Form over function or function over form is an age-old dilemma and one that gets resolved differently depending upon your personality.

For those of us who aspire to be surrounded by things we passionately love, form often wins out because the aesthetic appeal of an object will outweigh how it’s used. While the practical among us will usually choose things based on their function rather than their beauty.

This week we officially launch such a publication, one that we set out to ensure was equal in its form and its function, the Inspirations Index Issues 1-100.

Our team spent hours poring over the function of the index to ensure it became the ultimate search tool for all things Inspirations and then our Graphic Designer added the form to ensure it was aesthetically pleasing.

And even if we do say so ourselves, we think we might have just achieved an index that’s equal parts form and function and we hope you’ll agree!

So, read on as we unpack the new Inspirations Index 1-100 . . .

‘Embroidering for me is a passion. I have many embroideries in my home from decorating walls to furniture. As I work during the day and I teach embroidery on weekends twice a month, I usually embroider in the evenings and on weekends. I simply cannot sit watching TV without something in my hands!

When my students don't do any embroidery and confess to not picking up a needle during the holidays, I am exactly the opposite. I even remember sitting in Sardinia at the pool some years back, embroidering away while my husband was at a medical conference, and I heard this twittering behind me. I looked back and there were about ten Sardinian ladies looking over my shoulder admiring my work. None of us could understand each other but their admiration of my embroidery was enthralling. They had never seen 3-dimensional embroidery before - no English, but we understood each other.

Anything is possible if you love something you do. Happy stitching everyone.’

‘For me, I find spending a couple of hours each evening my way of calming down after a busy day. Right now, my husband is making supper while I stitch the binding on a musical themed quilt for my 9-year-old grandson.’

‘I thought it would be fun to let you know about my non-routine approach to stitching! Since I am blissfully retired, I stitch whenever I have a minute or two. I am blessed to have a dedicated stitch room and can leave my projects out with needle threaded and then just park in my comfy chair in the spur of the moment. Some days I can stitch early in the morning and other days may not even get one stitch done, but knowing it is always available is fun.

‘I’m retired, so depending on the project, each Monday, Wednesday and Friday are set aside for knitting. While every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are Needlepoint days. That leaves Sundays free for either technique. I will sometimes swap my days or even devote five days to needlepoint if I’m creating Christmas gifts.’

‘My daughter is a figure skater, so every morning we get up at 5am for 6am ice time before school! During her 2-hour practice session I stitch. There are not many parents there that early, so I get a quiet ice rink to stitch and begin my day relaxed.’

‘My stitching routine has served me well as I work an hour from home and have to commute to and from work each day. I started, when my now adult children were young, at the end of each day by announcing to everyone that I am going to stitch, so ask me now if you want anything because once I start everyone is on their own! I stitch for one or two hours during the week and a little longer on Saturday and Sunday once all the cleaning and laundry is completed so I can stitch in peace.

Annamaria, Ann, Dawn, Patty, Stacy and Jamie, we love that you gave us an insight into how you schedule time for needle and thread and we look forward to unpacking more conversations about stitching routines in next week’s issue of All Stitched Up!, so stay tuned!

Looking ahead at your upcoming appointments for November, do you have anything booked in that relates to beetles? No? Nothing at all?! That’s probably because unless you’ve booked a pest exterminator, most of us prefer to avoid anything to do with beetles! That is unless you’re Jane Nicholas…

Jane would love to have her month of November filled with appointments learning everything to do with beetles and more. In fact, Jane’s fascination with the world of entomology has given rise to some of the most exquisite needlework projects we’ve ever seen, as is evident with ‘Beetlemania’ the November project featured in the Inspirations 2018 calendar.

This stunning goldwork version of the diving beetle from Inspirations issue #88 is so spectacular, it really makes all of us re-think our position on bugs. So, whether you need to cancel the beetle exterminator, book in some lessons on the beauty of bugs, or stitch your own goldwork diving beetle, this November let’s be like Jane and show the beetles some love!

Make plans now to have a beautiful needlework project to admire on your wall every month with the Inspirations 2019 calendar.

Give yourself permission to flaunt your passion and enjoy a collection of the world’s most beautiful needlework hand picked to inspire and admire.

Buy one for yourself, as a perfect Christmas gift for a fellow stitcher, or for anyone with an appreciation of the art of needlework. The Inspirations 2019 wall calendar – bringing beauty and inspiration all year round.

Victoria Laine, who recently won this years People’s Choice award in our Stitch Your Heart Out competition, is renowned for her intricate stitching skills with her work appearing in several issues of Inspirations Magazine over the years.

Two of her most popular projects, Delicate Touch from issue #86 and Black Beauty from issue #95, beautifully demonstrate the elegance of traditional Blackwork combined with contemporary design.

This week the project Black Beauty has just been released as a digital pattern, so now both gorgeous designs can be purchased as a digital download.

As an added bonus, both projects are also still available as ready-to-stitch kits. So whether you have a love affair with strawberries or appreciate the beauty of the rose, you can now re-create both with needle and thread.

