Embroidery Specialists
Last year, we had the pleasure of making this banner embroidery for legendary company, Watts and Co. It is for the Church of the Incarnation, Highlands, NC. The church’s emblem has been embroidered onto exclusive Watts Blue Bellini silk damask, finished with silk bullion fringe. ⠀
We included lots of raisings and textures in this piece to make it look as rich and luxurious as possible. We are particulally pleased with the fish and the cross’s halo, what’s your favourite bit?
‘A Girl Threading a Needle by Candlelight’ by G. Schalcken
The Wallace Collection is a hidden gem in London’s art history crown, which even this museum buff and lifelong Londoner has only just discovered. Set in a stunning 18th Century building on Manchester Square (just off Oxford Street) it is hard to believe it has taken this long to come across it. Housing some very famous works of art such as Hals’s ‘Laughing Cavalier’, Boucher’s ‘Madame De Pompadour’ and many Gainsborough’s there is plenty to see if you fancy a bit of an oppulent afternoon in the city. For keen stitchers, there are some stunning tapestry works as well as these 17th century wall hangings from Italy featuring lots of goldwork techniques. Now, until the end of August they have upped the ante a bit further by adding stunning couture shoes into the mix.
Wall hangings, Italian, c. 1650, maker unknown
For a limited time the Wallace Collection is also displaying a selection of footwear superstar Manolo Blahnik amongst their artworks. Unlike many other fashion exhibitions, this is more of an intergration of the shoes in amongst the other art, they sit alongside the permenant collection (sometime on them!) in carefully arranged bell jars. This makes the exhibiton much more intimate as you feel you can get up close to all the pieces on display and all are treated with equal respect.
The selection of shoes in each room has been themed to compliment the artworks they are among. A particular favourite of mine was the oval drawing room where the most decadent shoes Blahnik designed for Sofia Coppola’s film ”Marie Antoinette” are shown amongst the sweet coloured room featuring Fragonard’s ‘Swing’ and Boucher’s ‘Madame de Pompadour’.
From an embroidery perpective there are a few pieces that standout as particulally beautiful. These boots ‘ Lepanto’ (Davee) 2003 look to be a combinations of hand painting and embroidery to a very rich effect.
These pink petal encrusted pair called ‘Amir’ 1997 look like they belong with some of the dresses from the ‘Designer of Dreams’ Exhbition which is still on at the V & A Museum
Of course, there are beads so we couldn’t not mention ‘Zarina’ 2015 which are the very definition of encrusted.
Downstairs is a wall of the original sketches for shoes on display upstairs, showing Blahnik’s distinctive style and flare.
Overall it has all been very respectly done. It is clear from the selection that Blahnik is passionate about beauty and craftsmanship with many skills shown in his designs and revisited throughout the years. There is not much information on each of the pieces, a simple sticker of each one’s name and year leaves you with a few questions perhaps, but lets you enjoy them uninterupted.
‘An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection’ is on until the 1st Sept 2019, Entrance is free.
”From miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and makeup, discover how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street, with over 200 garments and accessories, including unseen pieces from the designer’s personal archive. ”
Thai Two Piece (top circa 1960)
This time, the V&A’s fashion and textiles display has brought us straight into the swinging sixties with the ‘Mary Quant‘ exhibition which it is currently housing. Covering many aspects and influcences of the brand, this exhibition explains how Quant built such a sucessful label and how it came to influence the way we shop today.
Coat with Frogging Details
The begins of the brand were humble, with Quant stitching together pieces of an evening upstairs from her shop ‘Bazaar’ to be sold the following day. The inspiration for her pieces was drawn from necessity. Quant saw that girls didn’t necessarily want to dress like smaller versions of their mothers and wanted to make their own fashion choices. She identified that these people thought of themselves as more ‘easy going’ and ‘broad minded’ than the previous generation and wanted to express themselves as such; stepping away from the constrictive gurdles of the 50’s and into more flexible, playful pieces. You might say that what Mary Quant did for fashion in the 60’s was a kin to what Chanel did in the 20’s, providing a more comfortable alternative to the restrictive fashions of the previous decade and in turn allowing the wearer to make socio-political statements about themselves their beliefs (women’s roles in society and decorum for example).
