Kseniia Guseva is a self-taught needlecraft artist based in Germany. In 2015, Kseniia discovered embroidery and was later inspired to combine her love for architecture and travelling with her new-found passion for embroidery. She has been creating embroidery patterns ever since.
Describe Your Style in Three Words?
Bright, nostalgic, architectural
How Long Have You Been Stitching For?
I‘ve been stitching on and off since I was 6 years old. For the last 8 years, I‘ve been stitching almost every day and turned it into a career
What’s Your Favorite Stitch?
I love creating textures by layering stitches. One of my favorites is greenery made with randomly close-placed seed stitches
How Did You Learn to Stitch?
I used everything I could get my hands on. At first, I learned stitches from books. The patterns were not very interesting and modern so I made my own. At that time I did cross-stitching. Then I had some classes in school where I learned the basics of hand embroidery: chain stitch and stem stitch, and I hated it. Then I tried it again when I was older and enjoyed every moment. I finally had access to the internet and YouTube videos and could understand the stitches better.
What Are Your Embroidery Essentials?
I‘m a minimalist in this matter. I only need Mouliné threads, a wooden embroidery hoop, a needle, and small scissors.
What Inspires You?
I was always surrounded by beautiful world-known architecture and I love to travel to different cities. That’s what inspires me - the variety of shapes, buildings, and colors that surround me. I currently live in Berlin and the mix of buildings and nature (it’s a very green city) makes me want to embroider everything I see. If only I had more hours in a day!
What’s Your Favorite Piece Of Work?
I’m constantly evolving, trying out different techniques and subjects. Some of my favorite pieces are the Stumpwork Forest landscape and Girl in the Jungle. They started as an exercise to try out the stumpwork techniques and turned out into beautiful landscapes. They are imaginative, bright, and very tactile.
What Difference Has Stitching Made To Your Life?
I’m an anxious person. Meditation and other relaxing techniques are too boring for me. I feel irritated instead of calm. But embroidery turned out to be a perfect fit. The hands are busy and the head gets empty of the everyday worries, and you make stitch after stitch. Some embroidery a day keeps the doctor away. At least for me ;)
