Hand and Lock action plan

Hand and Lock

Before

Before going to Hand and Lock I was looking forward to a change from the work I was doing at Suzie Turners and I was hoping to learn a lot of different techniques. I also expected to run errands and be asked to work longer if needed. Apart from this I really wasn’t sure what to expect at Hand and Lock and I wasn’t sure what sort of tasks I would be given knowing the skills needed to work there. I was looking forward to see how a small studio runs in such a established company.

During

During my time at Hand and Lock I learnt a lot of new techniques and some that I never even knew about. I helped with the orders for the machine embroidery, learning how to digitise images. I also had to pack and trim any threads from the garments taken off the machine. I got to do a lot of different tasks, working on my own sea themed beading sample for the up and coming collection. I did a lot of errands delivering unique and delicate packages to different parts of London. I was mainly in the studio helping the head embroider with any tasks she had whether it be beading or organising the studio. Images of my work and descriptions can be found on the blog.

After

At Hand and Lock I gained a lot of different embroidery experience. I learnt about how to work with different materials from all price ranges. I saw how a big prize giving night is held and how much preparation is needed before it can be held. I got to learn how to do gold work an ancient technique and the types of material used whether it’s real gold or Mylar. I spent a lot of time unpicking and cutting off threads, this took a lot of patience but was useful as I learnt a lot about the construction of garments mainly suits. We had a lot of special tasks during my time, including adding diamantes to Adidas's hoodies for BBC radio one teen awards, creating tambour designs and sewing feathers onto four skirt panels for the British government world trade show. I got to go to some really interesting places in London seeing Savile row, the Ritz and other studios that were unique and very high end like Hand and Lock. I felt like part of the team and never like an intern which is why I enjoyed my time so much at Hand and Lock. I also feel like interning at Hand and Lock has been very beneficial for my CV as although it may not be well known to the public, in industry Hand and Lock hold all the embroidery knowledge.