Yolanda Andrés
At her embroidery shop in Madrid, Spain
Yolanda used to work for an advertising agency, committing what she felt was way too much energy to a job that truly didn’t fulfill her. Then, she began to find her own way. When her daughter was born, the little one sadly spent a long time coping with severe medical complications, which made Yolanda immerse herself in embroidery to help her deal with the emotional pain, and resolve to keep her hands and mind busy throughout all the struggles in the hospital.
She had always done embroidery, and coming from a family that owned a haberdasher’s shop back in her native Zamora, it only made sense that she would end up sewing herself. She could have never imagined it would turn into a full time profession, or that all her projects would help her to develop a creative style in such a personal way.
Now, her studio and atelier in Lavapiés, Madrid, is a mecca for sewing canvases with needles and threads of all colors, and where students come and learn at her workshops. Within her crazy schedule, she tries to find time to stitch, allowing her to manifest the world around her. Her work encompasses embroidery of her own written phrases, representations of her life experiences, and even portrayals of books, cameras, and other everyday objects. She is most proud of her portraits lifted from photographs. These are truly spectacular pieces of art with different types of stitches creating volume with shapes and shadows; all this achieved with a uniquely talented pair of hands.
Yolanda has a wonderful personality and a sweet vocal tone, so characteristic of Zamora. Her words and intentions are straightforward, and as her work becomes more popular by the day, and her collaborations keep reaching more designers and artists, she still manages to keep her feet on the ground. One can tell that she knows where to draw the line between what is important and what is not. When we part, her hardworking husband is getting ready to leave the restaurant that he owns down the street, and Yolanda is closing down her shop, as they are on their way to spend the weekend away with their beloved children. I feel contaged by her joy, having had a peek into her authentic universe.
