At Hawthorne & Heaney we often have the pleasure of working with textile design students on their final year projects.

Amelia Vance, budding textile designer and a previous intern for Hawthorne & Heaney got in touch with us during November 2022 about some embroidery she needed our expertise for. Having worked with Amelia before during her placement year, we were excited to collaborate on such an important piece for her degree.

‘I am the nettle and the rose thorn amongst the fields of billowing goat’s rue and swaying meadowsweet. I am the polite botanist, the herbal healer and witch. I evoke scents of fresh mint, intoxicating lavender and soothing sage with twigs of rosemary ‘that’s for remembrance’. – An extract from Amelia’s Statement

She first sent us some original line drawings to give us a feel for the project, and an idea of the work involved – we love an authentic working studio photo, so this was a treat to see!

Our place was to turn Amelia’s intricately woven designs into a delicate embroidered piece on donated McQueen silk crepe. We used digital embroidery – layering the colours and stems as instructed by the designer, which resulted in a stunning finished piece of intertwined florals. This was then returned to Amelia as a flat piece of fabric which she transformed into this statement collar.

Amelia was inspired by a trip to Peru and the respect the Quechua people had with nature through their use of plants, which reminded her of her own love for the natural world.

Working on unique projects with undergraduates and emerging designers are always exciting works to be a part of. We like to stay at the forefront of design, and collaborating with new talent is a great way to do so.

All photos credit to Amelia Vance @textilesofameliav