Embroidery Workshop with Tali Tjiang
Embroidery Workshop with Tali Tjiang
CreateBeing + Tali: Embroidery Workshop
August 24 from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. at Healing Collective.
There are limited spots, please RSVP HERE.
We are so excited to have our first collaboration workshop with the very talented and inspiring, Tali Tjiang. We first met Tali at our first show with RAW Artists Toronto in November 2018. Since then, we’ve been following each other’s work and have the pleasure of bringing you this class. Thanks Tali, for taking the time to create a workshop for our community.
Please read below to get to know this inspiring artist. You will hear how she started, what inspires her and how embroidery has helped alleviate her anxieties and overall mental health.
Tali’s Bio
Natalia Tjiang is a self taught artist specializing in embroidery arts and fashion design. Growing up in with artistic parents in the whimsical town of Warkworth, ON she draws inspiration for her work in her every day life. After graduating the fashion design program at George Brown College in 2014 she participated in a number of art projects and fashion shows along the way before becoming a seamstress at Kleinfeld’s- the bridal salon- at Hudson’s Bay. Four years on, she is currently developing her skills in dimensional embroidery and learning the parisian “luneville” technique.
Tali’s Artist Statement:
From very early on Colour has been my world. Coming from an artistic background with parents well known for their craft in their respective fields, colour and art are second nature and creativity is a state of being. The technical aspects developed as I matured into my own person. The various mediums I explored were my stepping stones and making something meaningful and practical as the ultimate goal.
I discovered Fashion Design for my sweet 16, since then it just became a part of my soul. Inspiration stems from both the mundane and the mystical. My designs are a mixture as I continue to discover my style. Much has to do with my struggle with identity. I am mixed race and my work reflects that by mixing traditional rules of design and my own interpretations of the medium itself. The embroidery I create gives a sense of stability because it is versatile and can easily translate into other mediums just by changing the materials. My passion is embellishment and I wish to share this dying art of handmade craft with the world, one piece at a time.
So Tali, how did it all start?
I am not sure how I got into dimensional embroidery. I became interested in textile arts and fashion design in general in high school. The magic of adornment and embellishment of the haute couture ateliers of Europe inspired me ever since I discovered Alexander McQueen, and then Maison Lesage of Paris. I think that is the most driving force behind my work. “Embroidery” to me is ambiguous now because I don’t just use threads I also create work with sequins and beads and crystals or found materials. I got serious 3 years ago and started investing in DMC embroidery threads and now I am currently refining my technique.
How do you see embroidery helping with your mental health, and of others?
I see embroidery as a way to promote mental health as it can be a very relaxing experience. Similar to painting on a canvas or reading a book or building with lego bricks. It is satisfying for all types of people because it can be an exact, symmetrical, methodical thing, or be very intuitive and impressionistic. The autonomous part of sewing, cutting fabric or threads, the sound of the needle as it is pushed through taut fabric, is a very rhythmic and satisfying feel. It makes me zero in on my project and with the action of stitching any anxieties or thoughts get pushed aside.