Cotton Wrap Dress
The Quant brand started as a way to offer an alternavive way to dress, however there was always a strong undertone of inclusivity in the designs, and here we can see how Quant channels the 50’s shape she had previously moved away from. Reimagining it in a more comfortable wrap around style in a soft cotton fabric, she started to appeal to a whole new group to expant her following.
Manhattan dress (circa 1970)
Mini-Culottes dress
Upstairs the exhibition moves on to more about how the brand expanded as times moved on, displaying pieces from the 70’s onwards. You can see how the styles developed with the times, but Quant managed to balance the changing styles with some of her classic brand features.
Another area in which Quant was a revolutionary was in her makeup range. Like with the fashion, the makeup grew out of necessity as Mary felt that the people who were buying her items, needed to be able to do more natural, lighter make up to compliment the fashion choices they had made. Other make up brands available at the time promoted a much heavier made up look, which didn’t necessarily reflect the look people wearing Quant’s clothes wanted to create for themselves.
Here we can see how the strength of the branding comes into play. They focused on simplifing the process of making yourself up in the products which are often have multiple uses, were made to be able to fit into palettes for easy storage. The names also simply state what they do whilst having a sense of humour: ‘Cheeky’, ‘Tan Trap’ and ‘Grease Paint’ for example.
Mini Crinkle Dress
From an embroidery perspective, there unsuprisingly isnt much featured in this exhibition as it is more of a luxury technique (particulally during this time). However it isan interesting exhibition to look at from a textiles/ production view point as the brand being one of the first high street shops aimed at a younger market. Though there is an emphasis on accessibility for more people into fashion and therefore a lower than their contemporary competitiors price points for the items, there is still great quality to these items. This testament is shown in the vibrancy and how well the garments have still held their shape, particulally on pieces you can see have been worn and loved, but still are in great condition. It draws a stark contrast to some of the throw away fashion we have come to know when we think about ”accessibilty” on today’s high street. There are echos of the global responsibility we have for the planet in the fashion industry which was introduced in the ‘Fashioned by Nature‘ exhibition the V&A Museum held last year.
If this has tickled your fancy, the Mary Quant exhibition is on at the V&A Museum until 16th Feb 2020, tickets start at £12.00
”You cut a length of thread, knot one end and pull the other end through the eye of a needle you take a piece of fabric and push your needle into one side of the cloth, then pull it out on the other until it reaches the knot. You leave a space. You push your needle back through the fabric and pull it out on the other side. You continue until you have made a line, or a curve, or a wave of stitches. That is all there is: thread, needle, fabric and patterns the thread makes. This is sewing.”
(Beginning)
A few months ago, we got a lovely little surprise in the post of a book about embroidery. Whilst we have quite a few books on embroidery in the studio, specific techniques or historical references and so on, this one differed in that it was about embroidery as a cultural vehicle, and so it had our attention. The book is called ‘Threads of Life’ by Clare Hunter who explores embroidery as the chosen method of communication for many great examples of noteworthy people during the course of her book.
Whilst we do not want to ruin the book for you should you wish to read it yourself, there are a few parts which we hope might grab your interest as they did ours. The book is split into well defined chapters on particular themes which makes it very easy to dip in and out of as the feeling takes you.
