tight.
Do you back all of your embroideries?
I do now. To begin with it wasn’t something I thought about because I made them for hanging on the wall. I always back pieces I know I’m going to give away or sell so they look presentable. I used to cut felt to the exact size of the hoop and glue them on but I found it very difficult to get the exact size. Now I just take it out of the hoop and use plain off white or fun printed fabric to glue to the back of the hoop.
It’s quite a long process.
It really is!
Have you ever travelled to any countries with interesting textiles?
A while ago I went to Spain for six weeks and we took a day trip from Southern Spain to Morocco. I visited a few places that sold rugs and fabrics but didn’t have enough time to explore as much as I would’ve like to. I’ve been to Nepal and I remember seeing tonnes of fabric especially beautiful scarves.
Did you buy a lot?
A bit, I packed pretty light and only bought a few scarves.
Is there anywhere else you’d like to go to?
I would like to go to Cambodia. My sister-in-law lives there and has been there for some time. She works with leather and makes journals that she sells in her cafe. She’s really into crafts and likes to go to different markets to buy materials and things. I think it would be great to visit her and work together.
What do you love most about textiles?
I like the texture. I love how stitches can look so different from each other even with the same thread.
Do you think your experience with textiles has changed the way you shop for clothes?
A little, although I don’t really shop that much. I do look at the edges of garments and how thick the fabric is. I’ve noticed over time that the price of clothing increases but the material is thinner and thinner.
Follow Mo’s work here and shop her hoops here.
