This blog is a collection of data on customer feedback related to artefacts following this intervention
The data sources were all provided by JEM staff and those who participated in the questionnaire have given their consent to be photographed as evidence.
Customers selecting canvas bags
The canvas bag is priced at 280 RMB （30 GB） based on the cost of the embroiderers’ work. A total of 15 consumers participated in the test and their age/gender/ and reasons for willingness and unwillingness to buy were collected.
Feedback from customers
Source of data collected: JEM
The data was collected between November 10th and November 23rd, with a total of 15 customers participating in the survey and a total of 3 of the 10 canvas bags sold.
According to the feedback collected from the customers, the reluctance to buy is a big factor in terms of price, which may include the overall consideration of the material of the product itself and the brand factor, all of which are a reference point for the commercialisation of hand embroidery into the market. The relationship between price, hand embroidery, design and product quality.
Evidence of consumer purchases No.9 canvas bag
According to the feedback from the data, this consumer bought the most popular canvas bag No. 9, they love this bag because of its colour and the meaning of the words embroidered on it, which is in contrast to other forms of canvas bags, which shows that the ability of creative expression of these craftsmen was not in the same line, which made the researcher realized that the owners who have the power to control the production of the embroiderers need to apply a combination of design-oriented and commercially-focused interventions to regulate and enhance the commercialisation of the crafts in the industry, rather than completely allowing them to create freely, except for those freelance craft artists or artisans. but this also feeds into the need for standard design guidance in commercial production. So it is a delicate relationship between commerce and art.
Feedback from Experts
Dean Wu and teachers at Hunan Arts and Crafts Institute’s Hunan Embroidery Art School
Dean Wu said he liked these embroidered canvas bags , but he argued that more design elements needed to be incorporated into it, otherwise it would not form a standard item to sell.
Moreover, two experts gave external feedback on the intervention. Zaihong Jiang and Yu Binxia, represented different views of embroidery practitioners and researchers. Yu said that the fundamental goal of this innovation-pursuing intervention should be to keep the essence of embroidery, this traditional handicraft, before creatively developing it. For example, the essence and hallmark of Xiang embroidery is the Mao stitch. Without this feature, technical innovation will be in vain. In other words, keeping the tradition alive is as significant as breaking the mold. On the contrary, Jiang believed that the embroidery product would be a great hit as long as it won over customers by reflecting modern aesthetics favored by the younger generation and cultural trends because she thought buying the handicraft is the best way to pass it on.
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry # AC Communication # AC Process
Over the past two days I have sent my research questions to two experts seeking their views and opinions and I wanted to know if my research questions were a clear indication of the changes I wanted to see and the problems I wanted to solve. These two experts are an embroidery researcher at the Hunan Museum and an owner in the embroidery industry.
Evidence of conversations with embroidery company ownersEvidence of conversations with an embroidery researcher at Hunan museum
Based on the feedback from these two experts, they said it was difficult to catch what I was trying to say when they saw my research questions. Not sure what I was asking.
This researcher indicated that she did not know how to understand that enhancing the value of the craft in China. According to her understanding, creative exploration is equivalent to innovation, but the essence of innovation is to preserve the essence of these traditional crafts before innovating. For example, the essence and characteristics of Hunan embroidery is the Mao stitch, if this characteristic innovation is lost then it will lose its meaning. In other words, it is important to keep the tradition and break the mould.
She says that now in China, many of the younger generation of embroidery inheritors are instead helping to destroy the best part of this traditional craft – the stitich. For example, the flat stitch is the most common stitch in all traditional Chinese embroidery, but many inheritors of Xiang, Su and Sichuan embroidery now use it to represent their own embroidery, which is clearly a loss of the unique character of their own embroidery. How can you talk about innovation when the essence is not captured by the inheritors? How can you say you have inherited it?
Through this exchange I also learnt about innovative ideas for the development of traditional techniques such as embroidery, including the fact that the inheritors of these traditional embroidery have not learnt and understood the essence and nature of embroidery from different regions (stitching) very well.
She also suggested that my research question might contain two issues: firstly, how creative exploration can enhance the status and profile of embroidery craftsmen, and secondly, how their enhanced profile and status can lead to the development of embroidery heritage in China.
However, I took into account the the development of this whole industry, and not singularly to the practitioner. After our exchanges and discussions, my research question was again established: How can the creative exploration in traditional Chinese embroidery help the industry find creative approachs that keeps up with the times and promote the diversification of its traditional craft values in China?
