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Hawthorne & Heaney Experiments with Machine Ceremonial Military Embroidery

January 25, 2017 by Natasha Searls-Punter

For quite some time now, we have been playing around with the idea of developing a machine embroidery that would communicate some similar ideas to traditional military style goldwork but in a crisper, more modern way. In true Hawthorne & Heaney style, we didnt just want to go in for a little sample that we could get to work on a small scale, but a big piece that would really hit you in the face, so we settled on a version of the Privy Councillors Coatie.

We wanted the piece to not only have a rich gold look of the original piece , but also the different heights to the stitching and surface details that come with applying bullion individually.

The colours are worked in layers, adding layers of padding between colours to create light relief.

Following these processes, the machine then goes back into to add additional details :

Once all of that is done, we give it a little tidy up and it is complete. To give you a sense of scale this piece is 45 cm high which would be the left hand side of a mens jacket. It is really exciting for us to see a large scale outcome for this technique which has defiantely sparked some subsequent ideas, so stay tuned to see what we do next…

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane

April 21, 2016 by Natasha Searls-Punter

For his SS16 collection, we worked with Joshua Kane to create these lightening inspired detail to compliement the tailoring. We came across this great picture of Jack Guiness in one of the jackets with Ben Stiller, giving their best ‘blue steel’ looks and just had to share it with you!

Here you can see some of the detail of the goldwork that goes unto the collar. The embroidery stands up from the fabric as it has been raised and each piece of bullion is cut to measure and hand applied to create this lux effect.

And here the rest fo the jacket, I think you will agree, it is pretty special.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Application of Traditional Goldwork

July 24, 2015 by Natasha Searls-Punter

It can be hard when you get excited and caught up in learning a new technique, but when it comes to applying your skills to a particular item, one often realises it is harder than first thought. We thought we would take our recent work for Joshua Kane and use it as a sort of case study for the use of goldwork in fashion.

These pieces were inspired by lightening which give the goldwork a very crisp look whilst showing off the complexity of the goldwork. Often, goldwork is shown with some accents of silk work, however by keeping purely to the goldwork it makes it look very bold and fresh.

Placement of pieces such as these is very important as they weigh a lot so the piece of the garment that they can be crafted into need to be very sturdy in itself and not be subject to too much movement when worn . This is why the collar and high waistband as shown above work well with this technique as they will not be agitated in these positions. As can be seen in the images, the positioning of the embroidery and the garment pieces are worked in careful consideration of each other.

Along with the weight, the height of the embroidery has to be taken into consideration as the padding underneath, forces the goldwork to stand proud of the fabric. This can make for a really interesting design feature, as can be seen in this example, the shadows created by the height add to the depth and texture of the piece.

With some careful manipulation, the use of traditional techniques can make a very refreshing to classic cuts which has so much possibility. In these pieces there is only 2 types of goldwork material used, which allows for a clean appreciation of the lines and design itself, allowing it to be an interesting addition to the overall look without over powering the garment as a whole.

If you have an idea that you would like to see come to fruition or are interested in learning more about goldwork, get in touch with us at Hawthorne & Heaney or the London Embroidery School.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Gold work

October 3, 2014 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Here in the H&H studio we have fallen head over heels back in love with Gold work. After having this lovely piece framed which was on show at the Henry Poole Exhibition at the Bowes Museum, we can;t get enough of this amazing technique. The series starts with the rubbing (far left) taken from a Privy councillors coatee. This was then turned into a clear trace of the original pattern from which an embroidery draft can be created (centre). The far right image is that of the part finished embroidery showing the various layers that build together to make the final effect of the gold work.

Now Spring/Summer 2015 fashion weeks have officially come to a close, we couldn’t help but notice some the the gold and metal work details popping up. We can always trust that Dolce and Gabbana will display luxurious gold work inspired pieces and this season, they did not fail us.

Dior took a more subtle approach, applying this tradition technique in the details of their long length jackets, bringing a lady like edge to these masculine shape inspired pieces.

If you find yourself interested to know more about this historical technique there is a Beginners Goldwork course at The London Embroidery School starting next Wednesday, so don’t wait to secure your place. You can also find examples of Hawthorne & Heaney’s use of Goldwork in the portfolio of our website:

Hawthorne & Heaney for Sibling