Illusionistic Stitching Turns Embroidery Hoops Into Plates of Delectable Food

3D Embroidery by ipnot

Embroidery has been around for centuries, and the craft continues to evolve today. Artists are pushing the boundaries of their materials and bringing to life extraordinary designs with needles and thread. One of those creatives is Japanese textile artist ipnot. She stitches 3D replicas of food, household items, leaves, and more that look astonishingly real.

Ipnot was inspired to take up embroidery after watching her grandmother’s stitching techniques as a child. She started exploring the possibilities of the craft and soon found a particular stitch that became her signature style. “I discovered myself that the French knot stitch can be done by wrapping thread around the needle,” she says. “I find this type of stitching to be a lot of fun to do and it is my favorite type of stitch.”

Choosing from a palette of 500 colors, ipnot builds up each 3D object in tiny French knot stitches. Just like a Pointillism painting, the artist explains that she uses her “needle like a paintbrush and stitches one knot at a time.” From realistic renderings of food to an upright cherry blossom tree, each piece seems to jump from the fabric.

Ipnot playfully photographs her works using props and clever angles to create the illusion that her stitched creations are, in fact, real. In one piece, two autumn leaves appear to delicately float in mid-air. Another work of hoop art uses strands of cream and yellow threads to represent an oozing pizza cheese—one made even gooier with her holding the embroidery in her hand. With food pieces like that, scrolling through her portfolio is sure to make you hungry.

Check out ipnot’s 3D embroidered objects below and find more from her artwork on Instagram.

Textile artist ipnot stitches 3D embroidery designs that look just like real food and other objects.

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

Each piece in hand-rendered in thousands of French knots.

3D Embroidery by ipnot

This looks real enough to eat!

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

Each piece is made from a selection of colors, just like a painting.

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

3D Embroidery by ipnot

Watch how ipnot playfully puts her pizza embroidery together:

ipnot: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
h/t: [Laughing Squid]

All images via ipnot.

Related Articles:

Japanese Artist Embroiders Miniature Meals You Can Actually Play With

3D Embroidery Imagines Women With Fashions That Effortlessly Flow From the Hoop

3D Landscape Embroidery Captures Colorful Aerial Views of Rural England

Ultimate Guide to Embroidery: How It Started and How You Can Get Started Today

Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Staff Writer and Video Editor at My Modern Met. She earned a BA in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Berlin for many years, where she fostered a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from illustration and animation to music and ceramics. She now calls Edinburgh home, where she continues to work as a writer, illustrator, and ceramicist. Her ceramics, often combined with hand-painted animation frames, capture playful scenes that celebrate freedom and movement, and blend her passion for art with storytelling. Her illustrations have been featured in The Berliner Magazine as well as other print magazines and a poetry book.
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