IMPACT 0289: SHARING THE ART OF EMBROIDERY THROUGH WORKSHOPS

We Told You Sew is an embroidery collective founded by Brian Lim, Zachary Ng and Kimberly Ho. Through their embroidery workshops, they show others that modern embroidery is about creating art without the intimidation of perfectionism while appreciating the details amidst a fast-paced life. We take a peek into what they do and how they do it.

Hi! We are We Told You Sew, and our weapon of choice is needle and thread. We Told You Sew started towards the end of 2018 after a handful of friends wanted to learn embroidery from us. Since the three of us started embroidering casually as a hobby back in 2015 and 2016,  we thought that the best way to deliver these workshops was to come together as a trio. Our main tools of the trade are needle, thread and snips. We also can’t live without an embroidery hoop, which keeps fabric taut during sewing.

The best part about teaching embroidery is seeing someone entirely new to embroidery send us their finished piece – many of them blow us away. We all have our own reasons for choosing such an art form – whether it’s about intentionally slowing down in the midst of a fast-paced society, or expressing the ideas one has in a new way. Whatever it is, workshops allow us to interact with people of all backgrounds and pass our knowledge on!

In 2020, we worked with Gallery Kolektif, the youth arm of National Gallery Singapore, to create embroidery pieces based on artworks in the Singapore Museum collections. This is one of the pieces by Kimberly Ho!

It was an enriching experience that allowed us to learn more about artists in the Southeast Asian region – an insight that is sorely missing in the Western-dominated art world. We also picked up new embroidery techniques, bringing different textures to life. Check out the video process on Gallery Kolektif’s Instagram Page.

Since we started, We Told You Sew has received numerous requests for commissions from both our friends and strangers. Many of these requests were gifts for people they love, and thus we decided to create a distinct style for these portraits to help celebrate these precious relationships.

We love challenging ourselves to take our craft to the next level and hope to bring the art of embroidery to more people in the community by keeping this medium affordable and accessible to everyone.

If you’d like to try embroidery for yourself, learn more about We Told You Sew’s workshops by following us either on Instagram or on Facebook!

This article was published on Dec 10, 2021