What a strange year 2020 has been ! It seems if my carefully planned year has morphed into something quite different. Every holiday we had booked has been cancelled and four workshops I was teaching postponed to 2021 and one cancelled outright by the store. A further three I was attending postponed as well.
Our release dates for samplers (usually meticulously planned 12 months ahead) are all over the place, either due to scarcity of silks or the frustration of not being able to progress production due to the UK having been in lockdown.
Our government has announced that non-essential businesses can reopen on June 15th. It is a huge relief that we will be able access our framers and our professional photographer and his studio. My number one priority will be the 2020 Queen of the May. I have my studio time with the photographer booked. She will be his first photo shoot since forced closure in March.
Whilst I could have photographed her myself and had a frame photoshopped onto the sampler, this very special sampler deserved the best so the decision was made to wait until we could present her in a beautiful booklet prepared to the highest standard. I promise you she is worth the wait.
We were honoured that Ilana Kaye graciously agreed join team HATS in 2019 and has stitched the 2020 QOTM for us. We have the utmost respect for Ilana and it has been a joy to work with her on this project.
“I was honored to have the opportunity to stitch the model for Mary Carter. The experience was very personal and somewhat frightening. I was anxious to stitch this sampler with the utmost care, following the chart precisely. In my mind, it had to be perfect and I had to control my guilty habit of making stitch changes.
Satin stitch , my absolute favorite, was a major component of this sampler. My vision was to make the satin actually appear like shiny satin applique. With much trial , effort and silk devouring, mission accomplished.
I could feel Mary’s presence on my shoulder cheering me on. What a colorful character she must have been!” – Ilana
