Design Philosophy |
Honeysuckle Embroidery & Textiles is a web-based business working and living out of an inner city apartment. Our products will be available on Instagram and Facebook and our web page. Soon after opening our textile art business, we will regularly attend local markets to promote our products and even consider opening our warehouse to the public and providing workshops to encourage and inspire our love of experimenting with contemporary textiles. It is our passion to create contemporary textiles using sustainable products and inspire others to experiment outside of the traditional textile arts.
Honeysuckle's design studio philosophy is to create beautiful, unique pieces of textiles and embroidery using ethical and environmentally friendly materials. These materials are sourced from trustworthy producers who are thoroughly investigated on their processes and manufacturing and where they source their textiles. For example, the wool for our textile weave pieces should be from sustainable, cruelty free farms where the wool is dyed in a sustainable way. As for the embroidery floss, they are sourced from companies focused on utilising organic products. Our studio will adhere to Occupation Health and Safety laws, and we will not tolerate any discrimination. We will also investigate the working conditions when sourcing our materials from overseas and strive to only do business with reputable businesses. |
Embroidery Hoops
It is a necessity to choose the right fabric when you begin your embroidery experience. For me, I have tried embroidering on a lot of different surfaces from knits to cotton, and I have found that a simple cotton/linen blend is the best fabric for embroidering, especially for beginners or those who are just starting out. It is important to look at the thread count and the warp and weft threads of the weave. The thread count of the fabric determines how easy it will be to push and pull your needle and thread through the fabric. The warp and weft threads also determine the force needed to push the needle through the fabric and will also determine the final outlook of the finished product. The tighter the weave the better as it will hold the threads taut enough so they are not looping down the fabric. However, the weave shouldn’t be that tight that you are struggling to push the needle and thread through the fabric. All of the products I am currently selling have base fabrics that are a neutral, cotton canvas blend purchased from a Spotlight store. This fabric is easy to source and is reasonably inexpensive. It also comes in a range of colours, providing a wider area to experiment with your creativity and incorporate landscapes into your designs. However, it is not just the base fabric that needs to be chosen but also the embroidery floss and threads. You will find when you go down to your local store that embroidery floss comes in two different types: Perle cotton floss and six-stranded cotton floss. All of my products are made using a range of colours from the DMC six-stranded cotton floss range. Six stranded cotton floss can be divided into 6 individual strands, allowing for different thicknesses, which is a component essential to the success of the designs in my hairstyles range. Perle cotton is not divisible and instead comes in different thicknesses, including the sizes 3, 5, 8, 12 (size 3 is equivalent to six strands of embroidery floss and size 12 is equivalent to one strand of embroidery floss). Six strand embroidery floss has a smooth, flat surface when it is stitched to the fabric, whereas Perle floss has a distinctive twisted look. When buying your embroidery floss you need to ensure that you don’t invest in very cheap floss as it may not be colourfast and may run across the rest of your piece when it is washed or gets wet. Textile Wall Hangings
When making my unique textile wall hanging pieces I have sourced natural materials as I want to inspire my buyers to bring nature into their home, and the aesthetics of the natural twigs and shells and gum nuts appeal to my liking. The inclusion of the natural materials brings nature inside the home, and my aim is for my pieces to inspire others to utilise more natural materials into the home, promoting sustainability. All of my textile wall hanging collections and designs hang from a piece of driftwood, a branch/stick or piece of dowel. Most of these branches and driftwood I have found around my local beaches, creeks, country roads or purchased online on Etsy, craft shops or Coastal Driftwood. The wool was sourced from my local Spotlight store where there is a range of different colours, textures and thicknesses. |