Rach Gooden is an embroidery artist and illustrator from rural Australia. Her creations are inspired by the oddities and curiosities of the insect world.

Your Instagram bio says you’re self-taught in embroidery, what made you get into it? 

It was actually my sister who introduced me to embroidery about a year and a half ago. At the time I had been pretty unwell for a good couple of years before being diagnosed with Crohns Disease and as a result I spent a lot of time at home. I was looking for things I could do that did not require much energy and that I could do at home and my sister decided one day that we would start embroidery – something neither of us had ever done before! My first embroideries were actually of insects but were ‘flat’ images. I transitioned into stumpwork not too long after and was inspired by images I had seen on the Internet of all sorts of creations that were literally popping off the material – I was drawn to the amalgamation of metal threads, wires, fabrics of all kinds, beads, crystals and thread work. I enjoyed the process of working out just how I could construct these little critters – it was something that took a while and quite a lot of failed attempts before getting a base process that I can now fine tune depending on the individual design of each work. 

Do you have a background in design? 

Art has always been a massive component in my life. For as long as I can remember I have always been creating something! I have dabbled in any art form I could get my hands on – from exploring on my own to tinkering around with Graphic Design, Photography and Fine Arts during my university degree before setting that aside and completing a Bachelor of Arts degree. Unfortunately art seemed to fall by the wayside for a little while after I graduated and got my adult on but thankfully that was short-lived and I discovered embroidery! 

What are some of your favourite stitches? 

To say that I love a good French knot would be a massive understatement! You only need to take a quick glance at my creations to see that almost every little critter has a French knot somewhere on it – more often than not it is the wings that are covered in them. It is probably quite accurate to say that I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love the amazing texture they add but goodness me they are very time-consuming – the amount of times I have found myself dreaming about doing French knots is almost alarming! That being said though I can’t imagine these creations without them. 

Are there any stitches you’re keen on learning? 

The Bullion knot is definitely on my to do list. I am not at the point yet in which I am satisfied with how they are turning out. Like the French knot I love the textural element that the Bullion knot offers – I have so many ideas on how I would love to incorporate this stitch into my work but I just need to practice a bit more on them before I commit! 

Where do you get your materials and threads from? 

When it comes to the materials and threads used in these little critters it can be either the best or hardest part of the whole process. The base materials (DMC threads, hoops and heavyweight calico) and handmade wood frames are from small businesses here in Australia – many of which are located where I live so that is handy but anything that isn’t I get it shipped to me. However, when it comes to sourcing the more specific materials (such as metal threads, silk threads, goldwork threads, Swarovski crystals, velvet fabrics and beads) I have to go online. I would say eighty per cent of my materials I use are purchased online and out of that about sixty per cent are from overseas retailers, many of which are in the UK. I guess there is not a high demand for these type of materials here in Australia which is a shame as I really like to be able to see and feel the materials in real life. On the plus side though I am lucky that I can source these beautiful materials (thank goodness for the Internet!) so I can make these little critters! 

How do you start a new piece of work, what’s your design process? 

My embroidery pieces that have been inspired by the little insect critters that inhabit the natural world. As there is such an abundance of these endlessly fascinating creatures the imagination cannot help but be sparked through their array of shapes, sizes and colours! My design process usually starts one of two ways – either I find an insect shape that speaks to me in one of my many books (in particular vintage insect illustration books) or I create my complete colour palette of fabrics, beads, crystals and threads. From there I plan out how I am going to construct the 3D body along with getting the shape, size, placement, proportions and all the little details ironed out. From then on it is just many, many, many hours/days/weeks/months bent over a hoop trying to get everything exactly how I envision it! 

Are you overwhelmed with designs and ideas or does it take time to find new embroideries to stitch? 

