There’s a certain comfort to be found in familiarity.

Like navigating our way around a well-known space with our eyes closed, there’s an ease with which we’re able to operate in the familiar.

It might be the typical place we sit to stitch where the light is just right and there’s something close at hand to house our instructions and stitching supplies. Possibly it’s our favourite brand of fabric, thread or needle that we choose over the ones our current project recommends. Or maybe it’s that one stitch we return to time and time again.

If you find that to be true, this week’s issue of All Stitched Up! will feel like a safe place to fall as we tiptoe around the familiar. In this newsletter we feature a project from a book that will be known to many of you and that was authored by one of Inspirations’ more familiar designers, and we catch up with some of our regular ‘What Are You Stitching?’ contributors to find out what they’ve been up to with needle and thread.

I think we all crave the familiar on some level, so why not cosy up in the usual place you’ve set aside to peruse All Stitched Up! and read on? We think you’ll find a certain comfort in the familiar that is to follow.

During the early stages of WWII, the Declaration of Saint James’ Palace marked a turning point in global history. As bombs dropped on London, supply ships headed to allied locations sunk in the Atlantic, and most of Europe was under Axis rule, the question was posed;.

The desire to create a lasting peace through diplomatic rather than military channels, lead to the creation of the United Nations. Immediately after the war, as the scale of Nazi war crimes became evident, the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (UDHR) was drafted and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This document, consisting of 30 articles of declaration, was intended to define basic human rights, to guide governments as nations moved toward true, universal suffrage.

The UDHR Quilt Project has been launched by Stephanie Dunlap from Phoenix in the USA and Tal Fitzpatrick from Melbourne, Australia to celebrate and reflect on the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’.

The call went out on social media with Stephanie and Tal hoping to find 30 stitchers, one for each article of the document. The overwhelming response meant instead of the intended single textile, four are now planned. Stephanie and Tal have coordinated more than 120 artists worldwide who will each contribute a textile block, decorated as they wish with embroidered embellishments. Each block will highlight a different article from the UDHR; and each artist is encouraged to use their mother tongue for text.

There is however, something unique about the approach Margaret Lee takes when teaching bead embroidery.

This week we take a look at the project ‘Magenta Star’ from Margaret’s book ‘The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style’ and learn a little about the secret behind creating stunning bead work, Japanese-style.

Magenta Star is a spectacular floral motif inspired by the Florentine II range of quilting fabrics Margaret came across by Peggy O’Toole. It reminded her of the ‘Magenta Star’ dahlia flower and she realised that would be a perfect name for this project.

Set against a ground fabric of red silk taffeta, the Magenta Star flower is brought to life with vibrant hues of dark raspberry and rose gold beads, punctuated with bright green leaves peering from the behind the petals.

When you break it down, it’s not the colour selection, choice of beads or the techniques alone that make this project a stand out, it’s the discipline of approach that Margaret teaches. Here is an extract from her book to help explain:

Begin with this petal and make alternate full petals and the rest as overlapped petals. The tips of the sepals which are behind the petals are worked last. In prioritising the embroidery order, we preserve the integrity for all the shapes which make up the design. The infilling parts of these shapes can be completed at any time, but the priority sequence of the parts must not be compromised.’

As with so many things in the Japanese culture, the thought process, planning and approach to creating something is of equal importance to that of the craftsmanship itself. You can be highly skilled in the art of bead embroidery, but by learning these Japanese design techniques your finished work can reach a new level of refinement.

While Margaret has created a wonderfully practical mirror compact and matching padded case using the Magenta Star pattern (for which there is now a ready-to-stitch kit available), you can use the design on anything that takes your fancy. Below is a great example of this with the Magenta Star set against the contrast of a black background decorating the top of a small trinket box.

For many of us, a To Do List has become an integral part of how we manage the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. In All Stitched Up! #124 (HERE) we gave rise to the fact that our Stitching To Do Lists should be of equal, if not greater, importance than the lists we make to remind us to pick up the dry cleaning and collect some milk on the way home!

Below are some of the lists our Inspirations Community are using to keep their stitching on track…

Darcy Walker | USA

1. Finish Alison Cole class piece
2. Finish the 24 white Stumpwork petals for Jane Nichols wreath
3. Finish Eccentric Chelsea Garden Needlepoint by Elizabeth Bradley
4. Sort and label large collection of linen fabric
5. Work daily on Glasgow Bedspread from Crewel Works
6. Resist sales to add to stash
7. Sort DMC floss
8. Organize storage for frames
9. Complete Christmas ornament for 2018
10. Set up work space to prep for RSN Courses
11. Work on a table runner featuring Mary Corbet’s Christmas Trees
12. Edit stash of projects I will never complete

1. To finish a quilt I started several years ago
2. Start making Christmas presents

Kathleen Weston | USA

"Thank you for asking about our stitching plans for the next year. I know that we all approach putting together our list differently, but I’d love to share my method. I try and spend a day at the beginning of the new year picking my projects for the coming year.

1. A class by Kay Stanis
2. A beaded mermaid by the talented Leah Ready
3. Several Just Nan mice and houses
4. Betsy Morgan's Sweet Treats
5. My Jane Nicholas Stumpwork project from BATB 2016

In All Stitched Up! #130 (HERE) we unpacked the idea that without taking that all-important first step, or first stitch, none of the others will happen. We asked what first steps you needed to take to complete the next project on your stitching list and here’s what some of you are doing to ensure this happens…

Jo Tucker | USA

‘Taking that first step very often has nothing to do with needle and thread but has everything to do with not getting caught up in daily routines of housework and the many outside commitments that seem to never go away! My intentions are good and then before I know it, another day has come and gone without one stitch being taken. I know that this dilemma centers around time management, so that needs to be my first step.

Lesley Purcell | Australia

‘You talk about the next step needed. Well, for a lot of folks this can be just looking at a book with diagrams and instructions which can be enough to forge ahead one step at a time. This is a wonderful pursuit and will build confidence. If, however, you are left handed it can be a little more complicated - if only authors would put instructions for both left and right-handed folks in their books, the embroidery world would double in no time! Hopefully someone will do this one day. To stitch well is an asset for life.’

Linda Pettigrew | UK

‘What a timely newsletter! My first step is to trace my chosen design on to wool blanketing before commencing embroidery .

We love that we’re able to start conversations in our weekly newsletter and then have them continue in a manner which often challenges how we see things and points us in a new direction in our own stitching. Thank you, Darcy, Georgia, Kathleen, Jo, Lesley and Linda for being part of the conversation and having your say!

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