Are you a ‘present’ stitcher, someone who’s focused on each stitch that lays before you, or are you a ‘distant’ stitcher, constantly finding yourself thinking about anything other than what you’re putting your needles and threads to?!

Sometimes we think we’re all a little of each depending on our day or the season we find ourselves in. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with letting your mind wander whilst stitching – in fact some would swear the fastest way to solve any problem is with needle and thread in hand! – there are times the meditative process stitching offers is best found when we’re truly present in what we’re putting our hands too.

~ Jim Elliott ~

After reading this quote recently, it challenged us to ensure we’re truly present wherever we are, especially during our time with needle and thread as we relish the meditative and transforming potential of each stitch.

So today, be all there with your needles and threads, conscious of each push and pull of the needle and thread through the fabric and let not the potential each stitch holds be lost on you.

By Nancy Williams

Knots. They’re controversial to say the least. At the needlework convention, Beating Around the Bush last October, I heard frequent discussions about how to start a thread – to knot or not to knot. Different tutors had different views and about the only thing that everyone agreed on was that there was no definitive answer. So, what do you do?

For anyone who has had the pleasure of doing a class with Hazel Blomkamp or owning one of her books, you will be familiar with her statement ‘This is the 21st Century, you are allowed to start with a knot’. Indeed, Hazel’s stitches are so detailed and often so complicated that the last thing you are concerned with is whether there is a knot on the back of your work. It is enough to get the stitch correct on the front!

But doing a class with Nicola Jarvis, I was surprised when she instructed us to use a small knot on the back when we were attaching beads. This was for strength. As beads are heavier than thread, it is important to provide that additional insurance against them falling off.

Great embroidery minds have wrestled with this problem endlessly, as it is inextricably linked with the whole ‘back of the work should be as neat as the front’ argument. Mary Corbet wrote a wonderful article on this back in 2017. She suggested that where the back of the work is going to be visible, such as when you are stitching a table runner or tablecloth, of course it is important to keep the back immaculate. But within reason.

Then there are those stitchers out there who produce reversible embroidery, and I know I’m not alone in wondering what it would be like to be able to reach those heights. For the rest of us, we can strive to be as neat as possible, and hope that Auntie Ethel doesn’t immediately turn over the table runner before even glancing at the stitches on the front.

But what if your piece is going to be turned into a cushion, quilt, stool top or framed?

Having looked at all of the opinions, and even through my own stitching experience, I’ve realised that every circumstance is different. Does it need to sit perfectly flat, for instance when it is laced on a mount board? Then perhaps a knot might not be the best choice. Is it going to be padded, like a cushion? Then perhaps it doesn’t matter. But there are other considerations, which are equally as important. These include your own level of skill, the time you have available, and, probably most of all, your own enjoyment or stress level.

Our needlework is supposed to be a pleasure. We undertake it for our mental health and relaxation. If the stress about producing a perfect back with no knots is overriding the mental health benefits of the art, is it worth it? There is no embroidery judge in the sky who is going to sort us out according to whether we used a knot, or we didn’t. So, I believe we should simply start a thread in a way that makes us happy. What do you think? Email us at news@inspirationsstudios.com

In All Stitched Up! #176 HERE we shared Anne Lockett’s conversation as she was looking to be pointed in the direction of a needlework shop or two while she’s in Switzerland in just a couple of months’ time. Well, point you did, and Anne, it looks like from the suggestions below that your time in Switzerland just got a whole lot busier!

Marlous Craane | ‘I don’t know where in Switzerland Anne is traveling, but there is an amazing needlecraft shop in Geneva called Mercerie Catherine B | Rue de la Cité 17 1204 Geneva. It is a lovely little shop with a large range of needlecraft goodies and friendly staff. We were on holiday in the French Alps in May last year and when we visited Geneva on a day trip, I discovered this shop. We went back for a second visit that same week just so I could see the shop again! Best wishes, Marlous.’

