CRAFTSMANSHIP
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Craftsmanship is a much used word but it is at the core of what we do. It is also key to our work that exceptional levels of skill are intertwined with heritage. Know-how that has been developed and handed on from generation to generation. There are lovingly curated archives and document textiles to refer to. Old machinery to work with and combine with new technology.
Below we outline the different crafts used in the production of our products. Susan Deliss travels to visit many of the mills and workplaces where they are made and is in daily communication with them.
FABRIC WEAVING
Susan's weaves are mostly made in England by a mill that has been owned by the same family for over three centuries. It is exciting that they do not rest on their laurels as they seek to achieve technical, designa and environmental best practice. Modern Jacquard looms are temperature controlled to ensure maximum efficiency, but they do so in a 19th century building.
Some of Susan's weaves are made in India. This enables different constructions with different yarns, that can by dyed by hand in small batches to create colours that resemble some of the antique textiles that Susan Deliss collects that so inspire her work.
FABRIC PRINTING
All Susan Deliss's prints are designed and printed in England.
Our Theodora design is printed entirely by hand in a 19th century mill on long, flat tables. The traditional
silk screen method - involving screen-making, colour mixing and hand-printing - is used.
No machinery or automation is involved.
Some of our printing is done digitally. Susan uses digital printing in a sophisticated way as it enables her
to experiment with many aspects of design and colour. Digital printing is environmentally very friendly as it can be done
in an energy and water efficient way, while waste is minimised and handled responsibly.
Interestingly, many of the traditional skills used in cloth preparation, handling and finishing are used.
BRAID WEAVING
In England, this is classed as an "at risk craft" and Susan Deliss is evangelical about finding new ways to use it. Most of her braids are woven in England, using antique looms. Susan works intensively with the braid weavers to create subtle but completely precise colours to match or tone with her fabrics and to push boundaries to innovate with some of her designs.
EMBROIDERY
Susan Deliss sells embroidered tapes by the metre and does a lot of bespoke design embroidery work for clients.
Inspiration often comes from antique Ottoman, Greek and European embroideries that Susan finds on her travels. Different designs, different colours, different threads - all are possible. Susan is deeply involved in the conception and design development of these tapes and embroideries.
SUZANIS
The word "suzani" is derived from the Persian word for needle. Suzani textiles are defined by a distinct set of hand-embroidery techniques, primarily revolving around four historical methods: basma (a couching technique), tambour (chain stitch), kanda-khayol (a form of satin stitch), and traditional chain stitch. All of Susan's suzani cushions and larger embroideries are made using these stitches in Uzbekistan. The patterns are drawn on the base cloth by a master and then the stitching is done, uniquely by women, to hand woven base cloth of silk and cotton. Susan commissions a lot of suzanis and cushions to be made bespoke.
IKAT
Ikat is a technique for creating patterns on woven textiles that involves binding and resist dyeing silk and cotton yarns and then weaving them by hand on narrow wooden looms. The term ikat refers both to this binding and dyeing technique and to the finished product. All Susan Deliss' ikats are woven this way in Uzbekistan in this centuries old way.
WALLPAPER PRINTING
All Susan's wallpapers are designed and printed in England.
Every stage of Susan's Maribor wallpaper is made by hand in England by a family business. Painting the base colour. hanging it on wooden racks specially constructed by hand to dry, individually printing each colour and then letting the paper dry on the racks before applying the next. Repeating the process until the design is complete.
KILIMS
We specialise in old and antique kilims from Anatolia, that Susan sources on her travels in Turkey. She travels there twice a year to source these kilims, choosing them from huge selections. She has a trusted network of wholesalers, who do not sell to tourists in the bazaars. When she has narrowed down her final choices, she discusses each kilim and agrees what work needs to be done to it. Cleaning, stretching, the occasional repair. Work with centuries of tradition behind it.
CERAMICS
Susan commissions ceramics inspired by Ottoman designs that she sees in museums, sixteenth century Ottoman mosques and in her own collection. They are hand made specially for her in Turkey and painted by hand. Lead times are long and shipping can be precarious, so Susan always seeks to keep some in stock.
"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind."
Johannes Brahms
