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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!

Make Mother’s Day Memorable With Personalised Embroidered Gifts

February 25, 2022 by Connie Mabbott

Mother’s day is approaching fast, and we have the perfect solution for that special gift, guaranteed to make Sunday the 27th of March extra special this year!

Traditionally, Mothering Sunday was a day for children who had gone away for work to return home to visit their Mothers. Now, we mark this day to honour our Mothers, make time for them, take them out for lunch and treat them with flowers, chocolates and personal gifts to show our appreciation.

At Hawthorne & Heaney we work on many different personalised gifts, from tea towels and hankies, to silky pyjamas, dressing gowns and scarves. We offer a luxury personalisation service, which is a fantastic way to elevate your gifts and make them extra special! Our expert team of embroiderers will help guide you through your order to make sure we meet your expectations.

Hand Monogramming

Our in house luxury hand monogramming service looks stunning on items like silk pyjamas and shirts. We work to high standards so you are guaranteed a quality finish an all items.

Simple and subtle hand finishes are the perfect way to personalise pieces that just need small finishing touches.

Machine Embroidered Text

Our digital embroidery services offer much more variety of size and fonts to choose from. These look stunning on bath robes, pyjamas, wash bags and scarves, and can be embroidered monograms, names or even full sentences! Choose your mothers favourite quote, or song lyric for that wow factor that is something guaranteed to surprise them and be kept forever.

Why not personalise something personal, for example this matching tea towel and oven glove for a passionate baker or loving cook.

To see more of our monogram work, visit our services page.

Whatever your vision for Mothering Sunday, we would love to work with you to create something special. Get in touch via our contact from to get started with your enquiry.

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 Visits ”Hell in its Heyday” at Sir John Soane’s Museum

December 1, 2021 by Intern

This exhibition at Sir John Soane’s Museum takes you on a journey to the weird and wonderful world of contemporary artist Pablo Bronstein’s depiction of hell.

“Members club” (Gaudy mansions which used to line the avenue

have been torn down and replaced by swanky apartment buildings,

but this venerable old place is still holding out.)

This collection is a new body of work which was developed over the last year after the exhibition was delayed due to lockdown restrictions. The exhibition consists of twenty-two heavily detailed large-scale watercolour paintings created especially for the museum.

Bronstein’s vision for this collection was to turn the underworld into something glamorous and desirable. It’s not the most traditional version of hell of which most of the public would imagine, who would have thought hell would ever be described as something desirable?

This body of work presents the 19^th and 20^th centuries and their technological and economic advancements through a nostalgic but also deeply ironic filter. This exhibition invites the visitor to explore hell imagined as a monumental city, which they are then guided through. The city is made up of botanical gardens, oil rigs concert halls and casinos to name a few. The city portrays a vision of the underworld that lures the viewer in but is also extremely unsettling, where all your desires and pleasures can be satisfied. The artist even creates hells mines and factories as luxurious and expensive venues.

“Oil rigs” (Gleaming oil rigs rise from the dust and mud of the valley,

each vying with its neighbour for the best ornamentation).

Pablo Bronstein drew from a range of sources for his inspiration, from mannerist sculpture, commedia dell’arte, eighteenth-century interior design, the circus and early advertising posters and television.

“Fly over and roundabout” (A multi lane carriageway leading from the central bank and

civic administrative quarter heads to the casino)

Bronstein was inspired to make this collection for many reasons, one reason being his family. Bronstein’s family are from the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires which is referenced throughout this collection. You can see a reference to his family in the image of the three headed pink swan fountain where ribbons of the Argentine flags hang from the fountain.

“Botanical Gardens” (A romantic botanical garden features clipped

giant yew trees in terracotta urns, over- grown with lilac wisteria in bloom).

19^th century architect Sir John Soane himself was a big inspiration for this exhibition as the two had a lot in common. Bronstein’s work often shows a lot of historical architecture and antique references, and Sir John Soanes Museum holds a great deal of antique beauty. This therefore made Sir John Soanes Museum the perfect location to hold his work.

What makes this exhibition, so eye catching is the amount of colour that explodes throughout the collection. The strong colours sort of happened by accident” Bronstein stated. “Something went wrong with one of the red skies, and in trying to repair it I made it even more red. “I secretly felt quite liberated and worked back into the other drawings to make the colours stronger.”

“Flight” (Machines of aeronautical progress – balloons, Zeppelins, planes, and parachutes –

serve as sport for a group of hungry faeries)

One of our favourite pieces of Bronstein’s work is titled “Patisseries and Confections”. It consists of an array of tempting cakes which appear as skyscrapers because of the scale of the artwork. Bronstein heavily plays on scale throughout his collection which creates the unsettling feel he wants the viewers to experience. Scale is a very powerful concept and Bronstein has created a similar effect to the famous children’s book ‘Alice in Wonderland’ where everything is much larger than it should be. This can make the viewer feel uncomfortable and disturbed. Its almost like a vision from a nightmare.

