Leeds embroidery artist teaches patchwork and darning workshops as a Habits for life task to wear and love our clothes invariably

Stitching is set connecting, says Elnaz Yazdani. no longer just cloth, however individuals – americans who, on the floor, might have little in normal, but locate they have a bond as they pull needle and thread via textile.

"You aren't pondering the rest," says Elnaz. "you're focusing on a brand new ability, preserving your needle, protecting your cloth and, since you are so concentrated, the dialog begins to return, and americans beginning to open up and connect in methods they won't have executed if they had been just observing every other."

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Elnaz is an embroidery artist and educator who dedicates herself to sharing her skills and advertising embroidery as an art form, a artistic mending intervention and an assist to mental health and wellness.

Her main job is on the college of Huddersfield, where she is an embroidery technician and demonstrator teaching hand and digital embroidery strategies to Costume, style and textile college students.

but her teaching additionally reaches into her personal local community. Elnaz is also a brilliant- crafter with the Leeds-based mostly Love Your clothes Habits for all times challenge, a part of the Waste and components action Programme (WRAP), a UK sustainability charity that works with govt, companies and communities to transform the manner buyers and the trend and textiles industries buy and use substances and garb. the two-yr project, launched last yr and funded via the Garfield Weston foundation, helps people be trained knowledge together with sewing, repairing, alteration and refashioning.

"techniques like patchwork and darning don't seem to be most effective giving a person a actual ability but are also habits for all times that they could come again to, so as to add value to their clothing, and additionally providing a chance to repetitively do whatever, and being mindful about that," says Elnaz.

She encourages decorative darning, most likely using a contrasting coloration. any one can decide on up a darning mushroom at a haberdashers, and then you simply need a needle and thread and also you are first rate to go, in all probability searching up patterns and tutorials on the Habits for life website.

"It's amazing for mending holes in garments, like a favorite pair of denims or jumper," she says. "americans will come up to you and ask the way you did it, so that you can show off your knowledge as smartly."

Elnaz, who turned into these days recommended for a teaching Excellence award by way of the Embroiderers Guild, also works with social enterprise sew Up, a craft faculty with a social aim, primarily based at Meanwood neighborhood Centre. "We focus on textiles and train positive, practical craft abilities but also focus on the energy of craft and creativity to deliver individuals collectively and assist increase well being," she says.

"My work is looking into that neighborhood connection, specially in a post-Covid context, how we can mentally and bodily restoration after being at home for so long. It has left americans feeling enormously lonely and remoted.

"i'm looking at how we will use embroidery and sew as a means to connect the group lower back together, so there's also a metaphorical thing there, however additionally physically when it comes to the suggestions, bodily connecting thread to material through patchwork and darning and mending strategies."

As a respected embroidery artist, in her own creative work Elnaz specialises in reworking common embroidery thoughts through bizarre substances. ultimate month, her pieces featured on the prestigious art of Embroidery exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London.

"i like to create an embroidered world that individuals can wander away in – aerial views or areas of condensed, connected techniques that regularly grow to be looking like ladies or faces, so it's up to the viewer to interpret how they want to see it," provides Elnaz, who makes jewellery too.

"i am half Iranian and half English. My dad moved to the united kingdom from Iran in 1978, and met my mother, and they settled in Lancaster.

"i am dyslexic, so I quickly realised I realized much superior through doing and being crafty. My mum would motivate me to discover textiles and stitching from a younger age. We used to consult with loads of local heritage sites, craft centres and paintings shops collectively.

"My mum additionally inspired my confidence. i used to be very shy and unconfident as a baby. I'm a real people person now. i like working with others in my neighborhood, getting to understand people and chatting about textiles and craft."

After taking Textiles and paintings at A-degree, she studied Textiles in observe at Manchester faculty of art and spent a yr in Amsterdam on a cloth internship. Now she lives with her associate in Leeds, and has a studio at domestic where she works on her personal embroidery paintings.

Elnaz's grandfather had a cloth shop in Iran while her mother's mom changed into a dressmaker. "there's definitely whatever in my genes," she says.

"I get so a whole lot joy from seeing others study some thing new and luxuriate in what they learn. i do know these options will reside with them for a very long time and motivate them to be creative and imaginitive. I trust crafts can make you feel effective and the pride you get from getting to know some thing like embroidery is excellent."

* Elnaz sells her paintings, workshop kits and jewellery via Elnazyazdani.com. observe on Instagram, fb or twitter @elnazyazdani

* The Habits for all times workshops start on March 19, see loveyourclothes.org.uk/habits-lifestyles

* check out grownup and children's workshops at sew-up.org.uk