Reaching the milestone of 100 issues of Inspirations Magazine is certainly an occasion for celebration, but it is also an occasion for reflection. It’s an opportunity to look back over the expanse of all 100 magazines and consider what that means both in terms of where we’ve come from and where to from here.

Needlework is a lifelong pursuit – once hooked, it’s with you for the rest of your days. It is also a pursuit that takes a lifetime (or two or more!) as the longer you’re hooked, the more projects you find to stitch. Then, as your collection of Inspirations Magazines grow, the problem is compounded further: the more magazines you have, the longer and longer the list of projects to stitch grows!

Helping everyone keep track of the ever-growing list of projects published in Inspirations was identified as a problem that needed solving early on.

In 1999 the very first Inspirations Index was released, which covered issues 1 through 24 and provided a list of terms and names you can search through to help locate projects you were interested in. Kind of like a telephone book for projects.

Index 1-100 has been re-built from the ground up, with input from industry expects and high frequency readers, to help make searching for projects easier than ever before.

Consider these statistics:

That is A LOT of content and probably the most exhaustive anywhere in the world, so trying to narrow your search to find exactly what you’re looking for can be tricky. Here are a few quick tips.

CHOOSING BY TECHNIQUE – A popular way to choose your next project is by technique, so you can either use the Technique Index where issues with projects featuring that technique are listed, or by using the Step-by-Step Index you can look up a specific stitch and then find a project which uses that stitch.

VISUAL SEARCH – if you’re not 100% sure what you’re looking for, the best way to use the Index is to flick through each page of the Project Image Library until you find something you like. The Index will then tell you the issue number and page number the project can be found.

Here at Inspirations Studios we’re working on an ambitious plan to ensure every single project from the entire Inspirations library will be available to purchase either in print, or in digital. If you find a project you want to make, but can’t find where to buy it, please email us at news@inspirationsstudios.com and if we can’t tell you where you can purchase it, we’ll try and release it as a digital pattern for you to buy ASAP.

To celebrate the new Inspirations Index 1-100 we thought it would be fun to look at the very first project that appeared in Inspirations and the most recent one.

Embroidered Slippers – Issue #1

The very first project that appeared in Inspirations Magazine was on page 4 in issue #1 and called ‘Embroidered Slippers’ by none other than our very own Susan O’Connor.

As we officially launch the Inspirations Index 1-100 in this week’s issue of All Stitched Up!, we thought we’d celebrate some of your stitching that is referenced directly in the index itself.

‘I’ve had a bit of a blitz on finishing some UFOs. I love your magazine and enjoy reading your weekly newsletter, an inspiration to stitchers everywhere!

Although I did some fancy work as a child, then some cross stitch while still at work, it wasn’t until I retired that I learnt to embroider. I hope you like my recently finished work which is a design from Deborah Love. Robyn Tate, Australia.’

Robyn, we love your version of Eidelweiss from Inspirations #86, it’s as elegant and refined as Deborah Love’s original!

‘My second attempt at Threadpainting was a Cardinal designed by Trish Burr. I find Threadpainting a very relaxing technique and have several patterns from Inspirations earmarked for future projects. Thank you for publishing such a nice magazine. Judith Peckham, Canada.’

Judith, you’ve captured the detail and character that Trish’s designs are renowned for just perfectly and can’t wait to see what your next attempt at Threadpainting produces!

‘While I was disappointed not to be at Beating around the Bush this year, it gave me a little extra stitching time! Yvette Stanton’s new book “Pattern Darning from Norway” has me completely hooked on creating beautiful, colourful designs in darning. My first completed item is a bookmark and I’m well on my way through my second piece. Kate Brown, Australia.’

We missed you at Beating Around the Bush this year Kate! We look forward to seeing what darning is next from your needle and thread and are sure it will be as precisely and beautifully stitched as your bookmark.

‘I have been stitching all my life, literally since being old enough to be trusted with a needle and scissors. Encouraged by my mother, I cannot remember a time when I didn’t make things. In fact, if I had spent less time stitching and more time on my homework, I may have gone further in life, but I probably wouldn’t have had so much fun! I’m happy as long as I have a needle of some description in my hand. I’ve recently finished my first attempt at Threadpainting, with great help from my excellent tutor, Beppy. It is now framed and waiting for a space on my walls. Jenny Whiteside, UK.’

We think all those years spent with needle and scissors has been time well spent because Jenny that is a spectacular first attempt at Threadpainting! Your fine stitches and careful attention to shading has created a picture-perfect flower.

Can you find a piece you’ve created with needle and thread referenced directly in the Inspirations Index Issues 1-100? We’d love to see it! Email photos of what you’ve created along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

Become part of the Inspirations family by subscribing to the magazine... we'd love to have you join us!

Printed copies of Inspirations issue #100 are now available to purchase from our website for delivery to your door anywhere in the world.

Join in on the celebration by stitching a project or two (or even more!) from issue #100 with these Ready-To-Stitch kits:

~ Frank Lloyd Wright ~

Stay informed of upcoming needlework events taking place all around the world in our new What’s On page on the Inspirations Studios Website HERE.