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry # AC Communication # AC Process
I had a phone call with these embroiderers this morning and asked them the following questions：
1.What is the difference in mentality or attitude between this work and the previous embroidery you all did from the prints already painted?
2. Do you all talk to each other when you’re creating? Is the working atmosphere different from before?
Evidence of the communication
When I asked these questions, the feedback from the embroiderers was positive, they said that their mood and attitude were much more relaxed this time compared to before, and they felt very free because they could do whatever they wanted, they didn’t have to think about matching the embroidery thread to the work already had drawn, they could use whatever stitches they wanted to create, and each piece had its own idea, not like the It’s not like a robot working. I was very happy to hear that. But at the same time, they also said that it was a bit stressful to complete a piece of work in the intensity of 8 hours due to the length of work required.
Looking at the feedback from this intervention, I am acutely aware that everyone is happy and at ease with a little creative freedom when they are bored with their work. According to what their factory manager told me, the atmosphere in their workshop was much more relaxed throughout the day and everyone was not as lifeless as before. I think the intervention was a success for me and for they. They were able to adjust to their mood of work a bit through the intervention, which also allowed them to relax at work and stimulate their imagination in what amounted to a degree of craft art therapy. For me, I am happy that the state of their communication with me was such that they expressed their happiness.
One embroiderer in particular said that the corn she embroidered was painted by her grandson and she did the embroidery. In this intervention, she also strengthened the bond between parent and child through her creation, and I realised that this finger art creation could also be used as a craft bridge for communication between parents, families and friends before.
Today through a meeting with Ms Jiang Zaihong and the 7 embroiderers working at the Changsha City Hunan Embroidery Institute, I established a collaboration with JEM and the Changsha City Hunan Embroidery Institute and set up the next intervention.
Form of intervention: event-based intervention, through work with seven embroiderers, and collaboration with JEM （Jiang zaihong embroidery museum)and the Hunan Embroidery Institute in Changsha. With the theme of the warmth of the hand, the 7 embroiderers were allowed to use their imagination to embroider their own hands, which were eventually presented on canvas bags.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties”
Erich Fromm
The canvas bags are available in limited quantities online and through the venues of these collaborators, with prices negotiable through the time they take to make them. The aim of the intervention is trying to promote innovative design-based interventions, to enhance the motivation of the embroiderers, stimulate their imagination and the atmosphere of the industry through trading, and in this way to achieve a better heritage of skills, as the best heritage comes from buying and selling. A state of tripartite gain is achieved for the embroiderer – the Institute/Museum – the buyer.
Evidence of my call records with stakeholders
The following was established：
Theme: The Temperature of the Hand (Beta)
Number of participants: 7 embroiderers （aged between 47-55 women）
Forms of intervention ：event-based intervention
Cooperation：JEM, Hunan Embroidery Institute in Changsha.
Event Duration：20 Oct 2022.
Test subjects 1: 7 embroiderers （Feedback after embroidering their own hands through the free use of their imagination）
Test subjects 2: Consumers (test why they would or would not buy this hand-embroidered canvas bag with hands)
What to do：Seven embroiderers use their imagination to embroider their own hands on canvas bags.
How to buy：Sold separately at JEM and the Changsha Institute of Hunan Embroidery.
Money sold for：The price of this canvas bag will be returned to the embroiderers with all the remaining profit after removing their corresponding labour and costs.
Step 1step 2step 3
# AC Communication # AC Enquiry # AC Knowledge # AC Process
Bibliography
Ebert, M., Hoffmann, J. D., Ivcevic, Z., Phan, C., Brackett M. A. (2015). Teaching emotion and creativity skills through art. A workshop for children. The International Journal for Creativity & Problem Solving, 25 (2), 23-35.
Potential Plus UK. 2022. Using Visual Arts to Foster Creative Thinking Skills – Potential Plus UK. [online] Available at: <https://potentialplusuk.org/index.php/2020/07/14/using-visual-arts-to-foster-creative-thinking-skills/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
Stankiewicz, M., 1984. Self-Expression or Teacher Influence: The Shaw System of Finger-Painting. Art Education, 37(2), p.20.
Shaw, R.F. Finger painting, A perfect medium for self-expression. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1934a.
