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The Parham Owl Étui
£225.00
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- Description
- Additional information
- Kit Contents - Parham Owl Étui
- Extra Requirements for Parham Owl Étui
- Extra Kit Information
- KIT FAQs
- Reviews (0)
Description
This unique design was inspired by the barn owl painted on the ceiling of the long gallery at Parham House, Sussex, a stunning Elizabethan house set within the beautiful landscape of the South Downs. It was purchased by Clive and Alicia Pearson in 1922, who undertook an extensive restoration project and amassed a huge collection of early needlework. The restoration project included the painting of the ceiling of the long gallery with a frieze of plants and creatures, inspired by Alicia’s ancestor, the famed botanist and explorer Sir Joseph Banks.
‘Parham has a beauty so essentially English that it is a delight to show it to one’s own countrymen. There are so many old and historic houses now opening their doors to the public, but none, I believe, holds safe within its walls a more enchanted atmosphere, a greater peace and kindliness, distilled perhaps from all the centuries it has lived.’
The owl is worked using an eclectic range of embroidery techniques. The chest is counted work on a fine, natural linen using silk gimps, perle cottons, sequins and metal plate. The face structure is created using padded satin stitch and drawing with the needle using silk gimps, with hand-made glass eyes. The head is worked in needlelace stitches and contains a tiny velvet pin cushion. The wings are worked using silk-bound whipped plates, pleated fettuccine braids, sequins and wool shading.
The embroidery is attached to a 3D-printed body form which includes tiny holes to allow the panels to be stitched to its surface.
The legs are hand-cast in solid bronze from my original wax carving.
Inside the owl’s body is space for a thimble. My silversmith friend, Adam Mills, has created a sterling silver thimble with engraved owl to match the design.
The owl must sit on a raised plinth since his tail is longer than his toes! We supply natural (untreated) wood plinths with wool baize base, or you may prefer to source your own lovely textured piece of wood.
The owls also fit inside the Blue Wren Glass Dome, atop one of the wooden plinths if you wish to protect your owl from the elements.
Your kit includes all, carefully curated, exquisite materials required to complete and construct the owl étui.
The kit includes an extremely comprehensive and extensively illustrated instruction manual.
Videos further illustrating the stitch processes will also be supplied on purchase and will be accessible for your personal use only, via private YouTube.
(Wooden plinth, thimble and glass dome are not included and must be purchased separately).
A donation of £10 from each owl kit sold will be given to Parham House and Gardens to assist with the upkeep and conservation of their incredible historic collection of needlework.
Finished design measures: 11cm height x 6cm width (at widest point)
Additional information
| Weight | 666 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 32 × 22 × 4 cm |
| country_of_manufacture | GB |
| hs_code | 51121100 |
Kit Contents - Parham Owl Étui
3D printed owl mould in 2 parts, finished in gold
Hand-cast legs in solid bronze
Hand-made glass eyes
Hand-dyed perle cotton threads by ‘House of Embroidery’ in South Africa
Pre-printed 100% British wool base fabrics, pre-machined onto support cotton
100% British wool herringbone tweed and doctor’s flannel
100 linen Swedish canvas
Gilt and other metallic threads made in the UK
Indian metal plate
Bespoke silk- and wire-whipped plates
Silk gimps made for Jenny in the UK
Fettuccine ribbons
Metallic mesh ribbons
Cotton padding thread
Polyester sewing threads
Au Ver a Soie 100% silk thread
Heathway Milano fine embroidery wools
Japanese metallic stitching tapes
Bespoke sequins
Silk velvet
Sheep wool padding
Small pot of conservation-safe EVA glue
Full set of needles required
Comprehensive fully illustrated instruction manual
(Thimble and wooden base not included)
Extra Requirements for Parham Owl Étui
To complete this kit, you will require the following equipment which can be purchased in the webshop by following the links below:
PLEASE NOTE that those items marked * are ESSENTIAL, whereas the other items are beneficial but NOT essential:
- *6” bound embroidery hoop
- *8” bound embroidery hoop
- *A suitable stand to support your 6″ hoop, allowing both hands to be free for working (floor stand/seat stand/table clamp)
- *A 6″ shallow-edged hoop for working small elements of your design
- Curved-tip scissors
- A second pair of curved tip scissorsto reserve for cutting metal threads
- A pair of ball-tipped lace scissors
- A fine beading awl for making tiny holes
- A mellor for guiding threads into place and laying threads smoothly
- An aficot for laying threads smoothly
- A velvet-lined tray to hold beads/metal threads (small or large)
- Thimble if you like to use one
- Tweezers
- Tiny pins
- Dark grey 0.05mm fine-line marker
- Chain nosed pliers for bending legs and pulling needles through
- Wire cutters for trimming wires
- Tape measure
- Paint brush suitable for glue
- Iron and small piece of cotton fabric to use as an ironing cloth
- 2-part epoxy resin (e.g. Araldite)
- Cocktail sticks
Extra Kit Information
Each kit is designed with your stitching joy in mind and is lovingly created for you over many hours by our tiny family team in the UK.
Every material you could need to complete the design, however small, is included in carefully labelled packets. Some kits include over 100 components!
