IN STITCHES
Teresa Lim, the dexterous mind and hands behind TeeTeeHeeHee shares the stories behind her embroidered artworks and eco-ambitions.
Miniature canvases that capture fleeting emotions, sights and scenes, Teresa Lim’s hand-stitched works are quirky, colourful and cute. Yet they’re also reflective and thought-provoking. An accidental influencer, Lim began embroidering her illustrations to simply record memories and moments that were important to her. “Sewing a line, as compared to drawing it, takes more time and puts me in a more meditative state of mind,” she explains. Her works
The Sad Girls Club series of 16 embroidered works featuring girls in—well, all sorts of sorrowful states—is Teresa’s way of saying “You’re not alone in all that.”
“Often, we experience things but nobody speaks about them so people don’t realise howcommon the problem is. That feeling of knowing that you’re not alone is powerful and I want to express that in my work."
Her first series, Sad Girls Club¸ started as a cathartic exercise to get over a bad break-up. Doe-eyed faces—some wistful, others defiant or teary—peep out from behind walls of pretty flowers and sequins. The dainty pieces were inspired by the struggles that Lim’s friends shared to comfort her. “My girlfriends would tell me things about their lives and instead of letting the conversations pass, I wanted to immortalise them in colours and textures,” she explains. From a battle with an eating disorder to the ache of a first lost love, deeply personal stories are delicately woven into the cloths. “Often, we experience things but nobody speaks about them so people don’t realise how common the problem is. That feeling of knowing that you’re not alone is powerful and I want to express that in my work."
Seascapes is an ongoing series where Teresa weaves in all the ‘accidental’ plastics that fall into her hands.
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“I call them accidental plastics because sometimes we don’t want to use plastic, but it just shows up. For example, whenever you buy something new, it comes in a plastic container.”
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Lim’s desire to open our eyes to universal issues is evident in the themes that she has explored over the years. These have ranged from
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SHOP THE LOOK: Camel Bow Suede Pumps
Teresa's Tips
How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Bring your own straws
“I started feeling annoyed at myself for using plastic straws whenever I was out in restaurants so now I bring my own bamboo straws. They come in a cute set with different sizes. I even have one for bubble tea!"
Takeaway in
“If I plan to get takeout, I bring along my own container. One day, I noticed that bakeries pack each bun into individual plastic bags and that realisation was scary to me. Now, I ask them to stack the buns inside my Tupperware.”
Invest in a shopping bag
“Most brands give paper bags when you shop but if their bags are plastic, I keep a tote handy and use that instead.”
Say no to disposable cups
“I’m a big bubble tea fan so I carry a 200ml bottle that holds the same volume as a small cup and
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