Liveyourpassion.in. 2022. Emotional & Social Benefits of Finger Painting | Live Your Passion. [online] Available at: <https://liveyourpassion.in/self-interest/art/Get-started/Emotional—Social-Benefits-of-Finger-Painting-290> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
Hand & Lock are London’s premier embroidery house providing embellishment services to the Royal Family, top European design houses, the Royal Armed Forces, Savile Row and members of the public.
Thanks to Jessica, Production Director of hand&lock, she thinks an education exchange would be really interesting， for accepting this invitation to talk about：
How the Chinese traditional stitches are introduced into their workshops?
Comments and feedback on the “ melding experiment”
Jessica on the left，and a person in charge of a embroidery school on the right
This dialogue identified the following：
Because of the language barrier for Chinese embroidery teachers, instructional videos of traditional Chinese stitches in both English and Chinese versions may be required.
The melding experiments were interesting, but it was important to get the interactors to understand the technique or to inspire them to learn about embroidery or to learn about the culture of embroidery.
In response to the feedback from this exchange, I will be collecting and collating teaching videos in both English and Chinese versions of traditional Chinese embroidery and will be working with the Hunan Embroidery Institute in Changsha. Because it would be beneficial for more people who want to learn Chinese embroidery to learn it, and they can become an independent learner, regardless of borders or languages!
Regarding the meldingexperiment, I will try to see if I can meld these instructional videos into existing works, interactive works of technology + education + embroidery culture.
# AC Communication # AC Process # AC Enquiry # AC Knowledge
How can we encourage the Chinese traditional embroidery industry to embrace new methodologies?
Intervention:
The intervention of this project is an artifact-based intervention that receive the reactions and respones of stakeholders through works that combine Chinese embroidery and technology.
Experts:
Master of Chinese arts and crafts, engaged in Hunan embroidery for more than 50 years.
Researcher and embroidery committee expert of Hunan Museum
Director of Changsha Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.
Director of Industrial Development Bureau of Jinxia Development Zone
Director of the Cultural and Creative Center of Changsha Museum
Feedback from experts
Highlight handcraft techniques, such as mao stitch，increase its educational significance in interactivity
More improvement of art forms, can add animation projection. For example, hiding the conductive thread on the surface of the embroidery.
Determine the theme of the embroidery work
Stakeholders：
People who has existing interest in embroidery or want to buy it
Feedback from stakeholders
The idea is very creative, the bird sound if more soft and crisp
Whether it is possible to add the element of animation, so that still pictures become animated to enhance visual spectacle and interactivity
This online meeting not only asked their feedback on my intervention, but also explores the needs of embroiderers and the problems they want people to help them solve
Evidence of online meetings （11th，June)
Participant background
These craftspeople are all women and have been practising embroidery for between 4 to 48 years. The education level ranges from primary school education, junior high school education to Specialty.
Participants：Xiang Embroidery Craftmen in Chang sha city （Hunan province, China) Number of participants：11 Age distribution of participants：22-60 age
Question/enquiry
views on my personal project
problems they are facing or problems they would like others to focus on and help them solve
1. Feedback （views on my personal project）
Evidence of feedback
When I sought their feedback on my personal projects, such as the combination of embroidery with technology, I desired each of them to embroider their memories, identities and stories on a 3d embroidered duck. The response from embroiderers aged 45 above was that due to their limited age, literacy, understanding and decades of traditional thinking in conservative background of the past, it was difficult for them to understand or give me advice on my project, but they expressed their willingness to cooperate with me and support me in my project, but also said that the production of 3d embroidery was a bit complicated for them, and they suggested that it is crucial to reduce the man-hours of this production and the complexity of the process.
I reached a preliminary understanding with these embroiderers that we now start with a piece of cloth embroidery instead of making 3D embroidered ducks, because the materials and tools required are complicated and the production process is complicated.
When I mentioned whether it was possible to use everyone’s hands as the basis and then express freely, their first reaction was that it was acceptable and positive, because it was easier than 3D embroidery, and it was something they had never touched before. The themes of their works were previously painted by embroiderers, and this was the first time that they were related to their own themes. This time, they can embroider for themselves, not for others.
They immediately said if they were each embroidering their own palm prints and fingerprints, I said that I still need to think about and give them feedback on Tuesday, how to incorporate their unique story into the palm print, not Back to the realistic embroidery style （Time demanding).
