Archive for the 'Hand Embroidery Designs' Category

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The Enchanting Dongoria Kondh Embroidery Designs!

Published on January 8, 2009 in Hand Embroidery Designs and Indian Embroidery Designs.

“Dongor” means hill “Kondh”,  means “inhabitant”.   One who inhabits the hills in Rayagada district of Orissa are the Dongoria Kondhs.  This tribe has a rich culture of art, dance and music over the last few centuries.  The most eye-catching of the handicrafts are the colorful unique embroidery shawls.  These are also known as “Kapada Gonda” (main cloth) and signify an important signature in their personality and dress.

These natural colored shawls are generally woven by young girls for themselves, their brothers or lovers.  The colors of the embroidery threads are vibrant vegetable colors like red, green or yellow.  These dyes are extracted from juices of leaves, roots and turmeric.  Green symbolises prosperity and fertility and stands for the earth goddess.   Yellow symbolises happiness, peace and health.  Red or maroon signifies blood or animal sacrifice and stands for vigour, strength and revenge.  Depending on the mood, the occasion and the wearer for whom it is meant, one of these 3 colours would stand out in the embroidery designed shawl.   It generally takes 3 to 4 months to complete one shawl.  The girls do the weaving and embroidery while they tend the crops or look after the cattle.   While older men sport simple motifs on their shawls, the brother wears an artistic piece.   During ceremonial dances or in a bustling marketplace, if a boy flings his shawl at a girl, it signifies that he wants to marry her.  The girl has a choice of accepting the shawl or throwing it back.  If she accepts, the couple meets and marries with the consent of their families.   The boy can also make the marriage proposal by snatching away the shawl from the girl.

The Dongoria Kondh embroidered shawl is a symbol of pride of the wearer.   A beautifully embroidered shawl is the cynosure of all eyes in a marketplace.  These shawls sell in the marketplace at prices ranging between Rs. 500 and Rs. 700.

Religious Buddhist Embroidery – Masterpieces Of Myanmar

Published on September 11, 2008 in Applique Embroidery Designs and Hand Embroidery Designs.

myanmar-tapestry-embroidery-at-work-1.jpgMyanmar (erstwhile Burma) has an ancient history of handicrafts and their people are skilled in ivory carving, silver work, lacquareware, marble work and embroidery (also known as Shwegyido).

Embroidery is an old industry believed to have started during the reign of Alaungpaya, founder of the Konebaung dynasty. Shwe-ge-doe embroidery is elaborately designed and creatively embellished with ornaments for grandeur. The technique of Shwe-go-doe is as follows : Tapestry is made by using the base cloth, usually black and adorning it with metallic sequins, coloured glass beads, and figures that are stuffed to give a distinctive three-dimensional effect.  Each tapestry depicts a character or a narrative from Jatakas or the Ramayana epic. These appliqué tapestries can be sized from 25cm by 25cm to 6m by 1.5m.  Jackets, pasoes, longyis are also beautifully embroidered for special functions.  Mandalay is the center of this industry.

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About Myanmar : Despite modern changes and globalized cultural blending, Myanmar people have been able to preserve their own lifestyles and activities that have existed since time immemorial. The people of Myanmar communicate in their own language, wear their own style of clothing including the longyi, relish their own style of food, pray in their own way, play their own games, celebrate their own festivals, receive treatment with their own traditional medicines, and perform their own rituals remaining as Myanmar as possible in every aspect. Many of the life styles and activities are unique to Myanmar people. For example, the Shin Pyu or novitiation ceremony, which allows a young boy to experience temporary monastic life, is a religious practice virtually nonexistent in other parts of the world. Although some of Myanmar’s beliefs, superstitions, customs and lifestyles have gradually disappeared, many still remain and are cherished and highly valued by the majority of the people.

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Museum of Korean Buddhist Art is a Buddhism museum established in July 1993 in Wonseo-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.   This museum is holding a special exhibition of Myanmarese embroidery.  It is the second Southeast Asian Buddhist art exhibition since the museum hosted the Laotian Buddhist Sculpture Exhibit last year.