Chapter 2: Power, was a particular favourite of mine as it is all about Mary Queen of Scots who was an avid embroiderer, something that I previously had no idea of but can’t help but be captivated by this idea of an embroiderer Queen. Hunter explores her relationship with embroidery from both an external and more personal level where she uses embroidery as her weapon to try and exert some influence over her future:
”Female Monarchs had greater need of the advocacy of textiles than their male counterparts. The public display of their hand crafted emblems and symbols meant that for women, even when physically absent from court through childbirth, banishment or imprisonment, the textiles they had commisioned or sewn remained on display as their representatives, still messaging their lineage, still acting as a presense of sorts.’ (Page 24-5)
”In desperation, she began to woo Elizabeth with embroidered gifts. It was a calculated generosity. Such presents in court etiquette represented a bond or inferred an obligation: used publically, they declared intimacy.” (Page 31)
The book is semi-autobiographical as Hunter includes stories from her own past, one of which made for another highlight of the book for me. In the ‘Journey’ chapter, Hunter tell us of a visit she made to Kaili, Southwest China where she shares a non-verbal conversation she has with a Miao woman she met there. It demonstrates the passion that people interested in embroidery all seem to share, which transcends spoken languages:
”I think she is about to leave, but instead she unties its knot and lets it spill out textiles, which she then lays out one by one onto the bed… The bed becomes canopied in encrusted cloth. She beckons me overand we examine the textiles together, her touching and stroking, lifting up this corner and that, willing me to see an intricacy here, wanting me to notice a technique there.”(Page 110-111)
I think what is really lovely about this book, as an embroiderer, is that it really examines embroidery as a craft and as an art form. Personally, I felt gratitude to Hunter for shining a light on embroidery and really felt that ‘yeh, i’ve been there’ moment when she talk about sharing a segment of the book with her writing group and the somewhat despondent attitude to the subject prior to reading the piece. Any works like this that seek to re-educate societies attitudes to something which can be perseved as irrelevant, elitist or outdated to the vibrant and ever evolving art form that we know it to be, must be a good thing in my opinion.
All quotations courtesy of ‘Thread of Life’ by Clare Hunter (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Association of Illustrators (AOI) have partnered with the Directory of Illustration to bring another year of the World Illustration Awards. With over 3,600 entries, the judges have whittled them down to the final shortlisted 200, showcasing some amazing and diverse up and coming talent. The show has been held annually, in various forms for over 40 years now. Categories range from children’s books to experimental designs.
Full of clever, quirky designs and powerful messages. Important and popular themes such feminism, gender equality, environmental change and the power of technology were all covered throughout the art shown. As well as a broad range of subject matter and mediums, with works in graphics, embroidery and even plasticine!
If These Walls Could Talk by Astrid Jaekel, 2019.
One of my favourite pieces, shown below, Karolina Miękisz has focused her work based on a New York Times article “CSI: Earth” by Gavin Schmidt, where the idea that fingerprints can be traced to find out who and what is responsible for climate change. In the small but effective little artwork, the image slowly moves to show the finger prints moving and spreading into the sky, like smoke out of a factory chimney. Hopefully this gets more of us thinking about our own environmental fingerprints and encourage us to do something to reduce them and help tackle the huge problem of climate change.
Who is to blame? By Emilia Karolina Miękisz, 2019.
Modified Man by Tim Easley, 2019.
Tim Easley’s brief was to design an album cover for the band Modified Man. Taking into account the bands electronic sound, his vision to create a circuit board visual has come to life. Using plasticine and hand techniques to create the intricate work, piece by piece of plasticine layers, the overall effect looks quite something. A really original way of creating this circuit board pattern, Easley shows there are other ways to take illustration.
(Left) Stand design for Freda at Stylist Live by Hazel Mead, 2019. (Right) Alphabets: Phenomenal Women by Elen Winata, 2019.
Gender equality and the promoting of female empowerment were other strong themes within this years exhibition. I was especially drawn to these two based on the bright colours, cool layout and little female icons covering both. In Stand for Freda, the message ‘Period products for all.’ as one of the many slogans within promoting a no shame policy when it comes down to the topic of periods and that free sanitary products should be a basic human right.
Alphabets: Phenomenal Women, show a different branch to female empowerment through capturing our most famous and treasured female icons through time in these fun, stylistic illustrations. The idea that this could educate and teach girls to look up to these kind of role models and inspire them to achieve greatness.
Under the Skin of Endangered Animals by Under the Skin (Duo, Ed and James Harrison), 2019.
