Bringing the Past to Life
Posted by Kathryn Patterson on Apr 10th 2019
If you love the inspiration to be found in vintage textiles and antiques, you’ll definitely want to check out Brian Haggard’s new book, Blended Embroidery: Combining Old & New Textiles, Ephemera & Embroidery. More than just a project book, this volume combines stories from the past, beautiful needlework techniques, and professional advice about working and decorating with vintage objects. Brian is a much-sought-after interior designer, a floral designer, and an accomplished needle artist, and this combination of interests and skills leads to awesome multi-media art.
Brian’s writing is full of the romance of things past. Describing the unveiling of a wedding dress left behind by a great-aunt, he writes, “Made of sheer linen gauze, it was the cream hue of an Alba rose, as were the silk rosebuds that chased the seams of the bodice and circled the tiny waist.”
This beautiful gown serves as the starting point for the book and is joined by antique scarves, vintage photographs, unique buttons, and much more. These finds become, under Brian’s artistic hands, wall and table quilts, scissors sheaths, pincushions, and travel bags. Best of all, the book includes lots of information on finding and adapting your own vintage finds to create usable art for your own home or to give as gifts.
The book includes instruction on embroidery techniques, materials, and supplies useful in bringing new life to old textiles, plus an awesome gallery of nineteen completed projects, in addition to the five step-by-step projects with complete patterns. If vintage things speak to you, you’ll find a kindred spirit in the pages of Brian’s book.
