How It's Made: Clementine Hunter Hand-Made Pillows
Today, we are happy to introduce the artwork of Clementine Hunter on fully hand embroidered pillows. Each of our pillows is a work of art. Spectacularly, it takes two skilled artisans two weeks (approximately 95 hours) to embroider just one beautiful pillow.Each of our pillows is a work of art. Spectacularly, it takes two skilled artisans two weeks (approximately 95 hours) to embroider just one beautiful pillow. In fact, each artisan signs his/her name on the care instruction label to identify which artisans embroidered the particular pillow. No two pillows are exactly alike. Each pillow is made of 100% organic cotton and filled with the highest quality micro fiber. On the back of each pillow, the artisans have hand embroidered the name of the Clementine Hunter painting, The Clementine Hunter Collection, and the year it was created. Additionally, we added ties to the backs of the pillows to represent the period of time when Clementine Hunter was originally painting her masterpieces.
...we determined the best way to create an extraordinary work of art was by fully hand embroidering each pillow.We struggled with the best way to place Clementine Hunter's artwork on decorative pillows. Initially, we tried silk screening each piece and the end result was not what we wanted. The artwork did not have the right look or feel. Next we tried partially embroidering each piece by hand and/or machine. Once again, we felt several of the details from Clementine Hunter's paintings were missing. Finally, after sampling and resampling over and over again, we determined the best way to create an extraordinary work of art was by fully hand embroidering each pillow. This would not be an easy task. Each color and shade of color of thread had to be selected to match the original artwork. Imagine trying to figure out each color when some of Clementine Hunter's paintings had over 30 colors or blends of colors in them. Everything was trial and error. Some colors worked well, others did not. Which direction should the weave go in, which background color works best, and how do we embroider the faces correctly were just a few of the dilemmas we faced. The next obstacle was revealed when we realized Clementine’s painting were typically rectangular and we were trying to create a square pillow. Each of Clementine Hunter's paintings would have to be resized. This would provide another obstacle we would need to overcome. We had to choose which elements in Clementine Hunter's artwork to keep and which to eliminate. We were fortunate that we were working with world famous artists/designers who could assist us to ensure the pillows would ultimately meet our meticulous inspection.
We started the collection with four of her most popular scenes: Zinnias Looking at You, Cotton Mural, Pecan Picking and A Day at Melrose Plantation. Clementine Hunter painted about what plantation life was like in the rural south prior to mechanization coming to agriculture. Clementine Hunter worked the cotton fields and pecan groves at Melrose Plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Her favorite flowers were Zinnias. Each pillow measures 20”x20”. Dry Clean Only.
With every pillow purchased, a portion of the proceeds goes towards preservation and interpretation of the Clementine Hunter House at Melrose Plantation, a National Historic Landmark.