2.Feedback (problem they faced and wanted it be solved)
Improvements of embroiderying tool (they hope someone can design or provide ergonomic tools to help them reduce the physical strain during the embroidery process, such as the spine, which can lead to spinal strains caused by bending over for a long time).
Increase in income (this viewer says they don’t have any ideas either, just simple and pure, to make a living and hope to earn some money with their own hands).
Talent people can lead them to innovate (lead them to embroider new themes, increase the interest of the theme, or develop new stitches).
Young people communicate with them more
Loing some weight, or try to stay in shape as much as possible
Summary
Through this communication with so many embroiderers, what I really feel is the simplicity of their inner thoughts. I am very grateful that they are willing to actively support my personal project, so I say that I want to protect this group with more enthusiasm. Help this group to have a voice in society, and I hope my personal projects can connect with them as much as possible. Therefore, next, I will draw and design the pattern of the palm print by myself, and then communicate with them, try to let them express themselves fully and freely under a simple framework, and show more people their own stories. Stories belonging to their group, in order to build emotional connections with more audiences through works. I will also discuss with the programmers and think about how the sensor and the embroidered palm can be integrated to better increase the interactivity, interest and the times of the work.
The participants in this meeting include Zhenzhe Lin(graphic designer), Zaihong Jiang(embroidery craftsman), Xin Di(programmer), and Binxia Liu(embroidery research experts in Hunan museum)
Evidence of meeting
In this meeting, based on the first “melding experiment”, the following directions for improvement were summarized.
Highlight handcraft techniques, such as mao stitch.
More improvement of art forms, can add animation projection
Determine the theme of the embroidery work
Next step
Wifi module (to figure out how wifi controls the computer to play specific animations)——Programmer
In this blog I used structured online interviews to 6 stakeholders.
Due to the time difference between China and the UK, I asked 6 stakeholders five questions in Wechat for this action research.
Source: Wechat chat history
The following is their personal introduction.
Professor Yu Binxia (YBX), born in of Changsha, a researcher and embroidery committee expert of Hunan Museum, and as a professional embroidery curator.
Gan Sheng (GS) who is the Director of Changsha Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.
Liu Aixun （LAY）, female, born in of Changsha , Hunan , a master of Chinese arts and crafts, engaged in Hunan embroidery for more than 50 years.
Liu Bin （LB）, Director of Industrial Development Bureau of Jinxia Development Zone.
Hou Ying （HY）, born in of Changsha, Director of the Cultural and Creative Center of Changsha Museum.
LI Zhenzhe (LZZ), born in of Changsha, a graphic designer who loves Hunan embroidery and has his own graphic design studio.
Questions
Q1:With the development of technology, do you think machine embroidery can replace hand embroidery?
YBX：In the case of embroidery, the definition it gives us is a handicraft, emphasizing a handicraft. It is two dimensions, one is handicraft and the other is art. your mother have known handicraft skills, stitching skills, color matching skills, embroidery thread processing skills and color matching skills, right? I just feel that if you consider from these aspects, I think there is no way to replace hand embroidery with machine embroidery.
GS: First of all, it is necessary to find out the source of machine embroidery. It is the result of human creative labor. Even if machine embroidery AI reaches a certain height, it cannot replace the agility, thinking, creativity and uniqueness of human beings in embroidery.
LAY: With the development of science and technology, I think it is difficult for machine embroidery to replace hand embroidery. Traditional machine embroidery production lacks the cultural connotation and artistic value of hand embroidery! Whether it is embroidery thread material or Hunan embroidery stitching, it is difficult to achieve. In the future, hand embroidery + artificial intelligence can be used to simulate the artistic effect of hand embroidery production.
LB: To be honest，machine embroidery and hand embroidery are not a relationship of substitution and substitution, but both exist at the same time and develop interdependently. Hand embroidery is the memory of traditional culture. Each piece of embroidery has a unique quality, which better preserves the embroidery mother’s handicraft inheritance and precipitates her “temperature”. This type of embroidery has cultural value and collection value. . Machine embroidery came into being to meet the needs of the industrialized era. Embroidery products can be standardized and mass-produced, suitable for production and life-oriented works, and have the characteristics of popularization and popularization, such as shawls, scarves, cheongsam and so on. From different perspectives, you can choose different production methods. In the future, in terms of market demand, the two will be compatible and develop together.
