A Stay-at-Home Activity designed by AWD Studio
An Alternative Welcome to Spring 2020
A Short Story about Silk, and Inspiration
Earlier this year, I was invited to a private sale of items from the atelier of 1970’s Venetian fashion designer, Roberta di Camerino. Bypassing purses and dresses, I was immediately drawn to the rolls and rolls of some of the most beautiful fabric I’d ever seen, unending colors and designs.
Completely moved by the rich colors and textures in silk of the utmost quality, I acquired a nice collection of this lovely silk, with the intention of doing a scarf creating workshop in my studio. To compliment the silk fabric, I found vintage Italian silk thread, wonderful quality and great colors.
Now workshops are a dream for the future, and I’ve got lots of material to tend. During my first couple days of quarantine, I started playing with the silks and threads, going back to childhood memories of embroidery and needlework, I realized others might also have a need for creative pastimes, inspiring colors and textures. So this inspired putting together these rather luxurious embroidery kits, for making a lovely silk scarf.
The Murano Beads Bonus are handmade antique seed beads from Murano, and a longtime passion of mine. These can be applied as one chooses; added to the selected embroidery design, beaded as a fringe, or made into a necklace for yourself, however you like!!
While in my creative dream mode, I started looking at old pattern books and embroidery brochures from early 20th century. I then started visualizing my own drawings in a way suitable for embroidery. I hope to provide a unique selection of hand-drawn templates, influenced by period drawings and original AWD studio artwork.
I hope you've enjoyed looking through these images, pondering the possibilities. If this has sparked in you interest or curiosity or hope, if you are intrigued by the textures and colors as I am, attracted to the idea of a project to do at home, playing with colors and light woven through silk fabric and threads, then please reach out. If you don't see exactly what you want, write to me and we will explore to find the right combination for you.
If you find you have a desire to share this project as a gift, with someone you know and care about, I am confident we can find a very special combination to give.
In the very near future, these kits will be offered online through my new web shop, but with a more limited selection of silk colors and design options. So I invite you to take advantage of this moment, and order kits now. Easter or Mother's Day gifts? I hope you find in these silks' textures and colors, a way to experience joy and happiness, yet grounded and centered creating something beautiful in these challenging times.
Sending warm wishes of good health to you all; I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Be well
~Amy & AWD Studio Crew
Email to order amywestdesign@gmail.com
Once you have your silk scarf kit in hand, now what?
Below is a series of links to various embroidery resources, including directions from the very beginning, to stitch explanation and guidance, with written and illustrated explanations, video tutorials, etc. This is not a complete list, and I hope that any viewers will feel free to forward suggestions for new inclusions and updates.
I am grateful for the encouragement and support from old friends and new acquaintances in this project. A very special thanks goes out to Mary Corbet, for so openly sharing her life work to all embroiderers and needle artists. She has good things to say about this project, and I sincerely appreciate her support and the unending wealth of resources she has made available to all of us.
Towards the bottom of the list, is a series of links to archives and resources for a look at historical needle work.
In this category, I extend a very special thanks the Glasgow School of Art archives and archivists, who hope their images and work will be viewed and used as a font of inspiration for the creation of new, original work. We are working on a new needlecraft kit project, focusing on the GSA famous style of the late 1800s, so stay tuned!!
And a heartfelt thanks to Tracy Chevalier, for the inspiration which transpired from her latest book, “A Single Thread”, which started the fiber vibes flowing again. Thanks Tracy!!!
I wish you all the very best of health, and hope this creative diversion brings you joy through the beauty of the work and thrill of the challenge. One can get lost for days in the history and all elements of needle crafts, I know from personal experience!
Feel free to share photos of your finished scarves, which I will happily post so others can admire. This could become a great connection for all of us, as we hang on to a single thread! ;-)
-Amy
Beginning Embroidery and Basic Stitches Intro
Getting Started:
