Inspired by this week’s feature project, we’ve found ourselves doing a little ‘Fairy Dreaming’ over recent days…

Do you have a goal, a dream for your stitching?

You may find yourself constantly thinking about or imagining your ‘further and more’, but then find that your ‘dream comes with much busyness and painful effort’ (Ecclesiastes 5:3) and before you know it, the dream fades before it’s barely taken hold!

Perhaps you’re familiar with a variation of the words that are credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson that remind us that life is a journey, not a destination. So, whilst your dream may be a destination in its own right, we encourage you to embrace the journey. A journey that will allow your dream to become your reality. Embrace the ‘much busyness and painful effort’ that lies before you because after the hard work is forgotten, the reward on the other side will be well worth it - the fulfillment of a dream realised.

We can’t wait to see where your ‘Fairy Dreams’ are going to take you and hope you’ll continue to invite us along to be a part of the journey with you!

Drawing from Nature

The following is an extract from the article published in Inspirations Issue 95, written by Ansie van der Walt.

Chloe Giordano is not an embroiderer. She is an illustrator and an artist who just happens to use a needle and thread instead of a pencil or a brush. Walking the dogs or going for a run in the English countryside near her home in Oxford provides Chloe with inspiration for her drawings. Birds, rabbits, deer and other creatures of nature cross her path every day.

“I draw things that are familiar to me and that I grew up with. I am interested and touched by the fragility of our wildlife, especially birds and small animals, and it does reflect in my work.”

A degree in illustration from the University of the West of England meant Chloe worked mostly in pencil and oil paints where she took a very formal approach to learning skills and techniques.

Chloe uses a needle and thread in the same way she uses a pencil or a brush. She works with sewing thread on calico and only uses straight stitch.

Chloe’s technique is very simple:

“I just layer straight stitches over and over, working from detailed drawings and photos. I stitch in blocks across the image.”

She finishes one area completely before moving to the next as she finds going back over already stitched areas ruins the flow of the stitches.

Drawing is an integral part of Chloe’s work process. Every project starts with sketches, from nature, from references, and from imagination. Once she knows where she is going with the sketch and which elements she wants to incorporate, she creates a final drawing that she then uses as a guide for her stitching.

“I do aim to create anatomically correct animals but I allow myself to exaggerate certain elements to make a better image. For example, I often add more definition to hindquarters and legs as this creates a greater sense of movement. I often play around with fur colours and patterns as well, to create the look that I imagine.”

Chloe remembers a piece of artist advice she heard as a student. Every brush or pencil stroke you make should be describing the form of what you’re depicting, not just filling space.

“I try to make sure that every single stitch I make is working towards showing the form of the animal. How they move. How their fur lies.”

Looking at her work with new eyes it is all too clear: Chloe is both an embroiderer and an illustrator.

You can see more of Chloe’s work on her website HERE

If you ever plan on creating a project for a special little girl in your life, to ensure it is well received here is a tip for you: add a princess or a fairy somewhere in the mix and you’ll have a hit on your hands!

Yvonne McMillan Betts is one designer who sure knows how to win over the hearts of little girls.

Her first hit was from the book ‘Perfect Party Dresses’ which featured her dress, fit for any little princess, ‘Chocolate Truffle’ that was as popular as it is gorgeous.

Now we’re excited to have Yvonne debut in issue #98 of Inspirations Magazine with her project ‘Fairy Dreams’ which is nothing short of magical.

Fairy Dreams is the complete package, a lot of fun to create and even more fun for children to use. Made using appliqué and straight-forward surface embroidery techniques such as cast-on stitch for the flowers, French knots for the foxgloves, bullion knots for the door handle and lots of blanket stitching, the design itself is elegantly simple and not overly complicated to re-produce.

We especially loved the little touches Yvonne added like the glowing lamp just above the door and the two tiny pots of pink flowers in front of the house.

Any child lucky enough to have one of these adorable blankets will sleep extra well at night, safe in the knowledge they have their own personal fairy in their bed tucked away in her little house, keeping watch over them.

Have you ever stopped to imagine the whimsy that is to be found at the bottom of a fairy garden?! This week’s What Are You Stitching? celebrates the playfully quaint and fanciful things that have been created with needle and thread that would find themselves well at home at the bottom of any such garden…

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NOW TO 31 MAY | GALLERY HOURS

SNAD's Stitch-at-Home Challenge: View from My Window

San Francisco School of Needlework & Design
Suite 604/360 Post Street, San Francisco

NOW TO 24 JUN

Art Gallery of NSW | Upper Asian Gallery
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney

NOW TO 26 AUG

A major exhibition on the work of Jan Taminiau

Centraal Museum
Agnietenstraat 1, 3512 XA Utrecht, The Netherlands

9 TO 24 JUN

Zig Zag Gallery
50 Railway Road, Kalamunda WA
Glen Hall | 0419 931 676

16 TO 23 JUN

The Embroiderers’ Guild of Queensland
149 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley QLD info@embroiderersguildqld.org.au or 07 3252 8629

20 TO 24 JUN | CALL FOR ENTRIES

The Embroiderer’s Guild NSW

Craft and Quilt Fair Sydney 2018
International Convention Centre, Sydney

29 JUN TO 2 JUL