London

Corporate Branding Embroidery

March 28, 2022 by Connie Mabbott

Do you have an offsite to prepare for or just want to treat you team ? Hawthorne & Heaney are a mayfair based embroiderer specialising in quality embroidery and fast lead times. We dedicate the same attention to customer service as we do to embroidery detail and our expert team are on hand to consult and find solutions for your branded goods.

We are happy to work on pre bought items and also help source where needed. Being based in Mayfair makes us very flexible on urgent orders and because of our location we can offer a central London consultation service and an opportunity to check samples before actioning large orders.

Our team has many years experience working with companies and their corporate identity, we often personalize items with initials on a range of pieces, from shoes and bags, to sweatshirts, polo shirts and gilets – perfect for showing your appreciation to hard working staff members and valued customers.

Previous well known clients include Boots, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Ella’s Kitchen and many local finance and law firms.

To enquire about your corporate brand embroidery, get in touch here.

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Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child at the Hayward Gallery

March 25, 2022 by Intern

The Louise Bourgeois: The woven child was certainly an exhibition that made you stop and really consider the thought process of each piece, what emotion and psychological motive she was trying to portray to the viewer. With her use of materials ranging from steel to bone to gold and lingerie, each surface represents a memory and emotion from her life.

The last two decades of her practice became more and more oriented around fabrics and the amenable characteristics of them, the ability to cut, tear, rip and then sewing them back together which Bourgeois used in a strong metaphorical style. Enhanced by the tactile sense of the pieces which evoked vulnerability and intimacy which Bourgeois furthered by using her own personal garments and bed linens in her work. She stated they were her ‘second skin’, they had been present at the monumental events in her life and were now a representation of that memory.

As you enter the exhibition the first installation you are drawn to is ‘Cloth and Bone’, a steel pole has cattle bones attached to the end of rods which hang the artist’s undergarments, all saved from her childhood or of her mothers. Louise Bourgeois believed that the clothes she kept were just as important as the pages of her diary, which I can’t agree with more! Hunting through your wardrobe and finding certain items that suddenly spark a happy memory is just magical. Or more fitting with this exhibition, one that has that sentimental purpose to you, that words in a diary just couldn’t capture.

Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child at the Hayward Gallery London Hand Embroidery — ‘Untitled, 1996, cloth, bone and steel.
Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland’

Louise Bourgeois explores the meaning of mending and how this is shown through her use of fabric. The sculptures are formed from several distressed or ripped pieces of cloth which are then sewed back together, in a manner where the seams are still raw and visible. A metaphorical stance of human emotional repair which is not always perfect and when we are ‘mended’ we will look different than before how people carry their scars and allow this to be normal and ok, with the finished product becoming a work of art.

Her connection with fabrics is relevant to her mother who was a tapestry restorer, the late exploration from Bourgeois into fabrics suggests that in her later years of her life she wanted to revisit back to her youth and her family seeking familiarity with fabrics.

This series of textiles was based on the character Eugenie Grandet who was oppressed by her father, Bourgeois felt similar with her own father and wanted revenge against him. The artwork was made onto handkerchiefs and tea towels collaged using old embellishments from her hats and dresses, with most frames showing a clock to suggest the passing of time.

My favorite series in the whole exhibition were the stuffed heads, each made with a textiles exterior and molded to express a human portrait. The aim of these portraits was not to create a likeness to any person but to show a psychological state and emotion, with some of the works having two faces on one head to express the contradicting and complex feelings shown by humans. Each head is made from a different process ranging from cloth to tapestry and needlepoint.

This collection of work was created by Bourgeois when she was trying to understand her youngest son and his withdrawal. The sculptures represent his birth and early life with the figures being distorted and further animated by the concave mirror behind the scenes which added the metaphorical message of a distorted memory. Louise Bourgeois in her own words,

‘There’s is a child who simply refused to be born, his birth was quite late. Was there something that he perceived that prevented him from wanting to leave the womb and go out into the world? How much of who he will be, his feelings and actions, will be pre-determined by this refusal to appear? How will this child face the future? Will he be shy, reduced to silence, awkward or even hostile?

