When we recently received Hannah Brencher’s weekly email titled ‘The Halfway Mark | Hunker Down + Make it Happen’ we almost fell off our chairs!

Where had the first half of 2019 gone? It’s almost as if we blinked and missed it!

Hannah’s email went on to encourage us to rededicate ourselves to the momentum and productivity that would help us achieve the goals we’d set at the onset of 2019 and reminded us that ‘I don’t have time’ is not a great excuse for a lack of progress on our behalf.

We have to confess that ‘I don’t have time’ is an oft used phrase by many of us at Inspirations and we regularly find ourselves searching for a few more hours in each day in order to achieve everything we’ve set before ourselves. But the truth is, time needs to be made rather than found.

Marla Cilley, known to most as Flylady, believes that ‘Anyone can do anything for only 15 minutes, even if they have to break it down into five-minute segments.’

And we think this might just be the secret to reigniting the momentum and productivity that’s been lacking in some areas of our lives!

Is there something you could do for just 15 minutes a day that would move you towards achieving the goals you’d set for yourself this year?

Join us as we ‘find’ the extra hours we’re looking for each day one 15-minute segment at a time…

Fill your life with the beauty and joy of the world’s most beautiful needlework each and every day, with the Inspirations 2020 Calendar.

Featuring 12 gorgeous projects to admire and inspire, this calendar is sure to make the beginning of every month an occasion to celebrate as you turn each page.

Inspirations 2020 Calendar - available now from our website.

There are tens of thousands of different books in the world, but there can be no doubt that the very best books are the ones about stitching.

It just so happens we have a few books about stitching on our website that you may be interested in checking out.

To get started, we have the world-famous A-Z series with all 20 titles from the collection now available.

You can also check out the range of other books we’ve published along with some titles we’ve recently brought back into print.

Then there’s a selection of books we stock produced by other talented needlework artisans from the world over.

And finally, we even have a few books that are on sale… so there really is something for everyone!

I’m sure we’ve all had those moments when we doubt ourselves or fear what other people will think of us. This happens even with our stitching. But in this predominantly feminine pursuit, for a man to overcome those difficulties is so much harder. As part of his new year’s resolution, Mike Reynolds decided to take up cross stitch despite its non-masculine stereotype, and during the process he ended up learning not just a new skill, but a lot about himself and masculinity in general.

Renette Kumm’s favourite subject to stitch is birds, from small songbirds to powerful raptors. She delights in the variety of colours and shapes that can be found in birds, along with the challenge of capturing the sense of movement in the feathers.

When Renette is preparing to work on a threadpainted piece, she studies a variety of images of her planned subject, considering colour, clarity, composition and the story of her subject. When it came to creating a piece to be included in our book A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII, Renette stitched a magnificent pair of bee-catching specialists, the European bee-eater.

These colourful, sociable birds are skilled at catching bees and other winged insects, requiring aerial feats of speed and control as they dart after their prey mid-air.

After choosing a subject and composition, Renette’s next step is to select her colours. When building a colour palette in threads, Renette turns to DMC stranded cotton due to the range of colours available. She is guided by her chosen image however she is not restrained by it. ‘Sometimes I will enhance the colour to what I see in my mind’s eye. I love colour and live by Kaffe Fassett’s mantra: if in doubt, add more colour!’

The vivid colours of Renette’s bee-eaters leap off the page, from strong shades of copper blending through to light gold on the head and wings, contrasting with the teals of the body and tail, and flashes of brilliant turquoise and white around the distinctive, black eye-stripe. After choosing a range of colours, Renette’s next step is to consider the threads to use.

Working with a variety of threads in her stitching is something Renette loves to do. It adds an important dimension to her work as she loves exploring the effects she can achieve with different qualities such as lustre, twist and thickness.

Having determined her subject, colours and threads, Renette chooses her background fabric. A colour that allows the subject to ‘sing’ is the aim. Renette thinks outside the usual box of embroidery fabrics and is happy to select pieces from a sheet or pillowcase – the main thing is to use a backing fabric and ensure the fabrics are held drum tight in a hoop or frame.