The exhibition presents 30 pieces of Myanmar embroidery, which are exotic and flamboyant, a rarity in Buddhist art, which mostly include paintings and sculptures.  Myanmar is called the nation of Buddha pagodas and Buddhist monks, which demonstrates how the religion dominates the country.  As Buddhism is deeply rooted in the lives of the Myanmar people, most of the embroidered works involve Buddhist symbolism.

myanmar-embroidery-1.jpgThe traditional embroidery of Myanmar uses elaborate materials such as gold and silver thread, marbles, gem stones,  pearls  and metals.

The exhibition is designed to introduce the uniqueness of Buddhist culture in South East Asian countries though showing off a variety of historic relics.

On the first and the second floors, a variety of embroidered fabrics depicting the life and good deeds of Sakyamuni are on display.  Beside the embroidered fabrics, 6 other Buddhist artworks including sculptures and paintings from Myanmar are presented to provide a window into their lives, culture and beliefs.

South East Asian countries are known for textile artworks from the ancient times, which shows the ancestors’ beliefs, religion, customs and culture.

Also, the fabric artworks were often regarded as incarnated ancestors with spirits in South East Asian countries. So the textiles were hung on the wall when people held a festival or a ritual thanksgiving ceremony to their ancestors.

The museum explains why some artworks feature Buddha as a king, servant, or peasant; or as an animal such as an elephant, lion, deer, rabbit,  monkey, peacock or fish.

Among others, the embroidered paintings depict the previous lives of Buddha that are divided into 547 stories, expressing Buddha as various entities such as man, elephant, deer and lion.

The museum was established in July 1993 as a private museum located near Changdeok Palace in central Seoul.  Traditional Korean Buddhist works, which display the joys and sorrows of life and express a longing for the wishes of all living beings, have historically been regarded as not only the spiritual foundation, but the precious cultural heritage of the Korean people.

The museum has collected over 6,000 Korean Buddhist works including paintings, sculptures, crafts, ritual items, folk items and ceramics.

The exhibition will continue till Sept 28 2008.   Admission is 3,000 won (Currency of Korea – 1100 won equals one dollar) for students and 5,000 won for adults.

Try The Quilt Challenge In January 2009!

Published on September 3, 2008 in Hand Embroidery Designs.

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Museum Center at 5ive points is (as its name sounds) an unique center coupled with cultural activites.  This museum based out of Cleveland, Tennessee, was open to public from Sep 1999.   The Museum houses exhibits and artifacts relating to the history of the Ocoee Region of Tennessee which includes Bradley and Polk Counties . The Museum store is a gallery showcasing the arts and crafts of the South.   But the diversity of this museum has encompassed a wide category of subjects which include wood turning, blowing glass, doll making, jewelry to name a few.

Quilting is a recent obsession and the museum plans to launch full fledged into this arena this year through its popular quilt exhibit – Stitches in Time.   The highlight of this exhibit is a quilt challenge competition from January till March 2009.  The theme this year is “Old Into New”.

The rules of the challenge are as follows :  Quilters can submit either a quilt, wall hanging, garment or accessory using vintage textiles, pieced or appliquéd blocks. The quilter may use any method of piecing and quilting, whether strip piecing, paper piecing, appliqué, free motion, hand embroidery or another favorite technique. The challenge piece must have a recognizable amount of vintage fabric. Other fabrics may be added to complete the design. Quilts must be quilted and bound. Quilts and wall hangings must have a 4” sleeve attached to the back for hanging.

The finished pieces must be submitted from January 5-9, 2009. They will be judged by a panel of judges and there will be three monetary prizes given: $100 for first prize, $75 for second, and $50 for third prize. The pieces will be displayed during the Stitches-In-Time exhibit at the Museum Center at 5ive Points from January 22 – March 7, 2009 with the other Challenge pieces.   This Quilt Challenge is being sponsored by Joe Hooper Insurance, Jane Easterly Designs and Kingsway Press, Inc.

So, quilters – what are you waiting for — With the competition heating up in a matter of months, quilters from all walks of life should grab their fabric and get to work today!

To receive a Quilt Challenge information flyer with contest rules or to speak with someone about the Quilt Challenge, please call the museum at 423-339-5745 or a Stitches-In-Time Quilt Exhibit committee member at 423-472-3155.

Beijing Olympics Special – 10 meter Panxiu Embroidered Gift!

Published on August 3, 2008 in Hand Embroidery Designs.