This creation was probably one of the most striking in there, a life size shaped human hangs from a single point attached to the ceiling, made entirely from black cloth and only the bottom half is recognisable as human limbs with the top consisting of a spiral. The twisted nature of the piece evokes nausea, dizziness and disorientation; it shows the physical manifestation of psychological states such as fear, anxiety and alienation. Bourgeois interest in the spiral shape stems from her fear of losing control, with the winding of the spiral being a tightening action and retreating into a point of disappearance. Then with the opposite movement of twisting outwards is a representation of giving up control and allowing positive energy.

If you don’t like creepy crawlies then look away now! The Spider however for Bourgeois was a symbol of a ‘mender’ as if you break its web it will just rebuild it. This creature sits above the cage with its legs wrapped around it in a protective manner, Bourgeois personal belongings sit within the metal cage again, another nod to the sitting time. However the large scale of the spider has hints of a predator and if you digest the facts of spiders they have cannibal characteristics which again show’s a more complex side to the artist and her feelings towards motherhood and her sexuality.

This glass box contains hanging conjoined heads each with two faces, the black fabric resembling depression, mourning and melancholia. The mirrors in each bottom corner of the box show the scrutiny the faces face, along with the idea of fragmentation and unease.

Near the end of the exhibition the sculptures begin to become more abstract still with gestures towards the human figure but very faint. One installation that really caught my eye was a collection of vertically stacked shapes. All were made from clothing or bed linen, terry cloth, tapestry and upholstery and unlike her other work had a sense of regularity. Louise Bourgeois felt the predictability of formal repetition and the rules given to geometry allowed for her life to have some order, she felt the set rules were the exact opposite to the emotional world she inhabited.

‘Soft fabrics show a sense of vulnerability and intimacy, while also remaining flexible, adaptable and resilient’, This statement from the Hayward Gallery I felt really concluded the exhibition and the change of materials presented by Louise Bourgeois which perfectly mirrored her emotional state.

Thank you to the Hayward Gallery for such a wonderful exhibition, if this was an interesting read I would highly recommend you visit yourself.

https://southbanklondon.com/events/southbank-centre/louise-bourgeois-woven-child

All pictures from Amelia Vance (Hawthorne and Heaney Intern)

Hawthorne & Heaney on Show at Fortnum and Mason

March 18, 2022 by Natasha Searls-Punter

We have the great privilage of being able to say that we currently have some works on display at the world renound Fortnum and Mason, London. As part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee, Fortnums are holding a series of exhibitions, spotlighting the artistic talents of British Craftsmanship. In partnership with QEST, the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, these exhibitions will show works from the scholars in a variety of fields, starting with ‘Wicker, Clay, Thread’ which are are delighted to be a part of.

Hawthorne & Heaney’s director, Claire Barrett is a scholar of QEST for Heraldic drafting, a much forgotten about skill but essential for the kinds of embroideries that Hawthorne & Heaney produce. The study of which has been applied directly to the hand embroidery artworks such as the working pocket sample below and the Positilion Badges in the case.

This style of drawing has gone onto inform the approach of these machine embroidery pieces to give them a similar luxurious feel but for some more practical applications, be it cushions or for costumes.

The exhibition is such as beautiful example of the incredible works of craftsmanship that are being produced in the UK, it would not do to talk about our bit and not highlight some of our favourites. Bob Johnston, wicker sculpter made this stag head piece, along with a cow version which is also on display which are arguably the most striking pieces on display. When we visited, the cow had already been purchased but the stag was still up for grabs.

Pictures dont do this piece called ‘Just a Drop of Milk for Me’ by Robert Walker justice. Specialising in ‘Verre Eglomise’ this piece uses a combination of etching, guilding, filigree and hand painting.

These colourful characters were created by hand embroidery scholar, Susannah Weiland . A mixed media artist, Weiland combines her printed drawings with stitching to create these final pieces which I’m sure you will agree are just precious.

We also have a second appearance in the exhibition with this typography piece which also draws on Claire’s Heraldic Drafting skills to weave the leaves within the design together. Machine embroidered onto velvet, this piece uses raised stitching to bring movement and character to the Monogram.

