Hand Embroidery and Sheesha Work: Learning to See the Time
A photograph of embroidery takes a moment to view. The work inside it may have taken hours, days or much longer to make.
That difference stays with us at SHEWORKS. We work with hand embroidery, regional stitches and Sheesha mirror work, and we want the finished piece to remain connected to the time and knowledge it carries.
A stitch is a learned skill
Working with women embroiderers and other artisan communities has taught us to look carefully at the making. Someone understands how a stitch sits on a particular cloth, how much tension it needs and how one part of a pattern relates to the next.
A small mirror also asks for skill. It has to be placed and secured within a vocabulary of stitches that the maker knows how to use.
Much of this understanding is passed between people. It cannot be reduced to a decorative detail chosen from a catalogue.
Recognise the contribution
The people making these pieces contribute expertise to our work. Recognising that means taking the process seriously when we design and commission: learning about techniques, understanding the time involved and making space for the maker's knowledge in the finished piece.
Our responsibility continues through research, documentation and product development. A piece should respect the work it asks someone to do and offer a reason for that skill to remain in use.
When you look at hand embroidery, follow a line of stitches. Look at how a mirror is held. Notice the repeated decisions that make the surface possible. The more closely we look, the more clearly we can see the time.
Explore SHEWORKS needle work and read about the question behind our brand.