Yesterday, Jack and I went fishing with our beach neighbors.
It's so nice to see them again after the long winter. It means that Summer has really started.
Yesterday, Jack and I went fishing with our beach neighbors.
As part of one of my assignments for the Experimental Art E-course, I was supposed to "with wild abandon...splot, splat, drip, dribble, press, stamp, wipe, dab across whole pages in your sketchbook."
Let's face it. Life is something we all make up as we go along.
No matter how much we try to control it or script it, our life has a way of throwing us curve balls and challenges...and often people...that we don't plan for or expect. So why not be realistic and, instead of thinking of bigger and better ways of planning, WE get better at improvising.
I love this book...Improv Wisdom. It's a quick read, chock full of wisdom on how to master the art of improvisation in our own lives...how to loosen up, think on our feet, and say yes to the unexpected...all of the skills needed for living an unscripted life.
I think it was serendipitous that I re-read this book while thinking about my stitching plan for the Summer.
What about no plan? Nothing is better than when we have the opportunity to let Summer take its own course.
Why not drive to the Ocean at the last minute to swim in the waves? Or drop everything to go hear a concert in the park...make a picnic...have a water gun fight...blow bubbles?
Sounds great but how about my stitching routine? I still need to wake up every day to a needle and a stitching ritual...
Last year I came up with Summer Charm School and I enjoyed it very much. And I was glad at the end of the Summer that I had taken time to read some of my books and learn new techniques...many of which I used over and over again in my work throughout the year.
The downside of Summer Charm School was that I "studied" a different technique every week...which required different supplies each week...and then I put the constraint on myself of making them into charms. I spent more time finding supplies and constructing the charm than I did on the actual stitching.
This Summer I needed to create a structure...a ritual...a habit for my stitching that meets the following criteria:
While at my Tambour Beading Masterclass with Bob Haven, he brought out this antique treasure he has stored in his studio...
And he allowed me to photograph it and share it with the world for us to study. Thank you Bob.
This bodice was made by Parisian designer Pierre Balmain most likely in the 1950s. Pierre Balmain was known for his exquisite detailing and dressed such starlets as Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardo and Kathryn Hepburn.
Last year, Penelope Cruz wore a vintage Balmain gown to the Academy Awards when she became the first Spanish actress to ever win an Oscar.
You can read last year's post here and see some old bacstage photos of a Pierre Balmain fashion show.
Notice the mix of sewn metal thread and couched metal threads.
The flat ribbon like thread is actual crimped and couched into place. If you're interested, it can still be acquired through Tinsel Trading in New York.
Because it's real metal thread, it does tarnish over time.
But that just adds to its beauty.
Enjoy!
[Warning: This post doesn't show a finished product and is written for those interested in the details of my class with Bob Haven. It's a bit technical in nature with lots of pictures. If you're not interested in tambour beading, you may want to skip it...]
OK. Let's get to class. The whole technique of tambour beading revolves around the use of a hook...
You can see from the pic that the needle has quite a snaggly hook to it. This makes it quite tricky to manipulate. It's why you won't see very much "finished" work in this post. Only the beginnings of things.
The word "tambour" means drum in French...that refers to how tight the fabric is stretched across the frame. I loved Bob's method for stretching the fabric using 1"x4" pieces of wood, twill tape and clamps from the hardware store. Very inexpensive and very effective.
I have taken many needlework courses in my life. And most of them have been variations on a theme...almost all using a needle and thread. Even though the technique is new, using a needle and thread is not. Not so with the tambour hook.
In the case of tambour beading, there are some unique characteristics:
There were so many wonderful things about my Tambour Beading Masterclass that took place in Bob Haven's Costume department at the University of Kentucky that I've decided to break it up into multiple posts.
First of all, the course was held in Bob's "classroom" which is really just one large sewing room full of all kinds of fabrics, threads and inspiration.
Bob is a fascinating guy. He started his career as an 8th grade English teacher and became involved in school theater. He decided to get his MA in Community Theater which led him to create the Kids in Drama (K.I.D.) program in his home state of New Hampshire. He increasingly became interested in costume design and started to choose shows in order to make the costumes.
Looking to further his education, he left his full-time job as a school teacher and entered the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Delaware to learn the art of costume design and shop management.
He has worked for three universities and is currently a tenured faculty member at the University of Kentucky. His love for costume has led him to pursue various embroidery arts and he has received his Certificate in Haute Couture embroidery from Lesage in Paris; and four certificated courses from the Royal School of Needlework. He is also pursuing the study of Japanese embroidery. And all from the love of the theater and costume...to learn more about Bob and see all of his work, you can go here.
Since receiving his certificate from Lesage, he has been a prolific tambour artist, creating many many pieces of embroidery like those below using the tambour hook.
One of the advantages of embroidering with a tambour hook is speed. Of course, you have to become proficient in its use...and I have a long way to go before that happens!
Below on the left you can see a pansy embroidered with needle and thread that took Bob about 7.5 days to complete; on the right is a pansy done embroidered with a tambour hook that took about 10 hours!
Here is Bob's finished sample of our class project:
After three days of work, I barely scratched the surface. But that's a story for tomorrow...
I'm looking forward to catching up with you all!