More often than not I have to slow myself down and stop myself from stopping and starting a million different creations! There is always some design floating around in my brain and I am forever sketching and writing down ideas so I don’t forget them. Whilst I am inspired by the insect shape these creations are not designed to be realistic replicas but rather fantastical representations – ‘dressed-up’ versions of an insect shape that have been embellished and adorned with beautiful beads, fabrics, threads and Swarovski crystals – so it does leave me with a vast amount of wiggle room as to how I will present the insect shape and it is this area of the design process that is constantly going through my mind. 

Do you embroider for fun or is it a full time job?

Creating these little guys is done in the spare time I find outside of working at my full-time job in my family’s business, studying and caring for a bunch of real-life furry critters (my sister has this talent of attracting rescue animals that need a home) so time is a precious commodity! Whenever I can find time to create I seize it with both hands – most days after work I can find an hour or so and the weekends are my most productive days. I definitely find embroidering to be something I do for fun and is something I enjoy immensely (even though I may have get a bit dramatic when things don’t work out!). The dream however is to always carve out more time for creating and make this little venture more of a full-time thing! One day perhaps! 

How do you find using Instagram? Do you ever worry your work will be copied? 

I was quite hesitant about joining Instagram and showcasing my work. Social media had never really been on my radar and even now Instagram is my only venture into it. I am really glad though that I did set up an Instagram account – the amount of absolutely talented people I have discovered is amazing! It is so lovely to have such a great embroidery community where you can meet and interact with some fantastic people of whom you can get advice and insight from – to have that access at your fingertips is wonderful. That being said though I am quite aware that once you put your work out there that is it. You hope that people enjoy what you have to offer but it can be a bit unsettling to think that something you have put so much time and effort into creating can be used without your knowledge. I feel like Instagram can be an artist’s best friend or worst enemy and luckily for me so far it has been really positive. In regards to having my work copied I think that it is a very hard task to duplicate someones work entirely as what we create and how we create it is a such a personal and individual thing. I also hope that people would much rather be inspired by someones work to go and then find their own creative juices rather than set out to copy something entirely. 

Do you ever feel nervous or anxious your followers won’t like your work? 

I can honestly say that when I started this little venture I didn’t think anyone would like what I do! So to have people actually reach out to me and tell me they are drawn to these little critters is just amazing! As with anything there will be people who like what you do and there will be others who will not and that is ok! I started making these pieces because I loved them – it was not based on what I thought would be a crowd pleaser. What I create is quite individual and I recognise that my style may not be everyone’s cup of tea so I never expected it to resonate with everyone. 

Do you ever feel pressured to post images that you know will get lots of likes instead of simply posting what you like? 

When it comes to posting on Instagram it is not so much the pressure of posting images that generate a lot of likes that crosses my mind but rather the nagging feeling that I am not providing enough content or posting often enough! The creations I work on take a long time to complete – I would say the average piece will take about 25 – 30 hours of work – and for much of that process it is not that exciting to look at. It really is only in the last bit that it actually looks like what it is suppose to so I don’t really like taking any photos of my work until it is either in the last stretch or completely done. As a result my posts can be pretty sporadic with weeks long gaps in between. Rushing a project to put up a post is not something I am into – I am pretty particular about everything creative- wise and how I present Stitch and Bone so it is just something I have to work with! Unless I can grow an extra set of hands – then I would get more done! 

What do you love about embroidery? 

If you had told me 5-10 years ago that I would enjoy embroidery as a creative outlet I probably would not have believed you! I never really had any inclination to dip my toe into it as I thought it to be too slow, boring, traditional and ‘old lady’ – all things that would drive me insane! I am glad to say that times have changed – the slow nature of embroidery is one of the things I enjoy (although it can drive me a little insane sometimes!). I like that there is a thoughtfulness to it – everything is deliberately chosen when it comes to the materials picked, where the stitch is placed and the how it is designed – and when you look closely at a handmade piece you are reminded of the hands that made it. There is no limits as to how you can interpret this traditional craft (something my younger self didn’t realise) and if I had seen the contemporary and modern spin that artists are injecting into their embroidery works earlier in life I probably would have gotten on the bandwagon much sooner! 

Follow Rach here.