Pad

The Craft

The Pad demands a quality of attention closer to illustration than to pattern-making. Each radiating vein must be followed from centre to edge without losing its weight or direction, branching at the correct points and terminating cleanly at the scalloped boundary. The ivory channels between veins narrow, irregular, never quite the same width require the tufter to work with the precision of a carver, removing visual weight to create the impression of light and depth. The frilled outer edge is shaped and bound by hand after tufting, each lobe of the silhouette finished individually. It is among the most labour intensive pieces in the collection.