In June we had a very interesting members’ session in the morning led by Kay – who showed us how to prepare work for mounting and framing. Kay had many handy hints and clever rouses, I think we all felt a lot more confident by the end and ready to tackle anything!!
The afternoon talk was about Shisha Embroidery (given by Karin Buchannan). Her powerpoint presentation (with its many animations!) showed the different types of Shish work, which vary depending on the region of origin. We learnt that the origins of Shisha Embroidery are traced back to Persia around the 13th century. As beautiful as it is functional, the Shisha Embroidery technique is widely seen in both historical and modern textiles of India. While clothing is a very common place to find the Shisha Embroidery technique implemented, it is also used on a multitude of other items. Everything from animal blankets and head pieces to decorative blankets and pillows can be embroidered with the Shisha technique.
Here are some photographs of the work in progress at the workshop the following day – as ever we look forward to seeing the pieces completed (or whatever!!) at our meeting in July.
