Hand Embroidery with Ana Maria
Explore bespoke hand-embroidery techniques with textile designer Ana Maria in Medellin, a picturesque city tucked away in the Colombian Andes. Learn how to make and finish embroidered work, develop your artistic voice through a variety of embroidery stitches, and express yourself through color. Outside the studio, draw inspiration from Medellin's vibrant culture and stunning natural beauty — if you're lucky, you'll encounter a scarlet macaw or wild monkey within the city limits.
Meet the Artist
Ana Maria is a Colombian textile designer shaping the fashion world with her vibrant creations. Renowned for her imaginative designs and expert craftsmanship, she collaborates with traditional Colombian artisans to create exquisite, one-of-a-kind garments.
Ana Maria honed her skills in London, where she studied and worked with prestigious fashion houses like Ralph and Russo, Erdem, Alexander McQueen, and Hand & Lock, the renowned embroidery house for the British Royal Family. In 2016, she returned to Colombia to continue her artistic journey.
Drawing inspiration from her Latin American heritage, Ana Maria combines traditional hand embroidery techniques with contemporary fashion. Her work can be best described as a blend of "magical realism," influenced by Colombian culture, nature, and surrealism. Using embroidery and crochet, she hand-stitches beaded foliage inspired by nature onto the lapels of dinner jackets and creates silk embroideries of exotic animals on flowing gowns. Each statement piece is wearable art, allowing individuals to express their unique style.
Ana's practice will captivate you with its fusion of artistry, ancient craftsmanship, and Colombian culture, seamlessly uniting art and fashion. Let's go friends!
VAWAA Includes
- Explore, invent and define your style through art and fashion.
- Create embroidered garments and wearable art.
- Concept and sketch embroidery designs.
- Focus on color palette and how to develop perfect colorways for your project.
- Explore embroidery techniques from basics to advanced 3D stitches.
- Play with the process of creating compositions on a garment.
- Finishing and caring for hand-embroidered work.
- Visit Ana’s community of craft women and their workshops.
- Enjoy an embroidery session in Ana’s country house to try typical homestyle food.
Explore Medellin
Medellín is located in a bowl in the Andes mountains, which means you are guaranteed mountains and stunning landscapes from every corner of the city. Also known as "The City of Eternal Spring" for its mild year-round climate, Medellín blends urbanity with nature — you can even encounter scarlet macaws, iguanas, and wild monkeys within the city limits.
Medellín's friendly locals, Paisas, are famous for making visitors feel at home. The city boasts a vibrant culinary scene, offering a wide range of local delights like the famous tray paisa, and is a gateway to explore the diverse Antioquia region, with charming towns like Guatape and Jardin just a short drive away. Neighborhoods like El Poblado and Laureles are full of brilliant restaurants serving a variety of international fare, and cafes like Pergamino and Revolucion are known for serving the best Colombian coffee in town.
From iconic cable cars offering breathtaking panoramic views to the joy and passion of Colombian culture, Medellin has been part of Ana's artistic essence. She says, "All those things make me live in color!"