Being amongst these works is very inspiring and has already got us thinking about what we want to produce next! Do pop up to the 3rd floor to see the pieces which will be on display until 10th April, being hotly followed by by the next exhibition on ‘Wood, Glass, Paper’

Hawthorne & Heaney on ‘Faberge in London’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum

March 14, 2022 by Intern

Walking into the exhibition immediately you feel the nature of the exclusivity of the brand and the luxury of which these ornaments possess. Each object displayed exquisitely in their own selective groups laid on soft fabrics and under crystal clear light, allowing for the viewer to see them sparkling away in all their glory. With each piece being highly personalized to the receiver yet still maintaining that Faberge identity.

Hawthorne & Heaney on 'Faberge in London' at the Victoria and Albert Museum London Hand Embroidery — First room you walk into, all soft furnishings apart from the tiny encrusted crowns which sit in this cabinet.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Once you enter through the doors of the exhibition no cameras are allowed, so we did not get any images of the artwork, but this led me to show an increased interest in the people behind the work. I do not want to take away from the magnificent ornaments and their beauty which you should see for yourself. I want to emphasize the processes, the skills and the people behind each part of the journey of these detailed ornaments.

Firstly Carl Faberge himself, was not the original founder of the company, his father was in 1842 in St. Petersburg. Carl Faberge joined his father in the family business once he had traveled europe and studied as an apprentice of a goldsmith, it wasn’t until 1872 when he fully took over and the business was propelled forward by his genius and creative mind, allowing for the name Faberge to become known all other Russia and internationally.

Faberge himself did not make any of the products, even though he was highly skilled, which relates back to his ethos of caring more about the value of the craft that goes into the production of the piece rather than the value of the product itself. Each stage of the process was trusted to a highly skilled craftsman all with different expertise and working under the guidance of separate chief workmasters. 1901 saw the collaboration of all of these separate expertise under one roof when Faberge moved all production to one house in St. Petersburg, all production was carried out on the different floors and a show room was downstairs to allow customers to browse the wonderful collections. The growing strength and popularity of Faberge’s work was evident as his business flourished.

It was time for expansion, Faberge had to decide between France or England. He had spent a lot of time in both with the French luxury jewelry being a strong pull, yet England was the final decision due to the loyal client relations with the ruling families within England and the increase of wealth in English society along with the awareness and desire for Russian luxury pieces, such as Faberge’s work.

The Edwardians enjoyed gift giving between the wealthy and royal families, however there was a fine line between giving a gift out of gratitude and giving a gift in order to buy someone’s favour. A piece from Faberge’s workshop was the ideal answer to that, as most of his works had more emphasis on the value of the skill in production rather than the value of what it was made from, hence popularity and demand grew in England within the aristocracy.

Once in London, Henrik Wigstrom, who started as an apprentice with the previous chief workmaster now moved up to be the chief workmaster himself, carrying this role from 1903 till 1918. He played a prominent role in the London store and helped allow for the expansion to be successful outside of Russia. One more individual who really caught my attention was Alma Pihl, a women designer employed by Faberge at the young age of 20 years old which was very unusual for the time as there was a small number of women in the industry and an even small amount who were actual designers like herself. She was born into a family of master jewelers and designers prominent in Faberges workshops, and her own designs were quickly seen in Faberge’s work, with many of her pieces of jewellery being some of Faberge’s most celebrated today along with two imperial egg designs.

The War and Russian Revolution saw the start of the downfall for Faberge, with World War one affecting demand internationally. Many now saw extravagant gifts as not a necessity and insulting to the time where everyone was meant to be aiding the cause of supporting their country in a World War. In addition the Faberge factory was now conscripted to making munition, as his artisan ability and workers skills were ideal for making such metal work. The creative ornaments were still trying to be made, as the products changed to more modest gifts like cooking bowls and beakers made from simpler and more affordable materials.

Then the Russian Revolution forced Faberge to shut his doors, Faberge became heartbroken and devastated, he lacked purpose if he could not create his works of art. He ended up fleeing Russia in fear of prosecution, same as many of his colleagues and ended up in Switzerland where he unfortunately died, still broken-hearted at the complete disintegration of his life’s work in 1920.

The legacy of his life’s work still lives on to this day, we still treasure what was managed to be salvaged from Russia and admire what was kept by the British ruling families today. The craftsmanship is still remembered and honored along with the actual ornaments that we see presented in the exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The fact that we still are able to see and look in awe at the work from a hundred years ago shows the quality, talent and skill that went into all his work.

