Threadwritten Textiles by Sarah Pedlow

Recently I was contacted by artist Sarah Pedlow, who has been researching embroidery techniques and traditions in areas such as Budapest, Hungary, Blonduos, Iceland, and Oaxaca, Mexico.

Sarah is looking to fund her upcoming residency studying Dutch Textile Traditions with an Indiegogo campaign.

Contributions to Sarah's residency fund are rewarded with some rather beautiful embroidered items, from authentic embroidery stitched by women in Transylvania to a kit that teaches the Hungarian written stitch with materials, to a silkscreened project bag that can be used as is or embroidered with a simple chain or back stitch.

Sarah's work is fascinating - I encourage you to take a look at her Indiegogo page, visit http://threadwritten.com/ to learn about her upcoming classes, or follow her on Instagram.

Stitchy Snippets - Lace Pictures

Stunning lace figures by artist Ágnes Herczeg, created entirely from organic materials such as: yarns, tree branches, roots, shell and clay. From her studio in Hungary, which is situated near the Danube river, Ágnes meticulously crafts these beautiful lace portraits using various traditional techniques. These include lace making with a pillow and bobbins, needle lace, macramé and braiding.

Ágnes forged her passion for 'almost-forgotten techniques' whilst majoring in textile conservation at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. She takes inspiration from prehistoric art and the nature around her, admiring ancient knowledge of the manipulation and application of natural resources in art. Inherently inquisitive, Ágnes continues to experiment with different organic based materials to compliment her intricate lace work.

Featured Book: Treasures of Kalocsa

Here is a guest post from Sharon - safischer1 on Flickr. She volunteered a post at the perfect time since our Wednesday blogger is on vacation! Thanks Sharon!

I’ve been looking for a book on Hungarian embroidery (in English) for some time and while Treasures of Kalocsa is not strictly about embroidery, but rather the variety of folk art from this region of eastern Hungary, embroidery certainly figures prominently.

While I have yet to read it cover to cover, I’m pleased that my mom agreed to give this rather pricey ($77 including shipping from Hungary) volume to me as a birthday gift. At least half of the book is devoted to background on the area, the role and development of the folk arts (focused on embroidery and decorative painting). The author Kati Fejer takes you on a tour of the town and profiles the “women and one man” who are involved in continuing this tradition and keeping it current. Some aspects are a bit scholarly and are enhanced if the reader has some knowledge about the history and politics that impact the area.

The book is generously illustrated with full color photographs of gorgeous examples of regional embroidery on clothing, household and religious items in a wider range of styles and color schemes than I was previously aware of, from white on white cutwork and Madeira to riotously colored flat stitched pieces. While there are some drawings and stitch diagrams in the hand embroidery section, I found it to be more of a source of inspiration than a how-to manual. The section on Kalocsa “machine embroidery” (which has NOTHING to do with fancy new-fangled machines and computerized templates) does provide step by step instructions for a unique style which uses a straight stitch machine to create lace like creations in combination with hand embroidery.