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Long Colorful Strands of Yarn Are Woven into Stunning Portraits

By Margherita Cole on February 1, 2024

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Artist Katerina Marchenko continues to elevate embroidery by weaving long, colorful strands of yarn into massive portraits. Each of her pieces is made on delicate tulle, requiring a deft touch from the crafter. Seeing these human faces come to life on such a large scale is well worth the effort, especially when we are used to seeing embroidery on a much smaller canvas.

If you’re wondering how the artist achieves her remarkable results, you’re in luck because Marchenko documents her process in timelapse videos. These clips demonstrate how she ditches the needle in her life-size works, and instead relies on her hands to pass the strands of yarn through the tulle. This unique process lends itself to a very linear style, with many of these portraits resembling the loose sketchy quality of hand-drawn illustrations. In many cases, Marchenko intentionally leaves the threads falling from different points of the portrait, which gives it an expressive quality.

Aside from large portraits, Marchenko also uses her talents in other projects. When working on typical embroidery hoops, her style becomes more detailed and painterly. She captures faces, flowers, and hands among other subjects. Her interest in the human body and line art is a uniting thread in all of her works.

You can purchase original embroidery creations via Marchenko's Etsy store and keep up to date with her latest creations by following the artist on Instagram.