HY: Machine embroidery can never replace hand embroidery, just like digital can never replace film, because the emotions of people mixed in handicraft can never be replaced by machines
LZZ: No, the value of emotion.
Q2: How do you think hand embroidery uses its artistic attributes to give full play to its commercial value, and what are the difficulties?
YBX：This involves the cost of hand embroidery, because the cost of hand embroidery is very high. In the case of machine embroidery, it is a programmed thing, and it takes very little time to complete some embroidery items, while hand embroidery takes a lot of time. I think this is also a bottleneck for sustainable development, and it is also a bottleneck for its development. How to play its commercial attributes, this problem may be what we call intangible cultural heritage. Not only the embroidery, but all the intangible cultural heritage involves the handicraft. It is a problem of survival. The first show will give full play to its commercial value. It may take the way of high-quality products and personalization to develop high-end products. However, in this case, its price is not close to the people, and it is generally difficult for the public to accept it, so this is actually a contradiction, so why the government pay attention to it, it may also be aware of such a problem.
GS: People’s needs are divided into several levels, the highest is spiritual needs, the pursuit of beauty, hand embroidery as a work of art, its commercial value has existed for more than 2,000 years, and it is completely continuous.
LAY：Hand embroidery should make use of its own hand embroidery spirituality, superb techniques and artistic style of individual masters, so as to realize the transformation of works from handicraft attributes to works of art attributes, and give full play to the commercial value of their works of art!
However, we are currently facing difficulties in manual embroidery: in the future, there will be no successors, product homogeneity, and high labor costs for manual embroidery, resulting in high prices and low production efficiency. It takes more than 10 years to train a young Hunan embroidery inheritor. It takes more than 30 years to become a Hunan embroidery master, and the non-standard of the inheritance of the master-apprentice system.
LB：Commercial value depends on the value and use value of the commodity. Hand embroidery is not only affected by the embroiderer’s own technology, social influence, brand value and other factors, but also has a long production cycle, time-consuming and labor-intensive reasons, and even a large cost investment. Therefore, higher value means that the price should be sold higher. However, there are many works of art in hand embroidery, and it is necessary to match the aesthetic value with the businessmen in order to discover its artistic use value, which leads to a narrow audience, which is the reason why most embroidery products are “valuable but not marketable”. Embroidery products that are not sold have their commercial value “hidden”.
HY: I think the ultimate trend of hand embroidery is the luxury goods and high-end gift market. The biggest difficulty is the problem of publicity. Only by letting our own Chinese people fully understand our own culture can we export our culture to the world and make Chinese hand embroidery become the world’s famous luxury
LZZ：In the new consumption era, brands and consumption patterns are being upgraded and iterated. Generation Z will gradually become the main force of market consumption. The traditional offline business model can no longer meet the needs of new consumers. Hand embroidery has its inherited cultural value and artistic attributes. , but must upgrade iterations
Q3: What do you think the future of traditional hand embroidery will look like?
YBX：There are still bottlenecks, and in the future, it will be high-quality products. Small ones are high-quality products, and large-sized ones are also high-quality products, because their prices are not close to the people.
GS:The future of hand embroidery still requires continuous innovation, continuous integration and creation.
LAY：In the future, there will be fewer and fewer people who inherit traditional hand embroidery, the price will become more and more expensive, and there will be fewer and fewer good and exquisite handicraft works. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate the younger generation of compound talents to inherit Hunan embroidery and innovate Hunan embroidery; Only crossover each industries with cooperation , culture + technology can better inherit Hunan embroidery and carry forward it!
LB：The time has come, and the future is promising. It is necessary to keep pace with the times, reform and innovate, and combine the traditional beauty of hand embroidery with the aesthetics of modern young people, so that the aesthetic trend is contemporary and modern. The inscription of “Rich and Noble” was even unacceptable to the post-90s audience, and this aesthetic taste remained in the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, the display form should be more diverse. Electronic light, sound, shadow, etc. can be integrated into hand embroidery, so that the traditional hand embroidery can be rendered three-dimensional, dynamic and alive.
HY:In the future, we must take the route of high-end customized gifts or decorations, and we can cooperate with international famous brands to enter the luxury industry.