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(Photos taken on July 31, 2008 shows 2 parts of the giant handiwork of Panxiu Embroidery gifted as best wishes for the Olympics by the Tu ethnic group in Beijing, capital of China)

What is Panxiu embroidery? Panxiu embroidery is a traditional Chinese hand embroidery – specialised and perfected by the Tu ethnic minority. The Tu ethnic minority, known for their simplicity and industriousness, lives in the northwestern part of China – to the east of Qinghai Lake and south of Qilian Mountain Range and along the banks of the Huangshui and Datong rivers. It is concentrated mainly in the Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Qinghai Province, and also in the counties of Minhe and Datong. Others are scattered in Ledu, Menyuan and the Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County in Gansu Province.

Embroidery is a technique generally favored by all ethnic minorities in China, usually used in the waistband, the headband, the apron and some rapid-wear parts such as the wristband, edge of the skirt, border of the front, the round shoulder, the swing-down, the bottom of trouser-leg etc. being both decorative and practical. Techniques of embroidery include cross-stitch work, applique, embroidering and so on; the methods of embroidering include pingxiu (flat embroidering), chouxiu, bianxiu(weaving embroidering), jiexiu(knotting embroidering), panxiu(embroidering with a disk), etc.; the patterns include natural scenes, auspicious patterns and geometric patterns and so on.

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What is the speciality of Panxiu Embroidery? Panxiu embroidery is used as a decoration on Tu women’s attire. The skill has been passed down from mothers to daughters for 1600 years. Silk threads with seven different colors are used to make Panxiu embroidery. No canopy is used. With cloth in the left hand and a needle in the right hand, an embroiderer only uses one threaded needle to do both sides, front and back, of a single piece of cloth. Although Panxiu embroidery is complicated and time-consuming, it is durable and artistically pleasing. It is also dainty and delicate which portrays the cultural beauty of the Tu dynasty. The commonly embroidered patterns are traditional patterns of the Tu minority, such as cloud patterns, diamond patterns, and Buddhist figures. The 1,600-year-old Tu Panxiu embroidery has great artistic and cultural value. However, this art form is close to extinction because more masters are elderly and young women prefer less complicated ways of embroidering.

Why has it suddenly shot to light in the last few days? 30 year old Huang Lansuo’s efforts during the last fortnight has brought this beautiful embroidery artwork into the global limelight. She came to Beijing all the way from her home in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Huzhu Tu Autonomous County of northwest China’s Qinghai Province, bringing her proud gift to the world, a 10-meter-long handiwork of Panxiu Embroidery of the Tu ethnic group. The delicate work, with lifelike characters of animals and plants on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and dancing scene of China’s 56 ethnic groups, plus with the symbol of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem “Chinese Seal”, mascot “Fuwa” and the Olympic Rings, was embroidered by some 160 women led by Huang Lansuo of the Tu ethnic group to express their best wishes to the Beijing Olympic Games.

Stumpwork Embroidery – New Zealand Special!

Published on May 20, 2008 in Applique Embroidery Designs and Hand Embroidery Designs.

stumpwork-embroidery-2.jpgStumpwork embroidery traces its roots down under in New Zealand in the 17th century. Stumpwork is a style of raised and padded embroidery which uses a charming bouquet of flowers, fruits, insects, animals – all woven intricately to give the entire design a natural look.

The highlight of this style of embroidery is the stuffed figures and attached pieces of embroidery. Nature provides as a backdrop to a couple in the foreground – all in the finest of details. Little dolls with shoes, ruffs, collars, skirts stand boldly in the embroidered piece which are generally used on mirrors and small bags.

Stumpwork Embroidery: A Collection Of Fruits, Flowers & Insects For Contemporary Raised Embroidery by Jane Nicholas gives readers a complete insight on the trends and methods adopted for this ancient technique. Of late, there has been a revival of this embroidery and one does see it in some of the embroidery stalls across the world. The book  comprehensively covers the details of the equipment required like fabric and threads, general instructions for an embroiderer and finally 10 different interesting projects on stumpwork embroidery. The projects which form a highlight of this book includes Pomegranate and Strawberries, Rose and Bee, Acorn Thistle and Bee, Christmas Rose and Dragonfly, Gooseberries to name a few.

The Bejewelled Afghan Embroidery – Zareena!