“Port” (A sumptuous evening buffet is served. A large lobster on a bed of lettuce leaves

slides off a silver platter and onto a white tablecloth).

The exhibition also consists of a new film which features a group of antique dealers performing a masked ballet while trying to sell antiques to a dead man. The proprietor, played by Rosalie Wahlfird and her two assistants Iris Chan and Irene Cena, portray that in hell shopping is the ultimate cultural experience. Bronstein has previously drawn from 17th century ballet to develop performances at the Tate. The short film was shot mostly at his home during lockdown which creates a big comedic aspect however also has a quite disturbing feel with its dramatic music and hyperbolic language.

This exhibition was really interesting to visit, as well as the art work the short movie was a great extra to the exhibition and helped the visitor get inside Pablo Bronstein’s head. John Soane created the museum to educate and inspire he visitors and this exhibition lets the viewer drift off into a different world and loose themselves in a new vision of the underworld.

Make sure you go and visit Sir John Soanes Museum to have a look round.

https://www.soane.org/whats-on/curators-tour-pablo-bronstein-hell-its-heyday-exhibition

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!

Hawthorne & Heaney Explores London Craft Week

October 13, 2021 by Intern

Last week was full of London Craft Week events, workshops and open houses. A few of which we had the delight to attend including an open house and embroidery demonstration at Erdem, an exhibition of embroidery artist Rosalind Wyatt’s work and a talk and demonstration by the Heritage Craft Association on the red list of endangered crafts.

We also have enjoyed participating ourselves with twice daily live stitching on display in The Service on Savile Row – thank you to everyone who came to see us!

TOAST & Rosalind Wyatt

We started the week with a trip to lifestyle brand TOAST’s London store where they were running a series of workshops and an exhibition of Textile Artist Rosalind Wyatt’s work titled ‘Stories through Stitches’

Rosalind Wyatt is a mixed-media and embroidery artist, most recognised for her embroidered letters and calligraphy. Some of these beautiful pieces were on show in store!

She considers handwriting a significant part of culture and people’s lives. Where calligraphy and cloth meet in her work signifies the emotion held in the textiles, emotions found in handwritten letters

She writes with her needle onto garments people have worn, encapsulating their emotions into their clothes.

TOAST was also running a live workshop where participants leant the art of mixed-media textiles. The workshop aimed to promote a more thoughtful way of life, sustaining traditional textiles techniques and craftsmanship.

Erdem Open House and Demonstration

We were then lucky enough to attend Erdem’s open house to see some of their embroidery in process.

The demonstration featured a neckline for one of their dresses, being embellished in large crystals and beads on a frame, the dress itself was also on display in store to allow viewers to see the final outcome.

Erdem is a womenswear brand, based out of central London. Their collections are often finished with hand and machine embroidery – it was wonderful to see some of these samples too which were on show alongside the demonstration.

Heritage Crafts Association Endangered Crafts

To end our London Craft Week adventures, we finally had the pleasure of attending the Heritage Crafts Association event held at Fortnum and Mason. Fortnum and Mason are known for their long-associated traditions with craft and quality – the perfect venue to hold this event!

Exhibiting their work was ‘Paula Carnell’ a Bee Skep Maker, ‘Coates English Willow’ who are a company of Basketwork Furniture Makers and ‘Ernest Wright’ who is a traditional Scissor Maker. These crafts are all at risk with Scissor Making and Basketwork Furniture Making being Critically Endangered.

Basketwork Furniture making is a recognisable craft, however is critically endangered as only one company which supports the craft is left. P.H Coate & Son was founded in 1819, and although the business has a new apprentice this wonderful craft is at risk!

The straw baskets used in Beekeeping, known as Bee Skeps are beautiful objects in and of themselves. The straw is twisted and bound in a continuous coil of lipwork with lapping (lapping can be made from bramble, willow and hazel). Whilst highly practical the craft started to wane after the First World War as Skep making is a highly time-consuming craft compared to its value.

The final endangered craft on display was scissor making. One of the last remaining companies to produce this craft is Ernest Wright. The scissors are very high quality and long lasting – a durable crafted item.

We hope you have enjoyed London Craft Week as much as we have, thank you to all of the wonderful events that we attended!

More information about endangered crafts can be found on Heritage Crafts Association’s website

https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/

Words by and Images: Rosie Watkins