Getting the Frame ready to stretch the cloth and start the embroidery
Stretching the silk on the embroidery frame
Working away Embroidering
Designs from Hawa Mahal used to create embroidery pattern
I have embroidered layers of silk together and then snip to top layer away to create a window effect
I made the fringe using glass beads and fresh water pearls to finish off the end of the length of cloth.
Nothing like doing some needle work and listening to your Pride and Prejudice audio book

Living and working in India for the past month was the experience of a lifetime.  I felt inspired to make artwork again for the first time in the past two years (since I finished school). In my final year of my undergraduate degree at the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) in Toronto I created a series of wearable forms producing a sculptural narrative about my experiences of being a woman.  As I spent time in India making artwork this theme was re-awakened. For my Final artwork in Jaipur I created a piece about being a white woman in India,  where it is customary to wrap and cover ones self with lengths of colourful silks and cotton. As a foreigner I was encouraged to cover my skin even more in order to not illicit any unwanted attention.  I struggled with this concept as I was both attracted to the textiles and disheartened by the idea that I had started to feel trapped by the very fabrics that I had come to study.  To read more about the project and see images of the final artwork you can visit my personal website www.leanneshearhem.com

Zac and I have safely arrived in Paris, France for the next portion of our european tour but we’ll have a few more India posts over the next few days.  Big thanks to our friends at Artinn Jaipur for their hospitality and assistance during our wonderful month long stay, our memories of our time there will last a lifetime.