Once all the templates, samplers and drawing roughs were completed, Anas and Sandre rolled back the floor rugs display in The Oriental Rug Gallery Ltd, to reveal a large flat space. Here, they could review their proposed montage sample layouts of the motifs they had created, spread out before them. Having decided on the montage arrangement they wished to use as their embroidery design, it was then photographed as a ‘flat relief’. Next, Sandre used this printed flat-relief to create a ‘Visual Design Spec’ – similar to an architectural plan or interior design mood boards – detailing all the elements of the design, as a guide for the embroiderers to use, when crafting the piece. Here, she included: measurements, thread colours and yarn types, textural specifications, and the design scaled-to-size information. Once produced, the Visual Design Spec was carefully rolled and then packaged with the crafted design samplers.

The proposed embroidery design was then shipped to Damascus, where members of The Damascene Embroiderers Guild were awaiting its arrival. As part of the collaborative design process, and having carefully searched for skilled craftsmen to undertake these high-end works, Damascene embroiderers were commissioned to help craft the Diamond Jubilee Embroidery, in homage to Her Majesty’s original Damask Silk Coronation robes. Thereby weaving together, threads of ancient traditions, royal heritage, visual design, and the age-old art of embroidery craftsmanship.

In-house at the embroidery workshops, the embroiderers began by carefully mapping out the Diamond Jubilee Embroidery design outline by hand, onto a Damask plain-weave, linen ground. Next, threads of fine silk were individually hand-dyed, spooled and then colour matched to the original Visual Design Spec and samplers provided, to ensure the best and closest representation possible. The linen was then mounted onto a embroidery wooden stretch frame, to ensure an even tension of thread and material, while the works were being crafted for the piece.

Although the embroidery was being created as one entire piece, individual aspects of the design such as: the Tehrani carpet floral motifs, the laurel wreath, the crown, the individual numbers and lettering motifs, and The Oriental Rug Gallery Ltd’s signature logo were all individually applied over the base relief of the embroidery in Goldwork, Crewel Work and Silk Work, thereby giving the stitched threads a raised, three-dimensional aspect within the embroidery, and heightening the motifs’ details.

As Masters of their craft, The Damascene Embroiderers Guild excel in works, where an embroidery blends together traditional and specialist embroidery techniques such as ‘raised’ and ‘flat’ Goldwork, Crewel work and Silk work. Here, silk and gold metallic threads are interwoven in varying hues, and then meticulously embroidered onto a damask plain-weave linen ground.

Goldwork, is a technique that uses varying shades of twisted gold silk and metal embroidery threads, to create a luxurious sheen on decorative pieces. The elite of royalty and nobility, Goldwork has traditionally been applied to high-end embroidered pieces for Royal Ceremonial robes, Chivalric, Peer and Parliamentary vestments.

Crewel Work is a decorative form of embroidery that follows a design outline applied to fabric and is traditionally worked on a linen ground, which also forms part of the design. This embroidery technique is at least a thousand years old and was most notably used in the depictions of French Tapestries and Jacobean embroideries. Linking back to James I’s reign (the Jacobean era was named after him), when the initial conception of a ‘Union Flag’ was first decreed in 1606.

The Union Flag design set within the Diamond Jubilee Embroidery is truly a symbol of unification, where this crafted piece is a poignant reminder of how humanity can work together in a multitude of creative ways, to produce an inspiring and enduring legacy that positively reflects our Town’s affections, our pride in being British Citizens, as well as celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Sovereign rule and Royal heritage.

This ‘unification’ continues, where Her Majesty’s jurisdiction is relayed through the undertakings of her representatives: the Lord Lieutenant and her Deputies, the High Sheriff, and with our Mayors, Councillors, and the Town Clerk.

The Diamond Jubilee Embroidery is now in the Trusteeship and Custodial care of Haslemere Town Council at Haslemere Town Hall in perpetuity. The Embroidery has been installed and now takes pride of place inset within the Jacobean-style wooden panelling above the Mayor’s Chair, in the Council Chambers.