hand embroidered meat















plated embroidered ham with rosemary and grape garnish plated embroidered ham with rosemary and grape garnish









I saw someone machine embroidering a shirt but they were using plastic wrap in the hoop, trying to get rid of the hoop marks on the fabric. I laughed. it looked like they were embroidering a sandwich. I saw someone machine embroidering a shirt but they were using plastic wrap in the hoop, trying to get rid of the hoop marks on the fabric. I laughed. it looked like they were embroidering a sandwich.

my brain immediately saw an embroidered slice of bologna. then it asked "what art would be embroidered on bologna?"

ok, then. it's decided. I went to the grocery store to buy some bologna and left without buying, saying to myself, "Laura, this is a stupid idea ... drop it ... you don't have time for this."

a week later I had to go back because my brain just couldn't let go. I'll just make one, I convinced myself. I spent $2.65 for 10 slices of bologna - something I haven't eaten in yeeers. think of it as art material.

bologna didn't embroider well, even with short threads and the tiniest needle. my hands warmed it up too fast. just a little bit of thread rubbing past this meat destroyed its integrity. and if the needle went through the thread of a previous stitch, it pulled it out of this marshmallow meat. bologna didn't embroider well, even with short threads and the tiniest needle. my hands warmed it up too fast. just a little bit of thread rubbing past this meat destroyed its integrity. and if the needle went through the thread of a previous stitch, it pulled it out of this marshmallow meat.

one friend commented, "everyone knows bologna is felted meat." I needed meat with grain in it. another friend bought me sliced ham after watching my bologna trials. THAT is the sign of a true friend.

to get the pic above, I had to warm up the bologna, which I had thrown in the freezer for another trial but then gave it up when I got the ham. to warm it up quickly, I rigged a hair dryer to blow on it for about 5 minutes.