Have you ever hesitated to start a journey with needle and thread for lack of certainty in your abilities? Or maybe you’ve started a journey but found yourself unable to complete it as you paused when faced with a challenge you weren’t sure how to overcome.

We’ve all done it at one point or another – doubted ourselves and then stepped back from an opportunity that lay before us, but the solution may be easier than we all think – simply keep going!

~ Beau Taplin ~

After reading a post from Grit & Virtue we realized that when we think we can’t, or we hesitate because we’re afraid we might fail, we can silence those lies by just taking the next step forward, by being unstoppable and not falling into the temptation to hold back and pull away.

We were reminded that the limits we’ve put on ourselves are daring to be pushed and all we need to do is keep going no matter how we feel about the challenge that lies before us.

So, pick up your needle and thread and silence the lies that you don’t have what it takes to get through the project before you, by simply stitching your way through them!

We can’t wait to see what lies on the other side of your unstoppable…

Now while it’s true that Christmas is only 10 weeks away and as it’s our Christmas edition, issue #104 is full of delights befitting the festive season, there is actually more meaning to our theme ‘Season’s Greetings’ than just Christmas.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~

As Inspirations Editor-in-Chief Susan O’Connor eloquently shares in her welcome, a season’s greeting can apply to any number of life events or moments in time and in this way issue #104 goes well beyond Christmas.

Inside you can celebrate the seasons of nature with a gently shaded threadpainted mountain flower by Catherine Laurençon, a vibrant kingfisher in silk embroidery by Helen M Stevens and an enchanting stumpwork scene of mushrooms and berries by Kay Dennis.

Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step details on how to create these projects, please refer to our magazine or digital patterns.

Make your stitching even easier by purchasing a digital pattern of your favourite project.

Taken straight from the pages of the magazine, digital patterns come complete with a list of requirements, step-by-step instructions, full size pattern and incredibly beautiful and detailed photography.

No matter how you feel about US President Donald Trump, it is probably fair to say that his tweets, posted on the social media platform Twitter, can often be controversial. As part of her own personal journey to try and come to terms these tweets one way or another, Artist Diana Weymar has turned to needle and thread.

Exhibiting her works in New York where she has used her stitching skills to create a ‘three-dimensional twitter feed’ of numerous tweets sent by the President, Diana has invited other stitchers from the US and all over the world to add to her collection. Stitching, which requires thought and reflection, has made Diana believe:

In a world where we often feel helpless to do anything, politics is being confronted by a gentle art in a way that truly makes an impact.

To discover more about this project, check out this short video about Diana’s project on the BBC website HERE.

Ana Mallah has captured this display perfectly in her project ‘Autumn Flowers’ from Inspirations issue #104.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Autumn Flowers by Ana Mallah is a glorious stumpwork garland celebrating stunning autumn leaves.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Autumn Flowers includes everything you need to re-create this delightful autumn garland: Fabrics (unprinted), felt, fusible webbing, wire, beads, embroidery threads and needles.

Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step details on how to create this project, please refer to our magazine or digital pattern.

Autumn Leaves by Monique Johnston from Inspirations issue #97 is a fabulous doorstop featuring a harvest of acorns, blackberries, rose hips and maple leaves.

Autumn Feast by Kelly Fletcher from Inspirations issue #67 is a delightful set of linen and cotton placemats, embroidered in rich autumnal shades.

Autumn Harvest by Helen Eriksson from Inspirations issue #71 is a graceful spray of flowers and berries in subtle shades of gold, olive green, brick, terracotta and cream.

Jacobean Leaves by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #41 is a richly coloured crewelwork cushion exploring a vast variety of stitches.

As depicted in Ana Mallah’s ‘Autumn Flowers’, the colours we most associate with Autumn or Fall are warm, deep and muted, and this week’s What Are You Stitching? celebrates projects that are stitched with hues from the same palette.

