Maritime Embroidery Alphabet

I decided to make a series of nautical flag inspired embroidery art. I wanted to find something I could make while on the road in the van this summer. I was really missing my presses and spent time brainstorming something that would bring me a similar satisfaction like printing. My mother is always doing amazing embroidery while traveling so I decided to combine this easy-to-transport art with other things I love: paper & letters. ⁠⁠
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I started sketching out some ideas to embroider first. Then I remembered that flags in the International Code of Signals laid out an entire alphabet. I decided to use those as a base and began testing out ideas. First I just did some spacing tests and then embroidery thread thicknesses before settling down on a pattern to use. I build templates for all the letters in illustrator.

Equipment is pretty minimal for this project which was part of the goal. Everything I need fits in a tiny bag. The awl (sharp stabby tool!) was the only thing I didn’t already have with me. I chose to stick to black & white as the predominant colors to make it simple and to match my style. A few letters in the signal flags venture out with more colors, so I pulled in some strategic greys to keep it neutral.

Each one of these monochromatic interpretations has brought me a ton of joy. I started out just making R V & A (for Richmond, Virginia) and then committed to finishing the other 23. As a bonus, each letter also has another layer of meaning when flown at sea. “D” means “Keep clear of me; I am maneuvering with difficulty.” I’d like that each one works kinda like a personal motto when displayed on it’s own.

Here are a bunch of the letters! It took me about two weeks to knock them all out. The hardest one was “I” (the circle shape you see above). And I have not picked a favorite letter yet.

Here are some close up details of the letters and how the string goes into the paper through the pre-punched holes.

To display them, my sister in law helped me make a beautiful frame & box combo. We measured and designed it in such a way that you can show one off in the front, while the other 25 are stored in the back.

Besides displaying them in my house, I am still deciding what to do with them. I might make a little kit for people to download and DIY some, or sell just the PDFs of each letter. For now though, I am going to give my sewing fingers some rest! See all 26 letters & their meanings on Instagram with the hashtag #maritimembroidery.