Of course, in the current state of the world, issues of the environment, ocean plastics and our endangered species have been another strong topic I’ve seen. Duo Ed and James Harrison are brothers and have teamed as designers to make ‘Under The Skin’, who donate 20% of print sales to charities that specifically work to protect the animal within the print.
Under a UV light, the beautiful animal illustrations show the inner skeleton of the animal is seen, “all that remains if a species falls into the darkness of extinction”. This thought provoking and clever way of incorporating design, activism and unusual materials is a fun way of getting across a strong message and a lot of people stopped to have a go with the UV torch!
Overall, the finalists this year have impressed me. A range of entertaining, interesting and thoughtful works. An exciting exhibition and one to definitely have a visit too.
All images from:
Association of Illustrations, World Illustration Awards 2019: https://theaoi.com/world-illustration-awards/
By Abi Tominey-Smith
Six Prayers (1966-7)
Anni Albers (1899- 1994) was a leading innovator of 20th Century modernist abstraction. Her work combined the ancient craft of weaving with the ideas and styles of modern art. She was a lady of many trades: an artist; a designer; teacher and a writer. The exhibition explores different aspects of her life: how her work transitions and evolved as she experienced new things as well as the processes she used to develop her ideas about textiles.
Anni Albers’s eight-harness Sructo-Artcraft 750 loom (Date unknown, wood and metal)
Her career and passion for weaving started when she began her studies at the Bauhaus (Weimar, Germany). It was her that she met her husband Josef Albers. They emigrated to the US (after the rise of Nazism in Germany resulted in the closer of the Bauhaus) where they both became teachers at the Black Mountain College in North Carolina.
Development in Rose II (1952- Linen)
This piece has a subtle colour palette with black used to creates accents within the weave. Lots of texture is created with small twists and knots throughout. These are achieved using a technique known as leno or gauze weave; the vertical warp threads twist over each other around the horizontal weft threads.
Top left to bottom right: Anni Albers and Alexander Reed: Necklace (c.1940- plastic rings on black grosgrain ribbon), Necklace (c.1940- Bobby pins on metal-plated chain), Necklace (c1940/88 reconstruction of the original made by Mary Emma Harris, Eye hooks and pearls on thread), Necklace (c.1940s- Aluminium washers and red grosgrain ribbon).
An interesting section of the exhibit was a glass box filled with wonderful jewellery creations by Anni and a colleague, Alexander Reed. The necklaces shown at the exhibition feature everyday objects such as bobby pins or metal washers. These pieces take items that are mundane and turn them into something unique and sophisticated. Anni Albers was definitely ahead of the times with her inventive ideas, clearly demonstrated here!
Open Letter (1958, cotton)
Featuring a wide range a weaving techniques, Open Letter is a striking monochrome piece. Accents of red are dispersed throughout, breaking up the linework that is similar to zentangling that is seen throughout illustration work popular today. Each column of the piece is constructed from little bars, each with their own personality and style.
Dotted (1959, wool)
This piece was among many ‘pictorial weavings’, created as artwork to be hung as opposed to fabric for everyday use. Utilising an ancient technique, Anni was able to create bobbles on the weave surface. The gradient of colour and the scattered placement of the dots results in a highly textured, playful piece of work.
Intersecting (1962, Cotton and rayon)
Using only four colours for the plain weave ground, a floating thread has been used to create a raised brocade effect. The unplanned nature of these threads was very pleasing to view; the organised base with the random thread creates a visual oxymoron. Work similar to this one stemmed from drawings of knots, tangled lines and mark making that Anni Albers created.
Overall, the exhibition was an excellent glimpse into the creative-mind and thought process of a lady who was an innovator, ahead of her time. This is not a display to be missed, if you get the chance to see it as it closes soon!
By Amy Pickard. All photos by Amy Pickard.