Published on May 6, 2008 in Amazing Embroidery Designs, Embroiderers and Hand Embroidery Designs.

zareena-embroidery.jpgUnited Arab Emiratie Zareena showcased the true Arab, Pashno cultural embroidery patterns in the recent Dubai fest. The hallmark of her collection are the lush embroideries on single one-piece gowns. Blending old, vintage Afghani references, Zareena uses the thread zari and the gotha (the metallic fabric used richly in Indian wear) as well as luxurious crepes and chiffons to accentuate the sparkle in her embroidery. Every piece is distinct and different from the previous piece and in this lies her excellence. The bejewelled embroideries are made to perfection and have fans raving for more of her collection. Her firm belief is that simplicity is the essence of beauty and all her collections derive their elegance from their clean cuts coupled with a rich look.

‘I await inspiration. I do not plan it,’ she explains. ‘It could be a simple piece of jewellery that might take my fancy and become an inspiration for an entire collection.’

Married with two daughters, Zareena has successfully launched and maintained three businesses with the support of her husband, Colonel Mohammed Murad. She looks towards India for inspiration due to its age old tradition and culture. She has started an enterprise in Delhi with a team of designers and embroidery craftsmen. Her endeavors include a well-known beauty salon and a wedding events management company. She juggles between family life and her career and maintains a healthy balance between the two. ‘Without harmony at home, a woman cannot achieve heights. My family is my strength,’ she points out.

EDG wishes her all the best in her bejewelled embroidered life!

Applique Embroiderer Special – Kathleen

Published on April 24, 2008 in Applique Embroidery Designs, Embroiderers and Hand Embroidery Designs.

applique-embroiderer-special.jpgWe start a different series today… A series of famous embroiderers who have needled their way into the embroidery news of the world. They could be tutors on embroidery, writers of embroidery books, experts in embroidery digitizing software or plain and simple embroidery enthusiasts.

We start with Kathleen Bentley Tackett of Blaze Branch, Dorton who has developed an expertise in applique patterns. It is said that her applique finishes are so good, that the stitches seem to disappear like magic.  This is primarily due to the finesse skills garnered through her many years of practise.   As a child, her main motivation to take up sewing was her grandmother and in her own words: “I would stand at her sewing machine and watch her making pretty dresses for her daughters”. As a young woman, she worked towards getting a tailoring certificate and made the uniforms for the Virgie High School Band. She loved making complicated stuff. Four years ago she took up quilting with the help of her daughter’s quilting machine. They trade their talents with Kathleen doing the applique by hand and her daughter doing the quilting.

Kathleen has given a few remarkable appliques away to her loved ones : one to her granddaughter in California — “Basket of Roses”; one to her grandson — “Mexican Star”; and one to her grandddaughter in college — “Lavendar Tea.”

She is currently working on a “Through the Year with Sunbonnet Sue” quilt. It has 12 appliqued squares, one for each month. The patterns are made up of pieces of material in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. July’s square is patriotic; February’s is Valentine’s Day; September’s shows Sunbonnet Sue on her way to school … and so on.

With over 20 quilts finished and two more started, Kathleen is always flooded with new ideas and new patterns. Besides those mentioned, she has made: “Devil on the Run,” “Flower Garden” (hand quilted by Pike County Quilt Guild member Zetta Mullins), “Cabin in the Woods,” “Chain of Jewels,” “Garnet Glaze,” “Courthouse Steps,” “Maggie’s Flower Garden,” “Christmas,” “Mystery Quilt,” “Storm at Sea,” “China Blue,” “Grandmother’s Flower Garden,” “Robert’s Flower Garden,” “Folk Art Freedom,” “Cathedral Window” and “Autumn.”

Kathleen belongs to the Pike County Quilt Guild that meets at the Pike County Extension Office and has also won a prize in the guild’s Hillbilly Quilt Show, in the Miscellaneous category.

Lets wish her the very best in her embroidering career ahead!

Chinese Whispers – Hand Embroidery Patterns Special!

Published on April 5, 2008 in Hand Embroidery Designs.

cat.jpgI hail from the East of the World – India. I have been studying various hand embroidery designing techniques and I found it interesting to note how culture, history, background so strongly influences the very essence of these patterns.

The Western techniques are also influenced by the above parameters and techiques like cutwork, flipflop, corvette, mardi gras embroidery designs emerge out to the world!