I loved the exhibition. Each cabinet was a treasure-trove of beauty, you found yourself leaning closer and closer to see the fine details and extreme techniques used to create such exquisite masterpieces.

Thank you to the Victoria and Albert Museum for curating such a wonderful exhibition! https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/faberge

Words by Amelia Vance, Images courtesy of the V&A Museum

Learn To Embroider Like Us With Our London Embroidery School Classes

February 25, 2022 by Connie Mabbott

You may have heard of our sister company, London Embroidery School. Located in Central London, London Embroidery School is dedicated to delivering high standard embroidery classes for all abilities.

‘Embroidery is a lifelong skill and even if you are just starting out, it is something that will stay with you, to be passed down through generations. Perfect for slowing down a busy mind, we teach hundreds of techniques on demand. Our online classes can be stopped, restarted, replayed and paused all so you can fit them into even the craziest schedule.’ -London Embroidery School

Offering a wide range of classes online which all start with the basics, you can learn the embroidery techniques we use daily, with no previous experience in the comfort of your own home, in your own time.

Hand Monogramming Classes

At Hawthorne & Heaney, we work on a lot of hand monograms for luxury items like shirts and silk pyjamas. You can learn this skill yourself with the London Embroidery School online classes. Starting with part one, which kicks off with the most basic form of hand monogramming, and moving into more difficult techniques with part two and three.

Goldwork Classes

We are very well known for our gold work skills at Hawthorne & Heaney, and through our sister company London Embroidery School, you can learn this technique from one of our expert team members through online classes. Starting you off with an introduction to gold work to get you started, there are 5 classes to choose from varying in skill level depending on how confident you’re feeling.

Don’t forget to share your creations on social media and tag us on @londonembschool so we can see your progress!

Hawthorne & Heaney for Greggs x Primark Launch

February 18, 2022 by Intern

To kick off our 2022 live embroidery events calendar, Hawthorne & Heaney had the pleasure of Monogramming at the launch event for the hotly anticipated Greggs and Primark collaboration !

We were invited to the lovely Dean Street store in the heart of Soho, where the Greggs and Primark team had a wonderful setup for their press launch.

Customers who attended were treated to live DJ music, a photobooth, Greggs treats and sausage rolls, and of course the new clothing collaboration.

Some of our favourite pieces were the sausage roll socks, and the hoodies, jumpers and tracksuit bottoms. All of which sported the Greggs logo, fun slogans like ‘it’s a pastry thing’ and iconic sausage rolls.

The hoodies and jumpers proved especially popular at the Monogramming station we had set-up. Customers were invited to choose a Greggs yellow or blue Monogram for their garments. The event has been covered by several media outlets including the Mirror Online who shared a little video of us at work.

Some even got creative and coordinated their initials to match the logos on the sleeves.

It was a wonderful and fun event and some of our team even got interviewed whilst Monogramming by the Hufflington Post too!

Follow the link to see a clip of the action

If you would like to get us over to your store(s) for a special monogramming event, get in touch info@embroidery.london for prices and to see how we can customise the event to best suit your brand.

Words by Rosie Watkins

Images by Rosie Watkins and Tabitha Buckley

Hawthorne & Heaney visits Peru: A Journey in Time

February 8, 2022 by Intern

Independent, isolated yet highly developed. The Andean people challenge contemporary ideas of what makes a successful society, yet their civilisation began 3,500years ago (900 to 200 BC). The British Museum’s exhibition ‘Peru: a journey in time’ intrinsically integrates the different Andean communities in chronological order yet still allowing for an organic integration of life, death and rebirth which is poignant to the lives of the indigenous communities.

We must understand the connection the Andean people had with the land, which was shown predominately with symbols in their artwork, for example this cloth showing the three diverse landscapes the communities lived from, the rainforest, the mountains, and the ocean.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits Peru: A Journey in Time London Hand Embroidery — A piece of cloth, with hand painted symbols of the land. The bird feathers representing the rainforest, the circular shapes showing the mountains and the lakes and the waves for the Pacific Ocean.

They were incredibly resourceful from the sea and cultivated the land for crops, showing great technological innovation and communities that were rich in knowledge. However, unlike modern day cultivation they do not just take the resources, what is so beautiful about the Andean culture is that they believe that nature is a living being. ‘Sustaining all life, woven into the shared belief system of which the natural and supernatural worlds are intimately connected’. Many objects in the exhibition show this intimate connection through the divine beings embodying the power of plants and animals, reflecting how nature supplied for the needs of society.

