In the previous post we looked at the symbolism behind a contemporary embroidered ensemble. But where can we find inspirations for embroidery pieces?
The collections of museum and educational institutions all over the world can provide us with some great ideas, especially smaller ones and, even if they may be closed, some places still have intriguing pieces in digitalised archives that can be accessed for free. An example is the archive at the Glasgow School of Art that features a variety of textile items including needlework and costumes and quite a few pieces with decorative patterns inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
There are also interesting figures linked with the School of Art that you may want to rediscover such as Ann Macbeth.
Born in Bolton in 1875, she studied at the Glasgow School of Art from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and she also taught needlework, embroidery and applique in the Design and Decorative Art Section of the school.
In 1909 she became the head of the Needlework and Embroidery Section, adding Bookbinding and Decoration and Decorative Leatherwork to these responsibilities in 1910.
Two years later, Macbeth became the director of Studies in the Needlecraft-Decorative Art Studios and continued to teach at the school until her retirement in 1929. Macbeth was also an associate of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, an active suffragette (she designed banners for suffragists and suffragettes movements) and a prolific illustrator.
In the school archive there is a striking orange silk velvet yoke/collar embroidered with orange, white and green silk threads using a variety of needlework techniques such as satin and straight stitches, french knots, couching, needle-weaving and lace insertions. It forms a rounded shape around the neck but finishes with a rectangular element down the front.
If you want to learn more about Ann Macbeth, you can also check out her books "Educational Needlecraft (1911, with Margaret Swanson), "Embroidered and Laced Leather Work" (1930) or "School and Fireside Crafts" (1930, with May Spence; the volume features a variety of crafts, including embroidery).
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If you like the "Glasgow Style" check out the dress by Daisy Agnes McGlashan (1879-1968) preserved in the archive. A student at the School of Art from 1898 to 1905, she was influenced by this style and designed her own clothes and wrote and illustrated children's stories.
And if you're looking for more modern inspirations, check out the poster advertising the 2005 Glasgow School Of Art Fashion show. It features just some pieces of thread rather than proper embroidery, plus a section of a pattern for a pocket. It looks minimalist and fun in a sort of punk-DIY kind of way and it could be inspiring for runway invitations (yes, why not giving out a pattern for one of your own designs as an invitation to a show? Food for thought for designers here).
Today's Burns Night in Scotland, but the country is still in lockdown at the moment because of Coronavirus, so checking out the content of this archive may be a way to virtually celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns even from a distance, even in lockdown.
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