Realistic embroidery by Elza

My first glance when scrolling Facebook timeline made me think that it’s a beautiful photograph of a bird. This colorful bird is in fact a realistic stitch work by a self-taught artist of applied art Elza. Talented craftswoman Elza shares the images of her embroidery on Facebook page. Elza lives in Cape Town, South Africa, engaged in animalistic stitch. Realistic embroidery by Elza is not for sale, she is just enjoying her hobby. She has taught herself mostly from books an magazines and then applied that knowledge plus her own ideas to her embroidery.

Bluebird, Rufous-bellied niltava from Thailand, in long and short stitch and french knots. Elza used no 40 sewing embroidery thread as well as one strand of stranded cotton

Common Kingfisher. The bird was done in no 40 sewing embroidery thread and the trunk, mostly in stranded cotton, Elza has used turkey stitch to make the fluffiness on the bark. She used tiny no 15 seed beads to create the illusion of water droplets.

The Lilac Breasted Roller. This bird is indigenous to Africa especially in the Southern regions and is the national bird of Botswana

The peacock in its entity The size is an A4 ( 200mmx 300mm ) It was worked mainly in one strand of stranded cotton. Elza also used metallic tread and no40 sewing embroidery thread.

A closeup of the tortoise. Elza used one strand of stranded cotton for the embroidery.

Waxie. She embroidered this image mostly in one strand stranded cotton. The flowers were done in 7mm silk ribbon and the stamens in french ribbon

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