After recently publishing our 200th issue of All Stitched Up! HERE, we received quite a few responses, a couple of which left us blushing!

‘I could not let this milestone go by without sending my congratulations to the mighty team at Inspirations and All Stitched Up! on your 200th issue. Your motto - ‘our team is very small, but we are mighty’ - that indeed you are!

You certainly are mighty to be able to come up each week with such an amazing and inspirational newsletter that keeps us up to date with some of the world’s most beautiful needlework and much more. You never cease to inspire.

It is the highlight of my week! We all must have a passion, and thankfully my passion is embroidery, as it brings so much joy and takes me to places beyond where I could ever imagine.

Keep up the great work ‘Team Mighty’ at Inspirations - and here’s to your next milestone - issue #300. It is such a privilege to be part of your community.’

Beverley and Lesley, we love that we have the privilege of being part of your stitching journeys and count it a joy to share our love of needle and thread with you each week. Our small, but mighty team pour a significant amount of effort into everything we do, and it makes it all the more worthwhile when we know it’s so well received. Thank you for being part of our family and for taking the time to share such lavish praise!

To celebrate the release of our new range of Trish Burr kits (see below for details) this week we’re also making available a classic Trish Burr design as a digital pattern for the first time.

‘Immortelle’ from Inspirations issue #54 is a superb threadpainted cushion that combines the timeless appeal of natural linen with the traditional beauty of crewel embroidery.

The exquisite floral design uses a subtle blend of wool and silk threads with masterful threadpainting techniques to recreate the shades of nature.

In her latest book ‘Embroidered Kitchen Garden’ embroidery artist and avid gardener Kazuko Aoki shares her newest collection of exquisite designs inspired by her very own kitchen garden.

From humble tomatoes and radishes to show-stopping figs and Brussel sprouts, this collection features over 30 designs.

Now, before everyone swaps their sewing needles for a pitchfork, the main reason for the delay is that we’re working on some changes for 2020 including a new venue, which we’re hoping will make the event better than ever - it’s just taking a little longer to confirm than we’d like. But don’t worry, the dates aren’t changing, everything is still proceeding per usual and we promise the catalogue will be out shortly!

In the meantime we appreciate your patience, apologise for the delay and are looking forward to sharing all the amazing projects to stitch and events we have planned in the next week or two. Stay tuned to All Stitched Up! for further updates…

During any stitching session with friends, what could go better than cake? But what about combining stitching and cake together? Sound a bit messy? Then it’s worth seeing the culinary masterpieces from Leslie Vigil to see how it’s done.

At first you may think that Leslie has taken a needle and thread to her cakes, as you look closely you can see that each stitch has been carefully crafted with piped icing.

Feeling peckish yet? You can read more about Leslie’s delicious creations on the My Modern Met site HERE.

This is it… if you’ve been thinking about saving money, you need to hurry, our HUGE kit sale is nearly over.

With the sale officially ending this coming Thursday 10th Oct, if you’re quick you’ve still got time to stitch yourself a bargain. Money may come and go, but the joy of stitching lasts a lifetime!

At Inspirations HQ, we’re always working to offer you the most beautiful designs the needlework world produces, so it is with great excitement that we’re finally able to announce a new venture with one of the finest needlepainters in the world.

This move is primarily in support of Trish whose enormous success has forced her to rethink her priorities and her business model. Trish found she was spending so much time on administration, packing kits, sending kits and dealing with online orders that she wasn’t doing what she’s best at – creating exquisite designs.

We know you’ll agree with us when we say that we’d rather Trish be designing than trotting off to the post office several times a day!

But in so many ways, this change of direction is nothing but a win-win. For Trish, she’s getting the chance to transfer the countless number of new ideas she has from her head onto the fabric and her family might also enjoy several fewer burnt or forgotten dinners!

For us, it means that we get the honour of putting together Trish’s kits to the quality you’d all expect, as well as talk about them, stitch them and enjoy them even more than we have done before.

As part of this change, it also means that Trish’s own online store is going to become primarily digital and selling instant downloads, so no more waiting for the post.

Trish has been part of the Inspirations family ever since she first appeared in the magazine back in issue #47. Her influence within the needlework community globally has been well documented and is nothing short of revolutionary. So much so, Trish is often the first place people go when they want to learn threadpainting (or needlepainting, as she prefers to call it).

Her designs and techniques over the years have captured the hearts and imagination of thousands. While much of her work is timeless, Trish never stands still and only recently mastered the innovative new technique Whitework with Colour, combining surface stitching and delicate, perfectly chosen colour combinations in designs which are completely unique.

If you’ve never been brave enough to try one of her projects, now is the perfect time.

For the threadpainters among you, experienced or beginner, you can choose from the beautiful Briar Rose; Chinese Bird and Flower – a design reproduced gorgeously from ancient Chinese brush paintings; and For the Love of Wrens, an adorable study of those cheeky little fairy wrens so prominent in the Spring months.

You can also try your hand at Pansies and Redoute’s Sweet Peas, both intricately stitched with photographic perfection.

For the bird lovers, you can stitch the Orange Breasted Sunbird, a native of Trish’s South Africa, alive with colour.

Those who love Trish’s Whitework with Colour, you can choose from Katarina the Cat, carefully poised as she curiously befriends a butterfly; the elegant Gatsby, the dreamy flapper girl gazing across her shoulder, her incredible hat on display; and Giraffe with Barbara Streisand Eyes. Need we say more?

Finally, for anyone with an appreciation of art, we’re offering Tuscan Landscape, a vibrant summer landscape expertly reproduced from an original painting by Trish herself.

You can check out all 10 kits on our website HERE, and if you are anything like us stopping at just one will be a challenge! Our fingers are itching already, so we’re confident yours will be too.

We’re glad you asked! The first thing that’s important to know is all of Trish’s kits include detailed step-by-step printed instructions. Plus, as an added bonus, Trish has also included her ‘Embroidery Essentials’ booklet free with every kit.

Another feature with Trish Burr kits is pre-printed fabric. Each design has already been printed on the premium quality fabric included in the kit, saving the hassle of transferring it yourself.

And then each kit also includes each of the threads and needles used in the original design to ensure you can re-create the piece picture perfectly.

Printed instructions, pre-printed fabric, threads, needles and even a bonus booklet – Trish really has thought of everything, so the only thing left to do is pick which design you’ll stitch first! Click below to get started.

‘Whilst thinking about the story of my life, I decided it would be a great idea to bring it to life with my obsession - needlework! This is a photo of some of my favourite memories that I have been able to sketch and then sew.’

My first encounter with embroidery was in 1995 when I visited Vicky Padfield on the Isle of Arran in Scotland for an embroidery week holiday. That was the start of my recovery. I had done some stitching at school in the 1970s, but it was only after 1995 that I started stitching again.’

Stunning seed pod and leaves of a banksia by Julie Kniedl from Botanica.