We use only the very best quality materials, and many are made for us by specialist craftspeople sourced by Jenny throughout her career, and hailing from around the globe. Jenny’s skilled family members are often commandeered to make various bespoke components which could never be found otherwise.
Once you purchase a design, we want to you to enjoy and finish the project and therefore are always on hand to answer queries, however small or daft you feel they may be.
The highly comprehensive instruction manuals are written and hand-illustrated by Jenny, rather than using generic stitch diagrams. These are full of the tips and tricks required to express stitches and designs at their very best.
All design shapes are pre-printed on to the various materials included in your kit, to ensure that you have accurate design shapes to work from and can progress straight on to the embroidery without having to transfer the design yourself.
We also aim to provide various items for display or construction of the finished embroidery, allowing you the satisfaction of framing the piece yourself or turning it into a more unusual item such as a bag or book.
I hope that this special design will provide you with a VIP ticket to ‘Jennyland’, an all-consuming experience which will transport you a world of stitching pleasure and imagination. Enjoy!
KIT FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT DOES MY KIT INCLUDE?
Your kit includes all the fabric, threads and needles required to complete the design, together with a highly comprehensive illustrated instruction manual, written and drawn by Jenny. All threads are carefully packaged and labelled to denote where they are to be used in the design. We suggest you have a look through all the components to familiarise yourself with the complete kit before starting work. Where relevant, kits also include the materials required to construct the completed embroidery.
WILL I NEED ANYTHING ELSE TO ENABLE ME TO COMPLETE MY KIT?
Yes, but only basic embroidery equipment. A list of the items required can be found in the front of your instruction manual. All items can be purchased from our website. If you have any queries about equipment, please feel free to contact us for advice.
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE KIT?
Most of our kits are designed for embroiderers with some experience, but the instruction manuals are extremely comprehensive and will teach you all you need to know.
If you have any difficulties, or need advice on the difficulty level of a certain kit, you are welcome to contact us.
I FIND TRANSFERRING DESIGNS ON TO FABRIC DIFFICULT
Don’t worry, the designs are all pre-printed for you!
CAN I POST IMAGES OF MY KIT/WORK ON MY BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE?
We will be delighted if you wish to show images of this project on your blog/social media/website, as this often inspires others to have a go! However, as a courtesy, please do let me know if you plan to do this, and be aware that blogging of techniques, step-by-step or close-up images, either of the project in progress, the instructions, and the kit contents, is an infringement of copyright. Please always credit the design source and always include Jenny’s website and contact details so that those reading your blog can get in touch. Please highlight any infringements of this copyright which you observe from others.
I AM STRUGGLING WITH A SECTION OF THE DESIGN
One of the most important aspects of buying a kit from us is that you have direct contact to Jenny by email and she will be happy to assist you and provide advice. We cannot always answer within the hour but we will get back to you as soon as possible. If you are really struggling and need more help, we can arrange a lesson for you or to complete the section for you.
I AM MISSING A COMPONENT IN MY KIT OR HAVE RUN OUT OF A THREAD
We do our absolute best to ensure these situations don’t occur, but your kit is made by humans rather than machines and we do occasionally have a senior moment! Please feel free to let us know and we will be happy to supply more.
I AM NOT HAPPY WITH MY WORK AND WOULD LIKE TO RE-WORK
We totally understand this – most embroiderers incline to perfectionism! While we sadly can’t provide more materials for free, please just let us know what you require and we will be very happy to supply more.
MY DOG/HUSBAND/HOOVER/SOFA/CAT/GOLDFISH ATE MY THREAD!
It happens! Not a problem. Just let us know what you need
and whilst we can’t send these for free, we are more than
happy to supply more.
MY THREAD IS DIFFERENT TO THAT IN THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DESIGN
Thread colours may vary somewhat due to dyeing processes and can appear different in reality due to photographic distortion. Due to limitations posed by suppliers, we also reserve the right to substitute project materials with suitable alternatives to those illustrated if absolutely necessary.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT NEW DESIGNS?
Please go to Jenny’s website where you can join the mailing list to find out about all new releases. We promise only to send you relevant embroidery-related news and not to pass your details to third parties.
CAN I SUBMIT MY WORK TO A CRAFT SHOW OR COMPETITION?
We are delighted if you have enjoyed working the project and would like to submit your piece to a craft/country show competition etc. Please do let Jenny know if you are doing this as she would love to hear how you get on. Please always credit the design source and always include Jenny’s website and contact details so that people viewing the piece can get in touch.
CAN I TEACH THE DESIGN TO OTHERS?
If you have enjoyed working the project yourself and would like to share this with friends or wish to work the design with your students, you are welcome to contact Jenny for more kits. The kit and accompanying instructions must otherwise not be copied, reproduced or taught in any form without prior permission. This will otherwise infringe copyright. Multiple kit orders are welcome and can be supplied on a wholesale basis by arrangement. Please contact Jenny for more details.
I WOULD LIKE HELP WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OR DISPLAY OF MY FINISHED WORK
Excellent news. We hope you have enjoyed the journey and are delighted with the finished result! If you would like help with mounting or finishing the design, please feel free to get in touch. If you would like to order a frame, box or similar for displaying the finished piece, please visit the webshop.
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