Here are some of the embroideries and costumes we made for our project, Textiles we Treasure

in partnership with The McGrath Makers. We called it The Firebird. Our work was inspired by the costumes designed by Leon Bakst for the ballet  composed by Igor Stravinsky. It was first performed by The Ballet Russe in 1910 and directed by Sergei Diaghilev. Bakst based his costumes on traditional Russian folk costumes and motifs. Kokoshniks were worn by all classes over several centuries in Russia. Below the decorated eggs are based on old russian decorative traditions, while the embroidered dolls are based on the Russian Dolls that live one inside another.

Photos of costumes by Andrew Brown