Did you get a chance to take a look at the impressive portraits created by artist, Cayce Zavaglia in this month's Elle Decor? Holy Love!! These are not paintings, dear readers, but thousands of stitches that Cayce refers to as 'renegade embroidery' that she layers to create these stunning realistic works of art.   

 The back of the above portrait:

'Zavaglia begins each piece by taking photographs of her subject against a plain gray background. After selecting an image, she transfers it to fabric, draws over it in sharp detail--every line, hair, wrinkle--then starts to sew. The hair comes first, followed by the forehead, as she works her way down the face.'  

She does paint the background but then puts the paints away. After becoming pregnant with her first child, she wanted to work less with oils and turpentine and turned to a different medium--needlework.  A large work can consist of 80-100 colors of crewel wool and take up to 7 months to complete.    

To see more of her amazing work, check out her website here.

{images via Cayce Zavaglia}