LZZ：The future of traditional hand embroidery lies in the innovation of products and the renewal and iteration of consumption patterns. First of all, it is necessary to combine modern mainstream aesthetic trends, combine traditional craftsmanship with new tracks, and present conceptual and simple graphic images with traditional methods. . The second is online promotion. We must make use of content traffic platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Tiktok, Weibo, etc., so that embroidery culture can enter the vision of new consumers.
Q4: Now traditional Chinese hand embroidery needs more innovation in the expression of artistic themes (artwork) or does it need more hand embroidery combined with the commodity market (art goods)?
YBX：Nowadays, many people in China think that they embroider what they think is ethnic embroidery. They think that the embroidery in this place is ethnic embroidery, or what ethnicity does the embroiderer belong to, then what he embroiders is ethnic embroidery. This embroiderer may imitate the outer layer, but he does not have the indigenous stitches, techniques, patterns, and spirit that are unique to his own nation. He has not shown it, so this is actually a process of homogenization, including the present There are actually four famous embroidery in China (Xiang embroidery in central China’s Hunan Province, Shu embroidery in western China’s Sichuan Province, Yue embroidery in southern China’s Guangdong Province and Su embroidery in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province), and there is such a problem, so more personalized ethnic embroidery is needed.
GS:The purpose of innovation and creation is to reach new heights in art and new creations in business to meet the needs of different levels of consumption.
LAY：For the better inheritance of Hunan embroidery in the future, both are indispensable, that is, it is necessary to innovate in the expression of artistic themes to improve the value of Hunan embroidery works of art; at the same time, it is also necessary to combine manual embroidery with the commodity market to commercialize art and let some Cost-effective and youthful Hunan embroidery life products have entered the homes of the common people! Enter thousands of households! Let more young people love Hunan embroidery!
LB：This question has some similarities with the first question. To put it bluntly, it is the problem of art commercialization and commercial artization. It is essentially the same thing, but the focus and starting point are different. The expression method of artistic themes is innovative. The expression method is craftsmanship and technology. This knowledgeable person cares more, but the public aesthetics care more about the innovation of content, using the technology of Hunan embroidery to express the works they want with a modern vision. These works are then traded to convert the use value into value, which also caters to the commodity market.
HY:I think first of all, on the basis of maintaining the inheritance of traditional themes and patterns in terms of themes and forms, keeping pace with the times, and constantly updating and developing themes and contents, so as to better match the modern business society.
LZZ：Personally, I feel that hand-embroidered artworks are relatively mature, including Master Jiang’s works selected for the World Expo, Olympic Games and other existing products, in fact, they already have the attributes of artworks, and they need to be changed according to the market. How to make artworks become commodities is the key. For example, after the brand upgrade and iteration, co-brand with the Guochao brand? Combining embroidery craftsmanship with clothing and other peripheral products, no longer let the picture frame canvas become the carrier of embroidery, and naturally convert artworks into art commodities
Q5:What problem do you most want to solve in the current Chinese traditional embroidery industry?
YBX：I hope that the traditional embroidery industry will still take its own path of personalization instead of homogenization. You are like our Hunan embroidery. In fact, lions, tigers, and leopards can’t be embroidered by other embroidery types among the other four famous embroidery types. Right, this is our characteristic, including Taoyuan embroidery is also the same, why he achieved such high achievements in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period is actually related to the application of this characteristic needle method.
GS:The standardization and rectification of the industry should focus on distinguishing machine embroidery and hand embroidery, and embody the value of hand embroidery artworks.
LAY：I think what needs to be solved urgently is the production problem, talent problem and product innovation problem in the traditional Chinese embroidery industry! Let more young people inherit and innovate Hunan embroidery, and let the world fall in love with the beauty of Chinese Hunan embroidery!
LB：The first is to avoid the problem of involutionary competition. Hunan embroidery originated in Shaping. The people engaged in this industry are all villagers. However, in the face of the wave of marketization, vicious competition and disorderly operation are inevitable, which leads to the social disapproval of Hunan embroidery. The level of understanding is uneven, and its value has also been discounted. Then there is the issue of speeding up the training of newcomers, so that the traditional craftsmanship can be passed down from generation to generation, and when necessary, a “big database of Hunan embroidery craftsmanship” is established to store these memories. The third is continuous brand promotion. In the reception and communication of government affairs and business, the use of embroidery as a medium of emotional connection is encouraged, so as to gradually increase the popularity and brand effect of the embroidery industry.
