A dazzling palette of flora and foliage, inspired by the famous Red Border at Hidcote Manor Garden, influences a vibrant machine stitched lace panel. The design of the embroidered work references the flapper dresses of the 1920s, and the Art Deco era of Scott Fitzgerald sparks a lively fizz of textures and patterns.

Free machine embroidery fashions an intriguing textile work: intricate stitched lace patterns of fine viscose threads using water-soluble techniques; layers of silky strands of vintage 1940s parachute cord freely form a decorative mesh and a flowing fringe; delicate silks are embellished with stitch to create flowers; beautiful Swarovski crystals and sequins capture a Jazz Age sparkle.

This textile work was created especially for my display at Art in Action 2011.

A page from 'La Mode' magazine, 1927 (bought at a flea market in France this spring) Flapper dresses inspire the shape of the lace, and fringe details influence a lacey texture of fine stitched cords.

'Work in progress': creating the machine-stitched lace surface. The machine embroidery is worked on a hot water-soluble voile material background. In places a clear film of water-soluble is used to enclose the layers of parachute threads, before machine stitching.

Studio Techniques - Machine embroidered lace: examples feature in my book 'Embroidered Originals'.

Hidcote Manor Garden, Gloucestershire is owned by the National Trust

Masterclasses 2012 - 'Embroidered Botanica' 8th - 14th June. Garden tour & workshop
Sue will be teaching a 2 day machine embroidery class, inspired by Hidcote garden.
Further details: www.whitecrofttours.co.uk