about dancing flower crafts
Made with love for and from the Outer Hebrides
About us? We would much rather talk about the spectacular Outer Hebrides, but here is a little bit About us. Dancing Flower Crafts was born from a passion for creativity lead by inspiration from the natural world.
I have had an uncontrollable necessity to be creative my whole life. I am self taught and completely obsessed, and can happily spend hours stitching a special embroidery design. I love rummaging through Harris Tweed to find the perfect colour and type of Tweed which matches the design forming in my head, then hand embroidering beautiful designs.
My background is in Conservation, outdoor recreation, community and environmental education, a sector I worked in for many years before starting Dancing Flower Crafts.
My love of the outdoors is the main source of my inspiration for my craft designs, and when I’m not sewing I’m outside exploring the magical Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides is a magical place; it is wild, rich in wildlife, culture and history, breath taking landscapes, peace and tranquillity, and there’s no place on earth like it. It is inspiring, challenging, wonderful and part of us.
I design and make all my own crafts, and I rarely make more than one of an item. Harris Tweed® is much more than a cloth, The touch, smell, richness of colours, everything about it is so special. it is steeped in history and every fibre is part of the Hebrides. Harris Tweed is a cloth which deserves a lot of love, care and attention to create unique crafts.
We are very mindful of environmental issues and where ever we can we do not use single use plastic, wrap our products in recycled materials, use biodegradable postage bags, reuse cardboard boxes and we use as many locally sourced materials as we can.
We have two little Westies who love nothing more than running at full speed across the beaches of the Hebrides.
ABOUT HARRIS TWEED®, EMBROIDERY AND MY CRAFTS
Harris Tweed® is a beautiful cloth. It is ingrained in history, love, and inspiration from the people and places of the Outer Hebrides. There are so many different colours, patterns and textures of Harris Tweed, and it can be used to make so many different items.
Harris Tweed – Clo Mor (Gaelic for Big Cloth) is the only cloth in the world protected by an Act of Parliament. The cloth must be made in the traditional way in order to achieve the iconic Orb stamp and become Harris Tweed.
From the early days of making Harris Tweed, the need to protect it was recognised. The Harris Tweed Association was formed in 1909, but The Act of Parliament to protect Harris Tweed was introduced in 1993 and the Harris Tweed Authority was formed at the same time, replacing the Harris Tweed Association.
Harris Tweed must be: “Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.” The legislation, coupled with the work of the Harris Tweed Authority, ensures that the quality, reputation and integrity of Harris Tweed will continue for generations to come. Harris Tweed is such a beautiful cloth to work with and is truly unique.
I use Harris Tweed to make most of my crafts, often visiting the weavers to hand pick the colours and designs that suit the design in my head.
Many of my crafts are hand embroidered, with features inspired by the wildlife and landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Each of my crafts is unique, and will be a one off design. The lining fabrics are chosen specifically to complement the Harris tweed and the object I have embroidered.
I’m happy to make a bespoke design, just get in touch to talk about your needs.
Emily holmes
Designer and maker
Dean Holmes
Button maker extraordinaire
ruby
support crew
finn
support crew
inspired by Nature, heritage and culture
