Sat. 16 – Sun. 17 November 11am – 5pm

A firm favourite in the Compton Verney calendar, this year the fair will run for two days and feature 28 exhibitors, embroidery demos and other exhibits.

I shall be displaying my work in the Naples room and presenting a selection of framed works: archive sketches with stitched samples, plus a small collection of embroidered fashion and art pieces.

Entrance charge (see poster) includes the permanent collection galleries and the current exhibition: Magnum Manifesto – 70 years of photography Compton Verney, art gallery and park is located in Warwickshire.

www.comptonverney.org.uk  |  T: 01926 645500

Download the Poster

Stepping into Palazzo Fortuny in Venice a few weeks ago certainly was a dream come true as I have always loved his sensuous silks and rich printed velvets.

The enchanting interior of the palazzo sweeps one back into Venice in the early 1900s when Mariano Fortuny’s clients were clamouring for his famous ‘Delphos’ silk dresses. Called the ‘Magician of Venice’ by his contemporaries, Fortuny’s creative genius touched stage design, photography, painting, engraving and his world famous textiles. Palazzo Fortuny is a museum of treasures showing beautiful gowns against an inspirational backdrop of the rich antiques; while the upper atelier rooms give an intimate glimpse of his craft and techniques showing original designs and printing blocks (see photos).

Mariano Fortuny’s dyed silks and block printed velvets shimmer with echoes of past centuries: Marco Polo’s travels along the Silk Route to China; the exotic patterns of Venetian woven silks worn by the Doges; the fluid pleats of the Delphos dresses pay homage to Grecian dress; I wonder, could their rippling surfaces also be inspired from the water patterns of the Venetian lagoons.

Mariano Fortuny’s printed silks and velvets were inspired by the ancient glories of Venetian textiles; though his printing process was unique and modern in 1910: a patented rotary stencil machine which pressed the metallic pigments onto the silks. Fortuny’s first stencil prints, influenced by Japanese stencils, used pochoirs (metal plate stencils). Metallic prints were also stamped onto velvets using wooden carved blocks (see photo) resulting in rough, crushed textures which were enhanced with brushed pigments.

Metallic stencilling is a technique familiar to my own studio practice. Using hand-cut stencils, metallic paints (e.g.Lumiere by Jacquard) can be stippled through the stencils onto silks. Dramatic effects can be achieved on black and dark shades of silk.

Photo: Embellished/quilted purse, Collection 1996. Black dupion silk, hand-stencilled with silver/pale gold metallic textile paint.

The exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (February – September 2019) was a stunning show , imaginatively staged, enticing visitors into Dior’s dream world of beautiful couture.

On display were sketches, cabinets of inspiration material; amazing mirrored walls of white toiles; perfect miniature mannequins, stylish Dior perfume bottles in accessory cabinets; cascades of laser-cut paper flowers falling above floral fashions - each twist and turn of the exhibition was a spell-binding treat! No more reportage but a few images from the House of Dior where the art of embroidery makes a statement.

Photo 1: Coat dress by John Galliano for Christian Dior 2005. Embellished with gilt thread, feathers and Swarovski crystals

Photo 2: Detail of dyed feathers

Photo 3: Evening dress by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior 2017. Embellished with dyed feathers onto tulle (see central image)

The language of Italian needle point lace or Punto in aria captures the romance of the lace maker’s craft : threads, needles, bobbins conjuring floral ornaments in fine linen or metallic threads, literally ‘points in air’.

Although my embroidered lace creations evolve via the speed of the modern sewing machine, the fame of Venetian lace making lured me to the Museo de Merletto on the island of Burano, while in Venice. Historic examples of lace, such as Point de Venise and Point de Burano can be studied in this fascinating museum. Point de Venise or Venetian Rose Point was the most celebrated lace of the 17th century; the famous Venetian rose stitch enhanced the laces with relief textures.

The lace industry of Burano is no longer flourishing as in the past, but one can still glimpse an elderly lady lacemaking, carefully following a parchment pattern and creating Punto in Aria.

A fascination with machine embroidered lace began while creating samples for my book ‘Embroidered Originals’, in 2009. Unlike the hand crafted needle point lace of Burano, the technique of machine made lace offers embroiderers a variety of approaches using water-soluble stabilizers and the swift stitching of free-motion embroidery.

Machine lace textures can enhance silk corsages; add fine lace details to embroidery, strike bolder notes with thicker machine threads instead of fine rayon or metallic threads, create lace edging for scarves.

A network of straight stitch machining outlines shapes on a stabiliser; filling patterns can criss-cross a shape, for added support attach sheers.

Photo: Creating a machine lace using water soluble voile

The Hot Water Soluble fabric is available in UK from www.whaleys-bradford.ltd.uk product name CMIS126 (dissolvable A4126). It dissolves at 65 degrees c.