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Hawthorne & Heaney for Carne Griffiths, Embroidery in Art

September 5, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Once again, Hawthorne & Heaney has had the pleasure of working with the artist Carne Griffiths on some of his new pieces in preparation for his upcoming solo exhibition. Griffiths’s addition of embroidery suit his drawing style and use of colour very well as the stitches are absorbed into the piece and are accepted as another stroke or mark. The use of the embroidery draws on Griffith’s own history as a gold wire draftsman which is demonstrated in his subtle and considered choice of stitch.

A range of Griffiths’ work will be on display at the Ink’d gallery in Brighton for his solo exhibition called ‘Origins’ from the 6th September to 5th October 2014. This follows his previous successful exhibition with them back in 2012 and will feature some of the hand embroidered pieces along with a range from his collection.

There is also several opportunities to get involved and meet the man himself, there will be a raffle held throughout the exhibition if you fancy the chance to win a commission by Griffiths which will be selected at the end of the show. He will be holding a 3 hour workshop on working with tea, alcohol, pens and ink spills in his distinctive style. The workshop will be held in the Ink’d Gallery on the 27th September, 11-3, places are limited so don’t delay if you want a place!

Hawthorne & Heaney does Bespoke Slippers

August 7, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Many of you may think its way too early to be thinking about Christmas, but in terms of bespoke gifts, it’s not far away. Our good friends over at Cleverley’s have been busy making slippers that are destined to be Christmas gifts for quite some time now, as have we for those slippers that are adorned with embroidery.

Our director, Claire Barrett has had a pair made for herself with our Hawthorne & Heaney logo across the front, embroidered in silks and bullions. I have it on good authority that they are incredibly comfortable and hard wearing as well as being very a highly covetable item. They can be made with your choice of emblem on the front, if you have something specific in mind which we can have made into embroidery as we also offer a drafting service.

Best get your order in if you would like to present your loved one with a pair of these! Pricing on request.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Family Crests

July 31, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

We’ve been feeling a little nostalgic this week and have been looking back in our archives. This mostly consists of Heraldic embroidery which is Claire, our founder’s, speciality. Consisting mainly of Lions and Unicorns ….. over the last three years we have built a rather remarkable collection of embroidery artworks.

This traditional style of embroidery, when done well, hinges on padding (‘raisings’ for the initiated) to create the wonderful dramatic pieces we are best known for. Above you can see the padding underneath and the finished stitches which are a combination of silks, accented with goldwork.

This style of crest can be found in both family histories and established businesses, centring around the escutcheon (shield) which displays the ordinaries and common charge on the field. The complexity will depend on what level of acheivement the bearer is entitled to. The below is an example of a full heraldic achievement which consists of shield, supporters, crest, and motto bannered underneath.

We can also offer a drafting and framing service along with the embroidery. Prices start from £95 depending on size and complexity. A piece like this will last a lifetime, making a beautiful birthday or wedding gift. Alternatively it could make an intriguing trophy piece or a great talking point for a room.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Interiors

July 17, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney has had lots of request over the years to direct our embroidery expertise to apply some of our embroidery techniques to interiors. Occasionally we have dipped our toes into the interiors world, applying goldwork techniques and monograms to cushions and footstools for example but we thought we would also show you some of the inspiring work we have come across recently:

We also came across this lovely combination where wall covering meet embroidery as Custhom have incorporated embroidered stitches into the graphic design of this paper to add an usual relief element to your feature wall.

Within the same theme we also came across this inventive floor design by Lin Wei Ling Victoria who drilled and then embroidered into these floorboards.

Timorous beasties is a design studio up in Glasgow, founded by two friends, Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons who met and Glasgow school of art. They create fabrics and wallpapers in traditional arrangements but insert unexpected themes, mostly inspired by nature. Their work often has a reflective quality as they explore the relationship between, plants, animals and society, a theme that runs throughout their designs.

Barnaby Gates is another create duo, Vanessa Barnaby and Alice Gates who create really luxurious wall coverings using specially selected, traditional printing processes for each design. There is a quintessential Britishness to the brand as they choose to print in one of the last remaining print works in the Midlands and it provides the inspiration for most of their works.