‘I have traced the designs from Johanna Basford’s colouring books and then embroidered each design in DMC cotton and perlé threads, with a hint of shiny threads here and there. The stitches are whatever I felt like doing, which really made it fun, as there were no rules and no right or wrong!’

‘This was a class project I started in January 2017 and I just plugged away at it whenever I was not embroidering something else. Each one of the ladies who tackled this project did their own interpretation and embroidered whatever took their fancy.’

‘Thank you for a lovely magazine and the very welcome weekly newsletter. I have heard many ladies saying they sit down with a cup of tea as soon as their copy of Inspirations arrives or when the weekly newsletter ‘All Stitched Up!’ lands in their inbox - I am the same, first thing on a Friday morning, when I see that email, I make a cup of tea and sit down to read it - no interruptions allowed!’

Amanda, we love your most creative and autumnal interpretation of The Village Bag! It has been thoughtfully designed, carefully stitched and immaculately finished. We’re so pleased to hear you’re enjoying the magazine and this newsletter.

‘I am new to Inspirations magazine, and I just love it! My friend has been collecting your magazines from its inception and she shared them with me one day - needless to say I was hooked from the first magazine I saw.

I started making a list of projects as I thumbed through each issue carefully taking notes. When I saw issue #18, I knew I had to make ‘The Woolly Sheep’ for my next grandchild who was due in September. I had to make some substitutions due to the fact that some of the materials aren’t available anymore and I also needed the blanket to be washable.

I had so much fun making it and I hope my new little grandson will be surrounded by all the love and warmth that I used in making it.’

‘I just joined the East Texas Embroiderers’ Guild and our group subscribes to your magazine.

I have made so many new friends and I look forward to learning all I can so that one day I can share with my grandchildren my love of needlework. My goal is to collect all your back issues, so I can add them to my stitching library and have them to pass down to my grandchildren.

I also love the A-Z Books that provide step by step illustrations to do the projects. I only wish I could increase the number of hours in the day so I have time to do all the projects! That you so much for your magazine, I am already thinking about which project to start next!’

Cindi, welcome to the Inspirations family, we’re so glad you joined us! We love your passion and enthusiasm for all things needle and thread and look forward to seeing where your needlework journey takes you. Your grandson couldn’t help but feel the love and warmth you’ve poured into his blanket.

‘I am currently helping to co-ordinate a Bayeux style tapestry, based on the story of Hereward the Wake, which will hang with many other appropriate textiles, in the new Keep which is to be built at Norwich Castle, hopefully opening in Autumn 2020. It has been almost two years since I was introduced to and have been working as a volunteer on the project, but for one reason and another it has only just begun to get going recently.

I have also started to use some of our tapestry border designs to make some of the little treasures, which are often featured in Inspirations magazine. Here is a scissor sheath and a telephone cover.’

Jacqui, we love that you’ve adapted the designs from the tapestry’s border and applied them to needlework smalls that will be well used and appreciated day-to-day. We look forward to seeing the tapestry on its completion.

‘This is my version of Cockatoo Apple by Judy Stephenson from Inspirations issue #51. I loved stitching it so much that I created two! The kit I purchased all those years ago even had more than enough materials for both.’

Kim, it’s always a delight to see completed projects from past issues of Inspirations as they remind us of the timeless nature of needlework, and your Cockatoo Apple is no exception. The subject and colourway are timeless, but modern all in the same stitch!

Have your needles and threads stitched something autumnal? We’d love to see it! Email photos of your autumn stitching along with a few details about your needlework journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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

Elizabethan Casket by Betsy Morgan is a superb box etui inspired by a 17th century embroidered casket.

The Tooth Fairy by Betsy Morgan from Inspirations issue #99 is two adorable counted work boxes for special tooth fairy deliveries.

Tall Year Square by Betsy Morgan from Inspirations issue #93 is a superbly detailed counted work etui that will take you through the four seasons.

~ Confucius ~

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.