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

London's Hand & Lock embroidery atelier to host Tambour Beading course in Chicago, USA in May

London-based Hand & Lock -  embroidery atelier to top European designers - will be presenting their most popular embroidery class, Haute Couture: Intensive for one week this coming May, at the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's on State Street in Chicago, USA.

The intensive five-day class focuses on the French art of embroidery technique known as Tambour Beading or Crochet de Lunéville, a special technique used in high fashion where beads or sequins can be attached to a fabric. accomplished with a special hook working through a fabric stretched tight as a drum. The technique is popular on international haute couture catwalk shows.  

Students enrolled on this special class will learn how to create a design, set up a full size frame and how to work the hook through the fabric without catching. Once they are practiced enough they will learn how to place beads, sequin, bugles using the technique.

An example of a finished work displayed by Hand & Lock at the
Textile Forum event in London March, 2016.
Photo: Lucia Carpio

The Haute Couture: Intensive 5-day course (for level 1 and 2) will take place from Monday 9th May to Friday the 13th May 2016 at the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's, 111 North State, Chicago, IL 60602, USA. 

More information is available on the Hanf & Lock website.  Click HERE.

Hand & Lock also runs weekend Tambour beading courses in its London atelier.  One coming up will take place Saturday 4th to Sunday 5th June 2016.  Click HERE for details.

The origins of the tambour embroidery skill are unclear.  According to Hand & Lock, the technique appeared in Europe in the 18th century and quickly became a popular pastime for ladies. It was fairly exotic compared to other technique of that time a that no doubt contributed to its popularity.