Carole Van de Velde | ‘A few years ago I was in St Gallen and having some time to wait for a train, I visited The Museum of Textiles and Library in St Gallen - Textilmuseum St Gallen | Vadianstrasse 2 9000 St Gallen. The museum is very interesting with samples of beautiful Swiss Embroidery. There was also a lady sitting demonstrating her sewing. I do Goldwork Embroidery and came across a darkened room with some very old pieces of embroidered clothing one of which was a Bishops Cape from London that was fantastic! They also have a library filled with books of old patterns which unfortunately was closed whilst I was there. Hope this helps, Carole.’

Mary Rose Lovey | ‘Switzerland has a long history in textiles and apart from the very interesting textile museum in St Gallen there is another just over the border in Mulhouse, France – Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes (Museum of Printed Textiles) | 14 Rue Jean Jacques Henner 68100 Mulhouse France. Happy travels! Mary Rose Lovey.’

Anna Haendel | ‘In response to Anne’s enquiry, I too would recommend the textile museum in St Gallen. It is near the Appenzelle region where they do the amazing Appenzelle Whitework Embroidery! Wishing Anne a happy trip to Switzerland, Anna Haendel.’

Margrit Bleiker | ‘At the two following stores you can buy a lot of different threads for stitching - Zürcher Stalder AG | Gewerbestrasse 9 3421 Lyssach and Bopp Intérieur AG |Poststrasse 1 8001 Zürich. I wish you very nice and interesting travels to Switzerland. With kind regards, Margrit.’

To everyone who answered Anne’s call for help, we thank you – as always, the Inspirations Community is a wealth of information!

‘Can’t See the Forest’ from Inspirations #96 is a superb sewing box with matching scissor fob by Betsy Morgan.

It takes you on a wander through an enchanting forest, full of beautiful trees and alive with the sounds of birds and animals, all captured in stitch on this superb little box, complete with pull-out drawer and matching tasselled scissor fob.

For those who are fans of Australian animals, thanks to the separate chart Betsy supplied that you can download for free from our website, you can either use the original motifs or add in some Australian favourites. And we even have some Ready-To-Stitch kits for this project still available to ensure your ‘What to Stitch in April?’ dilemma is well and truly solved!

The issues that we’ve highlighted in red are #1 through to #41 and are unique because they don’t have flat spines so you can’t read the issue number or the list of projects inside without pulling them out and flicking through them. They are what you might call the ‘Golden Oldies’.

When you do take the time to get out a Golden Oldie, it’s like an Aladdin’s Cave and you get lost in a world of needlework that is as timeless as it is beautiful.

Over the coming weeks we’re releasing a few of these Golden Oldie projects as digital patterns, starting right now with the piece ‘Threads of Time’ by Yvette Stanton from issue #38.

Hardanger, a historic Norwegian embroidery used for decorative borders on traditional costumes, is often seen on table linen.

Here Yvette’s crisp, neat doily combines the foundational hardanger techniques of cutwork and counted thread work with surface embroidery.

Now we did ask the production team for a copy of the cover to show y’all and they said no. So, we threw a giant hissy fit and jumped up and down all around the office in protest. They still said no. But it wasn’t all in vain, as they did agree to give us some behind the scene pics from one of the photo shoots for #102.

What can you look forward to seeing in issue #102? Snails, butterflies, chipmunks, birds and lots more. No, this is not the Noah’s Ark edition, but there was plenty of animal wrangling required!

Most of you know Hazel for her intricate animals and her exquisite modern take on Jacobean crewel embroidery. But in amongst her amazing creations, you might not have realised what a master she is at beadwork. This little project will undoubtedly fix that.

Hazel Blomkamp is one of our very favourite people, partly because of her wicked sense of humour, but also because of her ability to meld together different techniques to come up with an embroidery style completely her own. When we asked what drew her to beadwork, she told us that it had always fascinated her, even as a child.

Initially Hazel tried to teach herself from books but hadn’t had much luck. One time she was in Johannesburg and saw a beautiful display of beadwork in a shop window which had been set up to advertise a class. She found out who the teacher was and, upon returning to her home town, persuaded him to come to her.

‘The teacher was Manie Kriel, a pharmacist by day as well as a bobbin lace maker. After being taught by Manie I embarked on this wonderful journey and he and I have since become firm friends.’