In the Eastern, apart from India a treasure of traditional embroidery comes in from China.  China is the first country in the world that discovered the use of silk for hand silk embroidery.    Silkworms were domesticated as early as 5000 years ago.  The production of silk thread and fabrics gave rise to this beautiful art of embroidery. According to the classical Shangshu, the “regulations on costumes” of 4000 years ago stipulated among other things “dresses and skirts with designs and embroideries”.    In 1958 a piece of silk was found in a tomb of the state of Chu of the Warring Sates Period (475-221 B.C).  It is hand embroidered with a dragon-and-phoenix design.  More than 2000 years old, it is the earliest piece of Chinese embroidery ever unearthed.

In 2005, I wrote about Photo or Embroidery Design – Hunan Silk Embroidery. Today, silk embroidery is practised nearly all over China. The best commercial products, it is generally agreed, come from four provinces: Jiangsu (notably Suzhou), Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong, each with its distinctive features.   Embroidered works have become highly complex and exquisite today. Take the double-face embroidered “Cat” you see next to this post, representative work of Suzhou embroidery. The artist splits the hair-thin coloured silk thread into filaments-half, quarter 1/12 or even 1/48 of its original thickness– and uses these in embroidering concealing in the process the thousands of ends and joints and making them disappear as if by magic. The finished work is a cute and mischievous-looking cat on both sides of the groundwork. The most difficult part of the job is the eyes of the cat. To give them lustre and life, silk filaments of more than 20 colours or shades have to be used.  Recently, on the basis of two-face embroidery have developed further innovations– the same design on both sides in different colours, and totally different patterns on the two faces of the same groundwork. It seems that possibilities hitherto unknown to the art are still to be explored.

The Mesmerizing Applique Floral Quilts!

Published on March 7, 2008 in Applique Embroidery Designs and Hand Embroidery Designs.

applique-floral-quilts.jpgWhat on earth are applique floral quilts? Well well, you have been missing out on some eye stopping embroidery designs if you haven’t come across these patterns till now.

A quilt is a type of bedding— a bed covering composed of a quilt top and a layer of fabric for backing. The two are secured by tying which is a technique of using thread, ribbon or yarn to pass through all 3 layers of the quilt at frequent intervals. These are strong bonds and hold on even when the quilt is being washed. Most quilts are decorative and find easy uses as wall hangings apart from the normal bedding. Over the years, attempts have been made to make this quilt look more and more exotic and flowers or animals have been frequently used to add a natural touch to the hand embroidery. Appliques florals are flowery designs sewed on a separate fabric which is then stitched on to the master quilt cloth.

If you would be interested to learn this art, we have for you a masterpiece book from Bonnie Lyn McCaffery called Fantasy Floral Quilts: Creating With Silk Flowers (That Patchwork Place). This book contains step by step instructions along with beautifully photographed quilt designs to help you on your way. The quilts here are made from fabric and silk flowers and embellished with glistening threads and beads. This is not a very easy art, but Bonnie with her easy-to-understand logical instructions makes applique floral quilting a breeze.

The Amazing Bead Embroidery Technique!

Published on February 18, 2008 in Amazing Embroidery Designs and Hand Embroidery Designs.

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What exactly is bead embroidery? This is an ancient hand embroidery technique which originated in Germany in the 12th century. The pattern was first drawn onto the parchment and then attached to the fabric. The beads were strung onto one single thread, laid on the design in the desired manner and then couched into place with a thread and second needle. So there was a juxtaposition between the beads and the embroidery and this unique technque came to be known as bead embroidery.

In today’s scenario, one generally takes 5 – 6 beeds on the needle at a time. The needle goes into the fabric and these beads are then couched with a second needle and thread into place. The backstitch technique is used in order to run through several of the couched beads. A final thread is run through to ensure stability of the embroidery design.

Check out the dragonfly which caught my eye in one of the beaded embroidery resources – Giuliana’s Beaded Embroidery – This embroidery is done with linen lined with muslin. The dragonfly body is done in clear silver-lined bugle beads, and the wings are solid silver metal Delica beads. The opaque purple beads are size 11/0 Japanese glass beads. Aren’t they a beauty!

There is an informative book on beaded embroidery by Sherry Serafini and you could read it -  The Art of Bead Embroidery: Techniques, Designs & Inspirations

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