Does sudden inspiration ever strike you at the strangest of times? I was in the workshop last month working on a project with one of our team members, Sarah, when two words that I had heard together for years finally clicked. They were, “Jedi Knights”. Of course, we all know what Jedi Knights are: the…
Category Archives: PIONEERS
It is said that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. Well, that goes for costume design plans too! Sometimes you can prepare for months and then the plan goes off without a hitch. Other times, you can put all the planning in the world into a project and suddenly – all the pieces…
By Zan Campbell of Fell & Fair Productions So often, these days, people go seeking “adventure” except that they spend so much time and money beforehand, ensuring that nothing goes wrong, that by the time the “adventure” happens, it’s no longer and adventure. In light of this, I have long held to the motto, “It’s…
As a guy, it’s hard sometimes to get inspiration from wedding planning. Let’s be honest, that’s usually not a dude thing… until you add swords. Do I have your attention now? As a kid, who loved knights and battles, I sought out every movie I could find with swords and sword fights. Two of my…
In our previous tutorial we introduced you to a traditional style of Japanese embroidery called Sashiko. Today, as promised, we are showing you how to use this great embellishment skill in garment making and we invite you to customize a simple dress, which has the perfect yoke space for embroidery. Even though hand embroidery takes time,…
Sashiko is a form of Japanese folk embroidery using simple running stitches to create repeating geometric shapes and intricate patterns. Literally meaning “little stabs”, sashiko was originally used for repairs and reinforcements. Today, the traditional patterns have evolved into a more decorative form and are often used to create beautiful handmade designs on table linens,…
If we wanted to begin, and then immediately end, the discussion on textile design during the Modernist period we could’ argue that to remain loyal to Modernist design in its purest form, the colorful patterns we associate with the period just couldn’t exist.’ Because in Modernist design of the purest form,’ there is no tolerance for…
In Part Two we continue looking at pioneers of Modernist architecture; the following architects brought an expansive creativity to Modern design that pushed the boundaries even farther. Their impact demonstrated not only a love of form, but also of humanity. Alvar Aalto In the starkly beautiful country of Finland, sixteen year old Hugo Alvar Henrik…
The first of our Modernist heroes’ are three men who at the beginning of the twentieth century were sailing into the future creating a new landscape within architecture and design. They were reinventing what architecture should stand for, they were trialling new materials, and questioning how function should dictate design and aesthetic. In this article we…
In this new series we will explore the Modernist Movement in architecture and design and how it has influenced our society and lifestyle from its inception through today. By 1930’s no longer desiring to be influenced by traditional ideals and rules of the past, architects and designers such as Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der…
We are living in a completely different world to the days when I was a little girl, bear in mind I say this even though’ I’m in my early 30s. My children are more likely to know how to operate an ipad in fluent proficiency than how to fix a bike. This of course might be…
Our last article in the artisan embroidery series is a bit of a special one – the series has allowed us to explore some wonderful stitched art, but it also led us to discover our next artist, Lucia LaVilla-Havelin. Lucia is one of our very own The Thread readers and for the last few years…
Combining a variety of mediums within a work is definitely an artistic trend of late, but none is quite as striking as Singapore-based Izziyana Suhaimi‘s embroidered illustrations and paintings. Part whimsical, part fine-art, each piece conveys a very different set of emotions, showing off her incredible multi-disciplinary skills. She documents her different projects and the…
In this series we set out to explore modern embroidery and celebrate stitchers and artists developing the craft, and helping to make it be taken more seriously. One artist, however, is turning it on its head and adding a little humor to the otherwise serious practice with a refreshing, lighthearted approach to embroidery. Richard Saja…
In our last artisan embroidery article we explored the work of Rosalind Wyatt, who stitches stories into personal textiles to add new life to a garment and add a further dimension to it. Our next embroiderer has a similar creative process, except her medium of choice is not clothing, but black and white photographs Maria…
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25 Feb 2026 @ 6:12 am by Sariade Gawain
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