Weave in the vintage feel

Aswathy Dev started her embroidery hoop art as a hobby. Now, she rejoices being a part of many people’s happy moments
Aswathy Dev's embroidery hoop art
Aswathy Dev's embroidery hoop art

After her baby Zora falls asleep, Aswathy Dev sits patiently at night with her embroidery hoop and black threads to sew personalised gifts. Images or moments, which are too special to be confined to a phone gallery or album, get vintage monochrome imagery in Aswathy’s hands. With slender stitches, the Noida based artist, who is originally from Alapuzha does minimal embroidered portraits for personalised gifting that can be cherished by all, for all time.

Aswathy moved to Noida five years ago. When she was pregnant, Aswathy was on an emotional rollercoaster ride with recurring anxiety, which often got overwhelming, making her body stiff. To get past the pregnancy blues, Aswathy dusted off her basic skills in embroidery. “Embroidery is therapeutic. It was just a hobby for me until a year ago, as my doctor suggested I do something creative to lift my spirit. In my first attempt, I did a welcome gift for my baby, a portrait of me carrying Zora. After pregnancy, I didn’t pick up embroidery for almost eight months, and during those days I was tampered by postpartum depression. I returned to it later as a great way to have some time quality ‘me time’ and detach myself from the hustle,” says Aswathy.

Her first embroidery caught the attention of many and orders started pouring in. A year and a half ago, Aswathy turned her hobby into a homegrown business venture ‘HangIn There.’ Though the youngster was introduced to embroidery by her aunt, Aswathy learnt the several types of stitches and ways to make art out of threads by watching online tutorials. 

Sewing realistic portraits with utmost detailing is her speciality. “Though I used to make art out of scrap back in school, I never really explored drawing. It was only through embroidery and practice that I realised that I can create images. If I continued creating colour pattern hoops like the other hoop artists, I wouldn’t have known I was capable of this,” adds Aswathy.

One portrait takes around eight hours to finish, claims Aswathy. But this never made her drop out of it. She considers being able to become a part of someone else’s happiness a big takeaway. “Their moment of joy when they receive the custom made gift is what I look forward to. One of the orders gave a mix of emotions once. The client’s parents had passed away when he was a child. He somehow found a picture of them and wanted the same to be done on a hoop. When I heard how it made him feel, I realised this is what I want to do,” says Aswathy.

Pieces in her collection are more on the minimal, neutral side unless requested by clients. Using stitching styles like the lazy daisy, fishbone, and woven wheel, Aswathy creates varied patterns. The youngster also sells vintage embroidered scrunchies and headbands available in butterfly, evil eye, and floral patterns.

Instagram: @hanginthere_by_aswathy

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