An Embroidery Travel Diary

In the spring of 2019, my boyfriend and I set out on a very special journey. We boarded a train in our hometown Zevenaar in the Netherlands. Via Berlin and Moscow, we traveled to Beijing on the Trans-Mongolian Railway—a train journey of about 10,000 kilometers over land. From the train, we saw many beautiful landscapes and spoke to people of 17 different nationalities throughout the trip. So special to experience!

Several years earlier, I had done a 365-day challenge and embroidered 7x7 cross-stitches every day. These relatively short projects yielded a lot of awareness and creativity; they became a kind of diary. When we made the plans for our train trip, I wanted a similar challenge. I wanted to capture the special experience in a wearable textile. Making something small every day provides a moment of relaxation and awareness, and this textile project had to be feasible in terms of time and energy. Moreover, it should not take up much space because our backpacks were already quite full. Embroidery was the most logical choice for decorating my sweater.

From Moscow we were on the train for about 72 hours before we would visit another city (Irkutsk). The photo shows work in progress on the first of the four days. Photo by Marjolein Bartels

You cannot photograph some experiences, but you can embroider them, keeping the memory alive. The more iconic rendering provides a rich memory of the moment. A photographic image, however, can sometimes take over my memory.

An example of moments that we were not allowed to record are border and passport controls. We don’t experience this within the European Union, so this was a special part of our journey. Passports were thoroughly checked for the correct visas, and drug dogs walked through the carriages and along the platforms. At the border crossing between Mongolia and China, they took our passports outside the train to check them, but in the meantime, the train started running again. We were anxious about getting our passports back. Fortunately, the train’s movement turned out to be only to change the restaurant carriage.

Marjolein Bartels with her sweater in front of a Mongolian ger during the tour in Mongolia. The days before they had visited the Singing Sanddunes in the Gobi Desert and the Flaming Cliffs. Photo by Ruben Stellingwerf

Another memorable moment concerned our leftover Mongol money, called tugrik. We decided to tip the chambermaids who cleaned the hostel so well. At first, they thought it should go to the manager, so they were very surprised and happy that it was for themselves. That day, I embroidered an icon of the tugrik.

In Mongolia, we took an unforgettable tour that introduced us to nomadic Mongolians. We were struck with the beauty of their lifestyle in the steppes. We lived with no running water, no sewer, and no electricity for a week, but the challenges don’t matter if you look at the wonderful experiences this tour brought.

The entire travel diary with the months on the left and the dates in each box. Photo by Marjolein Bartels

The special thing about this travel diary is that I made it on the spot: on the train, in various hotels, and in Mongolian gers. Embroidery in a moving train is a challenge, but that is the charm of this project.

Note: I embroidered with DMC Perlé 5 yarns. This is maybe not your average embroidery floss, but the colors are very beautiful.

Marjolein Bartels is a graphic designer with a label for handmade products called Atelier groenmblauw. She uses a variety of craft techniques and recycled materials. Learn more at groenmblauw.nl and on Instagram @groenmblauw.

This article first appeared in PieceWork Winter 2021.