UK's Elephant Head partners with charity Aham Bhumika of India to help rural women artisans make a self-sufficient living

'Gond deer' hand-embroidered cushion cover  in cotton with tie-back fastening from The Elephant Head.The design is inspired by gond art (a tribal art form of Central India), and hand embroidered by rural women artisans, supported by the charity Aham Bhumika, in Bhopal India.

Self sufficiency and a better future for rural women artisans.  That is the aim of  UK-based online store, The Elephant Head, which  is committed to promoting sustainable working practices in India by partnering with Indian charity, Aham Bhumika.

'The turbaned Indian man' hand embroidered cushion cover.
 It is inspired by a Kisan, a stereotypical, bidi-smoking farmer
 with a big turban and exaggerated moustache.

The homeware and artisan craft store is offering a range of cushion covers, each hand-embroidered by an artisan from a village on the outskirts of Bhopal, India, as part of The Embroidery Project, an Aham Bhumika initiative.

Based in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh in India, Aham Bhumika is a Non-Government Organisation that works to equip underprivileged women living in rural areas with the skills they need to earn a living and become self-sufficient. So far, The Embroidery Project has taught more than 30 women to create products such as saris, tote bags and cushion covers which they can then sell to generate an income, according to The Elephant Head founder Arathi.

'Sadvi- the lady monk' hand embroidered cushion.

''Our homeware blend in with contemporary homes while respecting authentic and traditional art and craft. All our products, created by independent, small-scale artisan groups, co-ops and workshops, are practical, beautiful and crafted with love using local materials and time-honoured skills. That’s certainly the case with the Aham Bhumika charity-made cushion covers. And, we believe our customers will love them. Their quality and attention to detail make them a wonderful and unique addition to any home, or business." said Aarathi.

There are ten different designs of cushion covers to choose from, each measures 16 X 16 inches, made from cotton, and has a tie-back fastening so it can be easily removed for washing.
Many of the designs on the cushion covers are inspired by Gond art, a tribal art form of Central India.

Let's celebrate the Year of the Rooster!

Happy Chinese New Year to all.

According to the lunar calendar, on January 28th 2016, China and all Chinese communities worldwide will be celebrating the Year of the Rooster, the tenth in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac signs.

A homely filled cushion (45x45 cm)
in 100% cotton, with a vibrantly embroidered
rooster as its main motif, from IAN SNOW in Devon, UK.

When looking for a rooster image to depict this auspicious occasion, we came across this lovely "Rooster" in vibrant colours depicted on a filled cushion from the UK-based business Ian Snow which sells a wide selection of home-crafted bohemian home and furnishing products.

This Rooster is created using a fine example of crewel embroidery.

Crewelwork is a type of surface free-style embroidery using wool.  Believed to be at least a thousand years old, crewelwork uses a variety of embroidery stitches such as stem stitch, chain and split stitch to outline a design, applied onto a fabric, and the design is filled with various style of embroidery such as satin or couched stitches, and sometimes seed stitches and French knots are used to add texture.

You can check out the details of the cushion on the IAN SNOW website.  

Winners of the 2016 Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery announced.

The 2016 Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery once again illustrated that intricate surface fabric texture adds invaluable value to the garments and products they adorn.

Annalisa Middleton
Winner of the Gold & Silver Wyre Drawer Award and the Fashion Open Category 1st Prize
Model: Antonina Kozerovskaya Photographer: Jutta Klee

This year's event, held at the historic Bishopsgate Institute in London on the 3rd of November, was billed by the organisers as being ever more dynamic, providing entrants with the opportunity to explore their creativity and showcase their talents in a variety of ways.

The Annual Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery (organised by well-established Hand & Lock London which has been producing some of the finest embroidery since 1767) was established to encourage the use of hand embroidery and seeks to discover emerging embroidery talent.

 Jin Kim Fashion Student Category 1st Prize
Model: Louise Laag  
Photographer: Jutta Klee

This year the Wilcom Institutional Prize was awarded to The Royal College of Arts - the erll-known London University with the most entrants into the Prize.  
The Gold & Silver Wyre Drawer Award went to Annalisa Middleton, who was also the winner of the Fashion Open Category Prize.
In the Fashion Student Category, the winner was Jin Kim.
First prize in the Textile Art Open Category was won by Sally Wilson and the top winner of the Textile Art Student Prize went to Devi Vallabhaneni

Embroidery by Sally Wilson
Textile Art Open Category 1st Prize
Photographer: Elena Molina

In total there were 24 finalists who presented the most creative interpretation and exceptional execution of the brief given.  The final prizes were decided by judges as well as public vote combined.

Congratulations therefore are in order to all 2016 winners for their amazing creativity.

Wilcom Institutional Prize:
The Royal College of Arts
The Gold & Silver Wyre Drawer Award:
Annalisa Middleton
Fashion Open Category Prize Winners
1st prize: Annalisa Middleton
2nd prize: Elena Savelyeva
3rd prize: Charlotte Appleby
Fashion Student Category Prize Winners
1st prize: Jin Kim
2nd prize: Ryan Gambel
3rd prize: William Lathrop
Textile Art Open Category Prize winners
1st prize: Sally Wilson
2nd prize: Emma Cassi
3rd prize: Eranga Bandaranayake
Textile Art Student Prize Winners
1st prize: Devi Vallabhaneni
2nd prize: Suzanne Treacy
3rd prize: Sarah Tickner