Anne Waller

Delving into her archive of books, sketches and stitched samplers Anne was inspired by several historical eras including medieval, Tudor and Jacobean periods. Also inspired by the artistry of William Morris, Anne chose Morris’s Strawberry Thief as the main theme for her piece.

Anne wanted to add lots of dimension and to incorporate elements from the endangered craft of passementerie. She began with sketching and designing motifs and playing with various materials, techniques and padding methods on a random sampler. This helped dictate the design considerations necessary to ensure that the final wearable art piece would not only be beautiful but functional too.

She chose recycled curtain fabric backed with beading foundation for stability. This also provided a layer to anchor threads and wires without distorting the face fabric. Many of the elements were embroidered separately, cut out and applied as slips. Felt, cotton string and card were used for padding. Passementerie techniques using hand twisted wire and thread, plus needle weaving techniques were also used. The piece was finished with faux leather backing. Sections were joined with handmade wirework beads and an adjustable clasp. The Tudor rose pendant was made easily detachable and can be worn separately on a beaded chain. Earrings were made to match variable options.