In response to this, we thought we tun our hand to apply some of our embroidery expertise to interior design so working with a variety of brocades, this is what we produced:

If you have a special project in mind and are looking for a way to make it unique, get in touch.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Jaye Pearce

July 11, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

A few months ago we were approached by an interiors consultant called Jaye Pearce for a rather special project, her wedding dress. She had decided she wanted something different and being a creative person, decided that she was going to have a little more of a hand in what her gown would look like than just choosing it, she was going to design it.

This is the point where we starting discussing the possibilities for making her design a reality so Jaye presented us with a detailed sketch of the design she wanted for the top of her outfit which was going to be in a very sheer fabric with delicate beadwork. The design comprised of deco inspired fans complimenting the contours of the body, a scattering of stars and romantic cabbage roses surrounded by daisies. The design had a quite whimsical nature with all its delicate components so to reflect this is was decided that the beads would be a combination of seed pearls and satin cut frosted glass beads in the traditional ivory tone. This was highlighted with very fine silver stitched details which offset the lining which was in a vintage blush pink.

Jaye has very kindly sent us some pictures from her big day where you can see the full outfit in all its splendour and so you can see the beading how it is meant to be seen.

And here’s the lady herself, congratulations to the happy couple for all the ladies at Hawthorne & Heaney!

Hawthorne & Heaney Events presents… Monogramming for Superdry Premium

July 8, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

You may have caught us out on the town again as on Thursday, the ladies of Hawthorne & Heaney took themselves down to Superdry Islington to share their embroidery skills. We thought we would just post with you a couple of pictures from the event to give you some inspiration while you wait and see where we pop up next:

Drafting the initials

Working progress

Finishing up

Finished Product!

Antico Setificio Fiorentino

July 3, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Anytime we come across a brand or a maker who shares an ethos with us we like to share them with you and Antico Setificio Fiorentino is one such brand. They make beautiful, traditional silks on handwoven looms in the San Frediano in Florentine tradition as they have since 1786. Their website and literature is a veritable what’s what of silk, explaining the differences in the silks and their corresponding patterns in exceptional detail. From Erminsino to Filaticcio, Broccatello to Lampasso even a textiles enthusiast feels like they have learned something from visiting their world.

Their website is definitely worth a visit with lots of striking images and hypnotic video clips of the looms. It gives a great sense of the scale of time it must take to make a batch of made to measure cloth. The delicate threads and fibres weave seamlessly through the looms, some of which date back to the 18th century and are based on the original designs of Leonardo Di Vinci. Antico Setificio Fiorentino go to great efforts to share with the public the art of weaving, as they recently exhibited the Di Vinci warping machine in Milan in April. They also have an ongoing project with the State Archives of Florence to restore and digitise ancient volumes of the Art of Silk and the Art of Wool in order to preserve this rare insight into weaving of the past.

It’s lovely to see such passion and enthusiasm for an ancient craft and that it still has a place and desirability in current textile production. However with such an eye for detail and quality as is seen here, it is no surprise that they continue to thrive.

New Mayfair Office for Hawthorne & Heaney

June 20, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Those of you who follow us on social media may have already guessed from some of the hints we have been dropping in our excitement, but for those of you that missed them Hawthorne & Heaney is now in Mayfair.

Following in the footsteps of some of the greats and a fair few of our loyal customers, Hawthorne & Heaney will now have an office in Mill Street. Minutes from Savile Row and sharing an office with the lovely Dugdale Bros, Merchants of high quality heritage cloth, to create a textile hotspot in the very center of London

Dugdale Bros & Co. is based in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, but the new central London office is essential for the progression of collaborations. Being in closer proximity to clients and being accessible by a short walk from any where is mayfair is an asset that both companies will greatly benefit from. Specialising in high end English Cloth, Dugdales harnesses the advantages of the soft Yorkshire water to produce over 2000 materials. These range from their traditional cloths upon which they built their name, to new ranges released each year to meet current trends and technological advances, so there is always something to suit even the most discerning customer.

Here is a few sneaky pictures of the befores to wet your appetite. Stay posted for more details and book an appointment to come and visit us soon !