Manie taught Hazel the most important thing about beadwork – ‘how to hold the darn thing while working on it!’ He also imparted a whole host of other tips that never appeared in the books, allowing Hazel to perfect the technique and start designing her own beaded creations.

We asked her about the flowers, and she told us that she had admired stumpwork flowers but didn’t like the fact they were so delicate that they had to be put under glass. She wanted to create something three dimensional but robust enough to attach to a bag or a hat. And her bead flowers were born.

‘I started with simple 5-petal flowers and leaves (as in this project), worked them out in various sizes and then went on to specific flowers like daffodils, arums, poinsettias, daisies, etc. All of that experimenting landed up embellishing what I call my ‘stupid hat’. A rust coloured, suede bush hat that I still have somewhere…’

Wouldn’t we love to see that one!

Making these brooches may seem daunting at first, but Hazel suggests that while working, hold the flower over your index finger with the thread between your other fingers on the same hand. This helps you to keep it under control and allows you to get the tension extremely tight, something that is really important.

Hazel’s diagrams are very clear and once you’ve mastered the first flower, you’ll be thrilled at how they just make sense.

If you fall in love with these tiny objects of beauty and perfection, a little bird has told us that Hazel has got another book idea in the works, covering all of her bead techniques. But she’s a busy lady (we certainly don’t let her rest on her laurels here at Inspirations!), so you’ll need to be patient. In the meantime, enjoy the comments you will inevitably receive when you go out wearing these beaded flower brooches. We bet you won’t be able to stop at creating just one.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Triple Treat by Hazel Blomkamp is three sparkling brooches created with three-dimensional beaded flowers and leaves.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch Kits for Triple Treat includes everything you need to re-create one of these stunning brooches: Antique brooch, pre-made insert, fabric (unprinted), beading threads, beads and needles.

WE INTERRUPT THIS NEWSLETTER WITH AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Without readers sending in pictures of their needlework this segment would be a blank page, so if you ‘Love 2 Stitch’ like Uncle Sam, show us what you’ve got! Send photos of your needlework along with a brief note about yourself and your work to news@inspirationsstudios.com

Your fellow stitchers will thank you. Now back to our normal segment…

Although each of the pieces we put our needles and threads to could be considered a labour of love, some of our projects fall into the ‘weekender’ category – you know, those projects you should be able to complete in just a couple of days?! Well, the projects from this week’s What Are You Stitching? are anything but ‘weekenders’ and would absolutely qualify as true labours of love due to the number of hours poured into each one of them!

‘This embroidery was inspired by a Lace Point de Gaze which is part of the Lady Evelyn collection. The linen that I used has 42 threads per cm and dates back to the early Twentieth Century.’

‘The finished piece measures 21 cm (8.5”) in height. The effects of light and shade are created by a careful study of light, followed by a precise distribution of the filling points.’

Andrea, what incredibly precise and detailed stitching and to think it’s been done on such fine linen!

‘At the age of 83, I have just finished my latest project. It is an embroidered table cloth of the crests of the RAF Stations that I had served on, or came in contact with, during my 28-year service with the RAF, UK.’

‘The table cloth is Irish linen and is approximately 153cm (60”) in diameter.’

Harry, what an amazing homage to your career in the RAF! We love that you’ve chosen to represent it in stitch. The design is meticulously laid out and stitched. We look forward to seeing what’s next from your needles and threads!

‘I promised myself I would tackle a project from each issue of Inspirations. This one took a while and is not quite true to the original as I added my style by using my own silk threads.’

Lois, we know exactly what a labour of love this project was, as we heard from the designer - Victoria Laine – just how many hours she poured into the original! We love that you were able to your own stamp on it and think you should be incredibly proud of the end result. No pressure, but we can’t wait to see what projects you complete from Inspirations #100 & #101!

Have your needles and threads created a true labour of love? We’d love you to share it with us! Email photos of your work along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Amelie by Gail Doane is a gorgeous baby outfit with embroidery adorning the white jacket and turquoise blouse collar.

Versailles Chatelaine by Susan O’Connor is an elegant silk needlebook with a monogram, pinwheel, scissor sheath and fob.

~ Eckhart Tolle ~

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.