When it comes to the stitching, Renette likes to gather her threads into colour groups according to the areas of stitching, such as tail feathers, wing feathers, breast feathers and head feathers. She finds it adds to her stitching inspiration and helps her to familiarize herself with the colours and shading for the embroidery, allowing for a greater sense of flow in the stitching process.

She prefers to begin in the lower part of the design, usually beginning with the branch and feet before continuing with the natural layering of the feathers. You can almost sense the anticipation of reaching the eye that, once embroidered, brings the whole bird to life.

Threadpainting can be such an immersive style of embroidery. We recommend queueing up your favourite music and settling in with your fabric and threads to enjoy stitching this stunning pair of bee-eaters. Even if you can only devote a little time to stitching each day, follow Renette’s suggestion of grouping your threads to help you get right back into the groove each time.

The Linnet by Nicola Jarvis from A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII is an enchanting silk and goldwork bird, adorned with a sparkling crown.

Sunbird by Renette Kumm from Inspirations issue #99 is a fabulous threadpainted orange-breasted sunbird.

Twitter by Sue Spargo from Inspirations issue #102 is a cheerful cushion with bright, appliquéd birds embellished with a great range of embroidery stitches.

Birds, always an ever-popular theme for those inspired by the love of needle and thread! This week we share the current flock of birds we have in our What Are You Stitching? files…

‘This time I am sending you a little tit, embroidered with needle painting. It is a pattern that was published on the Canevas Folies website. I had a lot of fun embroidering it and I keep this precious bird on display as we no longer see many tits in our garden unfortunately.’

Claude, we love that you’ve been able to capture a tiny blue tit in needle and thread and will now be able to enjoy it year-round!

‘I live in South Texas along the gulf coast very near the Mexican border. I discovered needlework in college when a roommate taught me to knit. I seldom miss an opportunity to take classes and dearly love attending national and regional seminars. I have met wonderful stitchers attending seminars and have made several lifetime friendships. I have an interest in raised needlework and goldwork. This piece was a wonderful introduction into a variety of goldwork techniques and has sparked my interest to learn more.’

Lea, your rendition of Nicola Jarvis’ Linnet from A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII is so close to her original, it’s hard to believe this piece was your introduction to the technique! It looks like you have a bright goldwork future ahead of you and we can’t wait to see what’s next from your needles and threads.

‘I’ve just finished my Nicola Jarvis Peonies and Pear Tree that I did with her at Beating Around the Bush last year, I’ve just taken it off the frame and am about to take it to the framer. I really enjoyed Nicola’s class and have thoroughly enjoyed working on her piece, I haven’t done much in the way of beading before, so this threw me in the deep end, but it was such fun. I am looking forward to Nicola’s return in 2020 and can’t wait to see what she has in store for us!’

Ruth, you may have felt as if this piece threw you in the deep end, but you definitely swam whilst there! Your stitching and beading have created a rich, textured piece. Don’t tell anyone we told you, but we’ve just seen Nicola’s submissions for Beating Around the Bush 2020 and think you’ll be more than pleased with what she has in store!

‘I feel lucky to be able to indulge in my love for embroidery since my retirement a few years ago. Here is a piece I have just completed, inspired by my love for Australian native flora and birds.’

‘In this piece, I adapted Trish Burr's design for the gum blossoms from the book A Passion for Needlework. It has given me so much joy to stitch this little fellow as well as the flowering gum. As the work progressed, I found myself studying leaves from gum trees and researching photos and information on the blue wren. It has been a work of love.’

Sandra, a work of love indeed! We admire that your time with needle and thread inspired you to learn more about what you were stitching - not only have you created something lasting with needle and thread, but also have some new-found knowledge to go with it.

Now that our current flock of birds have flown the coop, we’re hoping you’ve stitched a fine feathered friend you can share with us! Email photos of the bird you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Fantasia by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations issue #98 is a stunning cushion adorned with ornate Jacobean embroidery.

Jacobus Rex by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations issue #87 is an elegant tablet cover utilising beautiful weaving techniques.

Mandala Musings by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations issue #93 is an opulent, beaded Jacobean design with needleweaving and needlelace.

~ Hannah Brencher ~

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.