PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
Greetings cards with divine detailing
Elena Deshmukh has been making her handembroidered notecards for the best part of two decades, having learnt to sew as a child. ‘I think that being a maker is something you grow up with – it’s a part of you,’ she says. Selling her wares through Liberty and Fortnum & Mason, she has also been commissioned by the Royal Opera House to design cards to accompany this year’s major productions. Her latest series, Collect, includes an exquisite illustration inspired by Georgian eye miniatures and was influenced by the treasures she has found at Sunbury Antiques Market. ‘I love it there; each object tells a story,’ she says – a sentiment that is also true of her own evocative designs. bt Elena Deshmukh (www.elenadeshmukh.com).