WHEN the first movement control order (MCO) was imposed in March last year, Yuslinda Yusof thought of the sweet memories of her kampung life.
Those were bright days among lush green trees, heritage homes, colorful flowers and moody skies for Kuala Pilah-born Roselin Yusof, as she is popularly known.
The self-taught artist missed the kampung life in Malacca where she grew up, but could not go back.
Instead, Roselin created an endearing tribute with a beautiful hand-embroidered artwork titled “Nostalgia Kampong Embroidery Arts”, which centres around kampung scenery, bustling with community life, animals and nature.
“Kisah Satu Hari Di Pagi Raya” is a colourful landscape art piece made with threads, in which Roselin depicts a scene at her grandmother’s house in Negeri Sembilan.
“This piece is about my best nostalgic memories of Hari Raya when I was seven years old,” she related.
“As per tradition, my family travelled to my mother’s home in Batu Kikir and funny things always happen when I get together with my cousins.”
In the intricately detailed piece, Roselin showcases playful moments with her cousins, as they sit on coconut palm fronds, breaking out in laughter as she falls over.
The simple moment is depicted in a brightly-coloured backdrop.
There is a blue sky in abstract design and two huge rambutan trees with billowy green leaves that flank an old house, with coconut trees in the background.
A yellow vintage Volkswagen enhances the mood of days gone by.
“Embroidery requires lots of patience, but there’s joy when the stitches transform a blank canvas into a colourful work of art,” she said.
Precision is also essential, added Roselin, who takes from a week to a month to complete an artwork.
“Every piece has its own story and value because it’s unique and not easy to complete. I treat each embroidery project like a painting, where threads are used instead of paint. Each thread colour works like a brushstroke of paint and with multiple hues of floss, the image looks like a beautiful oil painting,” she said.
Home sweet home
Since the first day of MCO, Roselin has created a total of 10 fascinating art pieces.
“There is something nostalgic about the place we call home. It’s the place where we were born and where love bonds family members. Sometimes in life, we should keep a little reminder of how it feels to be at home,” said Roselin, who has an emotional connection with her kampung.
Apart from kampung life, nostalgic memory is another key element that inspire her artworks.
“The two themes remind us of our roots and home. They are the biggest source of creativity in my art.’’
Being a landscape architect has also been a big influence on her work, as most pieces focus on the landscape instead of mere objects.
Roselin pointed out that many heritage houses have been abandoned over the years, while some have been completely remodeled or revamped to be more modern.
This has led to a loss of charm, character, originality and authenticity.
“My images focus on traditional architecture as I want to highlight our beautiful heritage Malay traditional houses or rumah kampung and indirectly promote Malaysia’s identity as well,” said the graduate from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Skudai.
Perfectly handcrafted
Although many artists would stick to the traditional style of stitching techniques or motifs, Roselin’s embroidery is based on her creative imagination that draws on illustrations, photographs and observational sketches.
She works from her little studio in her home.
“I used Calico fabrics for my Nostalgia Kampong Embroidery, which I created in two sizes (30.30cm and 40.40cm) with custom-made square hoop frames.”
First, she would draw rough sketches as a reference and transfer it on the fabric using a washable ink pen.
To achieve gradient and volume and bring the embroidery artwork to life, she uses quality DMC or CXC threads floss brand and apply various types of stitching styles to get fine or bold texture. Each piece ranges in price from RM1,000 to RM3,000.
“Layer by layer, I paint with my stitches. For the tiny stitch, I have to use a magnifying glass. In addition, the size of the needle and thickness of the thread also play an important part in the craft,” explains the 45-year-old.
Despite the strain on her eyes. Roselin loves stitching as it allows the freedom to express her talent through thread work and lines.
“Embroidery is a great meditation exercise and it makes me happy inside. I create my Nostalgia Kampung embroidery full of love through my hands, soul and my heart,” said Roselin.
“I really enjoy the creative process the most. I love the tactility (touch sensation) of the end result. It’s so different from the usual medium, which I am used to (2D medium). It feels very ‘real’ in your fingers, if that makes any sense at all,” added Roselin.
