Embroidery Reinvented – Soutache Jewelry
My Mom taught my sisters and I traditional embroidery when we were kids (among other things & who knows HOW she had the patience for that!) 🙂 I remember looking forward to our trips to go shopping for new embroidery thread and picking out my new colors – (One of my favorite things to do, in many mediums to come.) As I grew up, I was accustomed to seeing embroidery on fashions, home decor, sheets and bedding.
Later, I learned about the practice of Soutache Embroidery, which was either used for the trimming and finishing of sewn products, or decoratively embellishing patterns and textures on to everything from draperies to wedding gowns. This image to the right is a beautiful example of Soutache on a vintage silk gown from 1905-1910. Click on the image to see it up close and you can see the beauty & detail of the work.
The spirit of creativity being what it is, the old is made new again by thinking about it in new ways. Soutache Embroidery made the way for a genre of hand made jewelry that is incredibly creative as well as fun and fashionable. This craft originated with Dori Csengeri whose hand embroidered jewelry was founded in 1987. Dori travels extensively and shops for new stones, beads and and crystals to incorporate into her pieces. Her handmade jewelry collections are presented worldwide in prestigious jewelry stores, museums and galleries and are regularly cited in leading bridal, fashion and life style magazines. Dori’s website features many of her gorgeous pieces where you can view recent collections and features a private, by invitation only area, where jewelry connoisseurs and art collectors can register to view her limited editions.
Since most new products that become popular begin to be emulated by others, there are a plethora of artisans on Etsy, creating their versions of Soutache Embroidered Jewelry and making some very nice pieces! Notice too, that in many instances these pieces also include beadwork. There are also some phenomenal new pieces being made that are embroidered using just beads (coming in a future post), so stay tuned 😉
The images below are but a small sample of what can be found shopping the links.
All of these great pieces are linked to their respective shops so check them out!
Here are a few Etsy Shops that are making Soutache Embroidered Jewelry
If you are interested in trying your hand at Soutache Embroidery, there are shops on Etsy that have tutorials as well as kits to get you started. Individual Beads is a great place to start.
Embroidery Thread via Dick Blick – Creativity Street Embroidery Floss Set
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