Meet a Maker: Edition 35

Meet Elizabeth Ashdown

1. What is your craft and how did you get into it?

I work with the rare and endangered art and craft of passementerie, which is a traditional British craft involved with making decorative embellishments for interior design and bespoke clothing such as tassels, fringes, braids, curtain tiebacks, tufts, rosettes and many more special items! At university I studied woven textile design, but I came to passementerie by chance. As there was nowhere to learn the craft, I had to teach myself how to weave passementerie through trial and error. It has taken many years of learning and development to hone my skills and I could not have done so if it wasn’t for training bursaries awarded by both Heritage Crafts and the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.

2. What is one interesting fact about you?

People often ask me if my house is full of passementerie and they are always very surprised when I answer “no!”.

3. How long have you been making?

This year marks my 11th year running my business.

4. Who is/are your favourite maker(s) in your craft? Anyone you admire in your craft field?

Passementerie is a centuries old craft and even though the name for the craft is European in origin, the craft has a worldwide history and significant worldwide cultural relevance, which I find both fascinating and inspiring. I hugely admire and appreciate the work of fellow passementier Clare Hedges whose body of work, especially her historical recreation work, is extraordinary.

5. What is the most challenging skill/technique you learned in your craft?

How to successfully weave many meters of the same design continuously without anything going wrong, which takes extreme amounts of practice, diligence, consistency and patience! Sometimes I will have a commission to weave upwards of 20 meters continuously for a pair of curtains and the last metre has to look just as good as the first.

6. What is your favourite part of your craft? 

I am fortunate because I have so many aspects of my craft that I love – from using colour creatively, to working closely with clients to make their vision a reality. My very favourite part of my craft is introducing people to passementerie that have not come across it before. It’s a wonderful moment to see someone fall in love with the craft enough that they then wish to join me to learn how to make it themselves.

7. What project are you most proud of and why?

My recent collaboration, Kaleidoscope, with luxury passementerie house Samuel & Sons is the project I am most proud of. Together we have collaborated to create the most gorgeous collection of fresh and exciting designs in a vibrant spectrum of contemporary colours and patterns. Rooted in the rich traditions of classical trimmings and brought to life with a bold, contemporary spirit, this collection celebrates the interplay of colour, texture and craftsmanship. My collaboration with Samuel & Sons is the first time that they have collaborated with a fellow passementerie artist – a milestone that makes this collaboration even more special.

8. If someone who knows nothing about you or your practice could know one thing, what would it be?

I’d want them to know that passementerie is more than just decoration – it’s an art form with centuries of history, skill and storytelling woven into every thread. Each tassel, fringe or braid isn’t just an embellishment; it’s a piece of craftsmanship that can transform a space or garment, adding depth, movement and personality in a way no other detail can. In a world of mass production, true handmade passementerie is a rarity, and that’s what makes it so special.