For Sandhya Radhakrishnan from Thrissur, sewing is not only an art but also a means of livelihood through her embroidery hoop art. What she sews on each fabric is not just the yarn, but also the unforgettable moments of each life.
Sandhya Radhakrishnan's botle art and embroidery hoop art
Sandhya sewing lives into fabrics; Lockdown possibilities of business
Sandhya started with bottle art and from there slowly stepped into embroidery hoop art, two months before the lockdown, Sandhya, who had been working as an HR personal for eight years, entered into the bottle art, which later turned out to be a forward step to her own business.
Sandhya Radhakrishnan's botle arts collection
Her focus on embroidery hoop art comes when she was engaged in more work on bottle art. she learned the basic lessons of sewing and embroidery work through some YouTube videos, she says.
In Sandhya's own words When I spend time making something with my own two hands, I impart love in a way that, you are buying something never can.
Embroidery hoop art by Sandhya Radhakrishnan
When the first embroidery work was uploaded on Facebook, one of the Facebook friend who saw it asked her to do embroidery work for the first time. This opened the way for her to grow through her ideas. Sandhya says she now receives about 7-8 work orders a month.
Black threads are commonly used for embroidery works, and Sandhya is experimenting with works of different colors. Embroidery is usually done on poplin clothes, but she is also experimenting with embroidery on canvas and collar canvas clothes for uniqueness, says Sandhya.
Sandhya Radhakrishnan's embroidery hoop arts
It may take one and a half days or more to complete a single portrait. The success of each work is the patience and extreme dedication to the work, she says, as long hours of work can lead to problems, including back pain if the seat is not adjusted in a comfortable way.
In the meantime, she has won the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records for her work titled Sandy's Craft World - Handmade with love.
Sandhya Radhakrishnan has won the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records
Works on 10, 12 and 14-inch hoops are available. Price starting from Rs.1000 for a portrait. Instagram and Facebook are the main places where orders are received, Sandhya says.
In the present scenario, she has not only used the lockdown effectively to find a way of life but has also proven that self-employment can lift a woman's personality to the forefront of society.
By the time you finish reading this, Sandhya will be busy embroidering the next order.