Lots of Love is a fractal embroidery project, conceived in SF and executed in Kathmandu, Nepal. These stitchings were planned in conjunction with an embroidery master, whose over 40 years worth of experience made the whole thing possible.

First, the patterns are generated on a small computer (in the usual fashion for "fractals"). Then, these images are used as templates for constructing the all-silk embroideries shown here.

The outlines of the defining regions in each image are traced by hand onto a sheet of thin paper, and the lines of these tracings are punched-out (very carefully) using a sharp needle. The dotted outlines are then transfered onto a piece of black silk by wiping over the tiny holes with powdered chalk.

After this skeletal pattern appears on the fabric, the color-fill in each region is embroidered into it (by eye), using silk thread. This results in an image which will last decades, without fading, running, or shrinking.

In fact, there are many silk embroideries in museum collections, whose age exceeds 1000 years, and in which the image is still remarkably crisp.

Each piece is produced by a team of embroiderers, one man for each color. Each worker adding his portion to the piece-in-progress, then passing it down the line.

After each area is stitched, the person in charge of that portion changes his thread to another color. In this way, no two pieces are alike. In fact, it is possible to produce hundreds of unique embroideries, using a single pattern.

This process mimics a computer technique known as "color cycling", which is commonly applied to images from any source, to rearrange their palettes or to give them an animated look.