Positive and Negative Space in Design

artSweet Pea Machine Embroidery Designs in the hoop, machine embroidery
When creating or editing designs in machine embroidery it is important to remember that what we are engaging in an artistic process. Even those of you that embroider as an occasional hobby can benefit from thinking about your designs as a whole and not just the thread or applique that is going on your project. This is where the concept of positive and negative space come into your design, with positive space being the subject and negative space being the area that surrounds.