There are times when living in the city can make you long for a quieter, more peaceful way of life. Occasionally I fantasise about living in the country and owning a large light filled studio, where I can practice mindfullness and get back to my creative roots.
Drawing, painting, sewing and making things are my real loves and these days I don’t get many (if any) opportunities to utilise my skills. My Grandma was an embroiderer by trade and my house is filled with exquisite floral embroideries and tapestries that she made. Sadly I don’t have the time or the patience for such detailed work.
But when I do eventually get my cottage in Warberswick overlooking the sea, I’d like to try to create something similar to the work of Sabatina Leccia. Her gorgeous combinations of embroidery, staining, painting and drawing, are both spontaneous and highly detailed.
Sabatina who graduated from MA textiles Futures (an amazing course) at Central Saint Martins in 2013, is now based in Paris and says she aims to revive the ancestral technique and views the process more as painting than embroidery. She also says she uses her work as an opportunity to meditate and reflect.
Now wheres that estate agents website?
Oh my – how fabulous! Such variety of traditional stitches combined with modern tastes – let’s find that estate agent’s website and form a commune.
Beautiful work.
But what I really want to know is how did your gran make an income at embroidery? What sorts of people or organizations commissioned her work? Did she have training?
I recently saw an old embroidery textbook. It must have been 350 pages long and each page had a different stitch! If it had been for sale, I would have bought it.
Dorothy, she lived near a rather grand house where they commissioned people to create tapestries and embroideries. Don’t imagine she made much money, but what a lovely job.
Jx
Monix, I’m on it
Jx
I would like to add to Jane,s reference to her Grandma. My Mother started work in Wemyss School of Needlework in her teens and worked there till she married at 30yrs.She had to pay the princely sum of 10/- for the privilege of starting working there and never earned more than 30/- a week -£1.50 today!
She loved every minute and told some lovely stories of the fun “The Girls ” had.
The School was highly thought of in Society Circles and produced excellent work of all forms of embroidery -Jane will inherit a lot more of it some day!
Kay – Jane,s Mum
I would like to add to Jane’s reference to her Grandma .My Mother started work in The Wemyss School of Needlework in her teens and worked there until she was married at thirty years of age . She had to pay the princely sum of 10 shillings for starting to work and never earned more than thirty shillings a week,£1.50 in todays money.
She loved every minute and told lovely stories of the fun “The Girls” had.
The School was highly thought of in Society Circles and produced excellent work off all forms of embroidery.
Jane will inherit a lot more of it ,some day!
Kay, Jane’s Mum
What gorgeous colours and textures – Thanks also to your Mum for the added details on your Grandma!