An Andean understanding of time is contradicting to that of a western perception. The belief that past, present and future are directly interconnected and happening at the same moment is for us almost incomprehensible and disrupts almost everything we base our cultural beliefs on! The Andean people take the living past into the present which influences the future. The importance of respecting ancestors and ensuring a safe passage into the afterlife is integral to the communities.

Just dissecting this remarkable piece of textiles, we can take so much information about the funerary rituals. Firstly, the severed heads which represent the importance to the afterlife, it is suggested that the heads were taken from the sacrificial rituals which then developed into the life-giving ceremonies. The life-giving ceremonies were when the life force of individuals were symbolically extracted to maintain balance in the neutral cycle of life, enforcing this further the heads are sometimes depicted with plants sprouting from the skulls to show the interdependence of life and death.

Deities, were how the ancestors and mythical beings were depicted with head dresses on, nose pieces and accessories which gave them animal type features showing the strong link with nature. This style of dressing was not just depicted in the artwork to honour the ancestor, but also worn by the living bringing the deities to life.

Textiles also played a large role in respecting the dead and the ancestors. Skilled and trained weavers were sourced to create the most beautiful, patterned textiles to wrap the dead body, usually being much more complex weaving methods and finer fabrics used for the dead rather than the living who wore practical everyday cloth. The Textile industry was proof of technological innovation in society, being a collaborative activity, the trade was passed down to workers who would train for years to perfect their skill and improve their knowledge.

Sacrifice and Ritual were dominant methods of respecting the ancestors, pleasing the gods and ‘maintaining a balance between the natural and supernatural worlds’. Ritual battles provided this, the indigenous communities didn’t fight to expand territory but used soldiers in a Moche ceremony of ritual battle. In which pairs of finely dressed warriors engaged in hand two hand combat, the losing warrior was stripped and taken to the mountains to be sacrificed.

Hallucinogenic plants were used extensively and were an important part of Nasca ritual, it allowed individuals to transform into different states of being and transcend time. This was visible in the artworks and ceramics of the communities giving the individuals the ability to really aline with their belief of life, death and rebirth being connected so deeply.

The exhibition expresses all these elements of Andean life and culture in such a respectful and informative way I felt myself gliding round the room mesmerised by each fact and admiring such an enduring culture and community who lived through colonisation from the west. It truly is remarkable and really telling of how deep rooted and powerful their traditions were to survive western repression and rule and still be seen to be practised today, 200 years after gaining independence again from Spain.

‘In many ways, past traditions inform present practise, and the enduring belief that humans are a part of the living landscape helps to shape our shared future. The objects in the exhibition connect this narrative and provide a brief glimpse of these remarkable societies from whom there is so much to learn’. The last message from the Exhibition curators as you leave the exhibition, which I felt summed the whole display up wonderfully.

Thank you to the British Museum for this remarkable exhibition, if you found this interesting then I strongly suggest you visit the exhibition and see the artifacts for yourself! Closing 20^th February 2022.

Photos and Words by Amelia Vance

Hawthorne & Heaney for Jason Momoa

October 27, 2021 by Natasha Searls-Punter

In October we had the great pleasure of working on a very quick turn around job with our friends across the road at legendary tailors, Henry Poole. They were making a coupld of jackets for Hollywood actor Jason Momoa one of which was to be a velvet smoking jacket for the ‘Dune’ London premiere. No smoking jacket would be complete without some frogging style details on it and so Momoa chose our oak leaf cuff embroidery design to adorn his jacket.

Working with the coat makers means that we can do the embroidery before the jacket is constructed which gives it that super lux finish that one comes to expect of Savile Row quality garments. The burgandy colour of the velvet brough a fun edge to this particular jacket, reflecting the wearer’s dynamic personality. What’s more is that Momoa and his team filmed the whole process of the making of the jackets, which included a visit to our studio to see the cuff embroidery in action and learn a little more about the process behind the craft.

Thanks to Daniel McDonald from Henry Poole for bringing us in on this project and Damien Bray for the film, as well of course as the man himself, Jason Momoa for wearing it so well. Be sure to check out the film in full at the top of the blog, its well worth the watch!