Exhibition Details:
Anni Albers Exhibition
11th Oct 2018- 27th Jan 2019
Tate Modern
53 Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Open:
Sundays to Thursdays: 10:00- 18:00
Fridays to Saturdays: 10:00- 22:00
Ticket Pricing:
Adults £18 / Concessions & Student £17
See the Tate Modern website for further discounted tickets and details.
The exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up is currently at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and we recently took the chance to visit. This unique show gives a detailed overview of Kahlo’s life: her family and heritage; her politics; her relationship with mural painter Diego Rivera; the near-fatal accident that caused her a lifetime of pain; and most importantly, how she constructed her image and the way in which she lived her life.
Upon Kahlo’s death in 1954, her husband Rivera locked up her most valuable possessions in the bathroom of the Casa Azul (The Blue House, their home in Mexico) and instructed that it not be opened until 15 years after her death. In 2004 this bathroom was opened, and the contents of the room went on display at the Casa Azul as a museum dedicated to her life. These objects are what now fill the exhibition space at the V&A, carefully shipped thousands of miles to be shown outside of Mexico for the first time.
The exhibition begins with old photographs of Kahlo and her family, some of which are adorned with Kahlo’s handwritten notes. Some simply label family members, whereas others are more personal: for example, on the back of Kahlo’s Communion photo she has scrawled “¡IDIOTA!” as she renounced Catholicism later in life.
The show continues through a series of rooms to Kahlo’s accessories: heavy jade necklaces; crescent earrings featuring paired birds, which are traditional of Mexican jewellery; and hand-woven ‘Rebozo’ shawls and ‘Morrale’ sack bags. These items highlight Kahlo’s pride in her Mexican heritage.
We then move on to Kahlo’s possessions, perhaps one of the most personal parts of the exhibition. Intimate items are on display such as used lipsticks and empty medicine bottles accompanied by letters to and from her various doctors.
Kahlo’s suffering due to childhood polio and a car accident at the age of 18 lies at the foundation of some of these objects. For most of her life she wore uncomfortable corsets to help support her back and alleviate pain, some of which were made of plaster and decorated with painting as Kahlo used them like a canvas.
Finally, the main feature of the exhibition is a stunning display case of Kahlo’s clothing. Kahlo is renowned for her combinations of indigenous garments from different regions of Mexico, and she was photographed in such outfits many times. To see them up close in real life is breathtaking.
Detailed embroidery is present in most of the outfits, from complexly shaded flowers and birds to cross stitch to traditional Chinese embroidery (due to Kahlo’s fascination with Chinatown when she moved to the USA with Rivera). The exhibition gives details of her most striking outfits, describing how she was followed by children when in the USA, who asked “Where is the circus?”.
There are some of Kahlo’s paintings – mainly self portraits as she used herself as a subject when painting from her bed – but the exhibition mainly focuses on Kahlo’s items and how she presented the complex layers of her identity within her life. It states that her wardrobe was not staged: she dressed up even when she wasn’t expecting visitors, and even when she was in bed rest.
Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up is a bewitching and intimate exhibition. The items on display are fascinating, and through them the personal details of how Kahlo naturally lived an artistic life – despite her misfortunes and pain – are revealed. A must-see for anyone interested in textiles, and anyone interested in Frida Kahlo’s complex and inspiring life.
Purchase tickets at the V&A website here.
Written by Laura Hill
Its that time of year again, fashion and textile graduates will know what we mean.
Your design tutor who has finally signed off on your incredibly ambitious embroidery design for your final collection / portfolio. They love it and have uttered the immortal words “but I want to see more”.
After a few brief moments of relief the creeping panic begins to set in. A look over the calendar confirms it. There is just not enough time for one person to achieve all this for deadline !
Don’t worry we are here to help !! Hawthorne & Heaney specialise in fast turnaround and as a larger percentage of our work is made in London ordering, design changes and pick up/drop off are streamlines to cut days of standard lead times.
Hawthorne & Heaney have helped many students over the years at graduate level including Claire Barrow and Ashley Williams !
Give us a call 020 7637 5736 or drop us an email info@embroidery.london