Hey Everyone..
Hope you are all well. We are writing to you this month from the middle of our very active design studio. As a professional artist I am always interested in the history of the medium I am working on and embroidery is no exception. The use of embroidery to decorate clothes has been around since man began to wear clothes. A method of decorating and embellishing clothing, embroidered designs were developed as a result of hard work and care. Embroidery as an art form has its origins, which can be traced back to the Iron Age. This began when primitive man discovered that he could use thread to join pieces of fur to make clothes. As a natural progression, he also discovered that the same thread could be used to make decorative patterns on the clothes. He also used colorful beads, stones, and bones to add to these designs. Sieglinde and I just got back from the Philippines where we were able to see placemats woven with human hairs. Several excellent examples of beautiful embroidery work are still surviving today. Samples can be found from Ancient Egypt, China, Persia, India, and England. Each country has its own distinctive embroidery style, which incorporates the culture and imagery from their history and tradition. Embroidered clothing was also considered to be a symbol of wealth. Many scenes from history are often found designed onto fabric.
Presently, machine embroidery has grown by leaps and bounds. Computers have added another twist into this sewing technique, by making the process easier for mass production of various designs. Nowadays, machines are available in the market, which can embroider designs for you. Specially designed machines can even read a computerized design and stitch it for you. Embroidery as an art form has enhanced our civilization, making it more aware of the beauty that can be created with a needle and a thread. Intricate designs and brilliantly colored patterns have infused a beauty of their own onto fabrics, adding to their value and wealth.
We are very excited to have you on this journey with us and look forward to sharing with you our creations. Until next time, all things are possible……
….peace
…………james
The Leopards of England – Work in couched gold thread are a fragment believed to have come from a horse cover made for Edward III. c. 1330-1340
English chasuble of red velvet with appliquéd work. 1380-1400
Syon Cope c. 1300-1320
Embroidered linen with silk and cotton. 1860, Mexican