HY:I want to solve the problem of popularization and publicity of embroidery knowledge, and let the public know that embroidery is also an indispensable part of the broad and profound traditional art of the Chinese nation. What is its craft technique? Where is the difficulty in it? How to appreciate it all need publicity and education from the media, self-media, and the society, so that more people can understand embroidery, and let every Chinese become a promoter of our traditional embroidery to the world.
LZZ：Product Innovation
Through this action research, I have benefited a lot, because the interviewers have different job positions, but there are certain similarities in some aspects, such as the difficulties faced by traditional Chinese embroidery and the problems they want to solve, but they also have similarities. According to my social position, I have different opinions, and what they say is a real problem. I am trying to find a way to absorb this information and try to combine this information to find a breakthrough for my own project.
# AC Knowledge # AC Communication # AC Realisation #AC process
In this post I will use my action research to objectively analyze hand and machine pricing in the embroidery industry
The phenomenon that mechanization has diminished the role of folk arts significantly is global. Let’s start by asking why there are duplicates of hand embroidered apparel in the market in the first place. Well, for the simple reason that machine embroidery costs much less when compared to hand embroidery as it uses a machine to do the embroidery work and can earn larger profits if sold as handmade.
I asked the price of hand embroidery and machine embroidery for the same pattern （Below) , and controlled the variables. I set the quantity of the asking price at 50-100, and the size was 26x22cm.
This pattern is inspired by “Liu Hai cuts the woodcutter”, the flower drum opera in the traditional culture of Hunan Province, which is the pattern used by my friend to create it in the himself fashion brand.
hand embroidery
I asked my mom directly about the price of this pattern for hand embroidery because she owns an hand embroidery company.
According to the quotation provided, the price is according to the craftsmanship level of the embroiderer and the title in the industry. If these prices are only used as art collection or personal feeling, it is okay, but if the pattern is used in a large number and is used by the public products, such as clothes, bed covers and other daily necessities, only a few people are willing to pay this price. Pay and afford, whether it is for consumers or companies that want to apply hand embroidery to the brand, unless it is advanced customization or luxury, the cost of hand embroidery is unacceptable to ordinary consumers and ordinary companies.
And when I asked if there is a standard embroidery time, such as how long does hand embroidery take per square meter? She replied that there is no estimate for this, and it depends on the customer’s pattern. The degree of craftsmanship required for each pattern is different, and then the production cost is determined according to the time spent by the embroiderer.
But I think if the hand embroidery is applied to the fashion field, such as earrings, rings, necklaces, etc., because the size of the embroidery of these objects is relatively small, it does not take a lot of time, the price of hand embroidery may be acceptable, but how to control the quality It also requires thinking. And whether people might also take into account factors such as their brand value when buying items that are priced above average.
machine embroidery
I asked about a company called “Minghong Embroidery”, which specializes in machine embroidery.
Source: WeChat chat history
English translation version: digitizing fee + sample fee totaling 800 yuan, and the price of each piece of machine embroidery is 20-30 yuan (2.5-3.6ponds)samples will be produced around 10.10（And all quantities can be delivered within 5 days）if I need over 500 pieces within one year for this pattern,he will refund the digitizing fee 600 yuan.
Because this pattern is monochromatic, it does not involve the processing of shadows and gradient colors, and it cannot express some unique stitches used in hand embroidery. Therefore, the difference between hand embroidery and machine embroidery in this monochromatic pattern is not obvious. big.
Take a look at the pictures of two similar shawls above and try to figure out which one is Hand Embroidered and which one is Machine Embroidered?
So I then asked the machine embroidery company, what is the standard they charge, is it based on the number of stitches required for the pattern? He replied that this is just one of the factor. The price is calculated according to the production capacity, how much a machine can produce in a day. For example, some customers will ask them to make patterns according to the fineness of hand embroidery, and then the size of the pattern, how many colors are needed, etc. Therefore, why some people like machine embroidery, I have summarized the following points.
For company
Less cost (machine embroidery is almost always more cost-effective than hand embroidery, whether it is small-scale(unless it’s one or two,and this price does not guarantee the craftsmanship of hand embroidery) or large-scale.
Uniform and error-free Design. (Higher Rate of Productivity and Accuracy，Especially for group types that need to be on workwear, socks and hats.)
Speed (according to this research, if 50 pieces of hand embroidery are required, the time required is within 1 month, while machine embroidery only takes 5 days).
