Black Lives Matter

As I watch the events of the last few weeks with a very heavy heart, I've been wondering what I can do to help. I decided to create art that would inspire young black children, to remind them that they are beautiful, brave and strong, and that they can and will rise above the oppression they are seeing today. 

100% of the profits from these purchases will go to blacklivesmatter.com and other organizations supporting the welfare of the Black community.

"I Rise" is from the poem by Maya Angelou, "Still, I Rise". (please give it a read!) I hope it will inspire you as well and that together, we can make a difference.

The above, printable wall art PDF download is available at my shop: littledearprintshop.etsy.com

and includes hi-res files to print and display, as well as PNG and SVG files for digital crafting and Cricut or Silhouette cutting machines.

I've also created a hand embroidery pattern! It includes 4 and 6 inch versions. 

You can find the pattern digital download at littledear.etsy.com

The pattern is just black lines for transferring, but I've used watercolor to tint the background fabric. Have you done this before? It's really easy, but it's also a bit unpredictable, so go into it with an open mind. :)

First stitch up the design normally. For my 4 inch embroidery, I've used the Split Stitch on the words with 3 threads, and the Back Stitch on the bird with 2 threads. The dots are French Knots and the stars are Straight Stitches. (You can find complete beginner's embroidery tutorials at my website: little-dear.com to help you out if you need it!)

Now, just paint the fabric! You'll need to use quite a bit of water, and expect the color to bleed outside the lines a bit. You can build it up pretty dark at this stage, adding more color to the interior spaces as needed. I painted the bird with purple, then added a bit of black to the wing tips and head.

You can see that it dried quite a bit lighter than it looked wet, you can go back and add more color if you want to. I really like this loose, washy look!

If you want more control over color tinting your fabric, try out Crayon Tinting with this tutorial.

I hope you'll consider purchasing one (or both) of these files and join with me in making a change for social justice. Every little bit helps! Let's make our world a better place for everyone.

** Want to do even more to help? Here's a list of 150+ Black-owned businesses to follow and support. <3

xo aimee