It’s been an unusually rough start to the year in many parts of the world, with two of the more significant events occurring in Australia and China.

It would have been hard to avoid the news as it spoke of the bushfires that swept across Australia and then declared the outbreak of the coronavirus in China.

Whilst events such as these can leave us feeling somewhat unsettled, the passage of time often reveals a silver lining in the clouds they create.

For us, the silver lining has been the sense of community that’s come to the fore.

We’ve seen Australians from all walks of life give what they can to those who suffered devasting losses in the recent bushfires, aiming to support not only their immediate needs, but also their long-term recovery.

Whilst in China, the mandatory lockdown to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, saw the citizens of Wuhan shouting ‘Wuhan Jiayou’ from their windows as they declared in solidarity, ‘Stay strong Wuhan.’

We love that the Inspirations Community has allowed the shared passion of needle and thread to unite us, no matter the ‘distance’ that separates us religiously, politically, economically, culturally or geographically.

We value community and thank you for being a part of ours…

By Nancy Williams

Almost everyone is familiar with Britain’s Magna Carta, even if they are not fully aware of its content. Signed in 1215 to settle disputes between King John and the barons of the realm of England, although many of the clauses in the original document are now irrelevant or forgotten, the one which reinforced the idea of justice and a fair trial before the law continues to echo down through history.

For the celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, British artist Cornelia Parker proposed an ambitious project. Her idea was to embroider a 15m x 1.5m version. But she didn’t want to recreate a version of the actual document itself – rather she proposed to embroider the Wikipedia entry for the Magna Carta in its entirety.

Parker, an artist known for subverting the perception of everyday things, recognised that the fulfilment of this enormous project would require many hands.

The task of recreating each image appearing on the right-hand side of the Wikipedia page was given to the Embroiderer’s Guild in Britain. Parker wanted these to be stitched by talented embroiderers who stitched for passion rather than as a profession.

The text, however, was broken up into strips and sent out to 14 prisons around Britain, to be stitched by prisoners involved in the charity Fine Cell Work.

Certain words from the manuscript were blocked out so that Parker could invite particular people to stitch them. Words like ‘freedom’, ‘liberty’ and ‘contemporary political relevance’ were then stitched by judges, human rights lawyers, journalists and civil servants, sometimes skilfully, sometimes not.

But this was what Parker was aiming for – a modern document, the text compiled by a whole range of different people, stitched by another range of different people from all walks of like, and put on display for everyone to see and marvel over.

This gigantic work is currently on display at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia, and it is breathtaking. The highlights included the Or Nué interpretation of the image of Pope Innocent III, the exquisitely stitched Wikipedia logo and the picture of the original Magna Carta which, from a distance looks almost photographic, but on closer inspection is made up of perfectly placed and perfectly coloured straight stitches.

Recently we received a request from Angie McManus asking if we would be releasing Hazel Blomkamp’s intricate tassel ‘Magnifique’ from Inspirations issue #77 as a digital pattern.

This tassel is the height of opulence, worked in colours redolent of the Victorian era and dripping with beads and flowers. Containing a rich array of techniques, including beaded needlelace, superb stumpwork flowers and berries, plus an elegant beaded overskirt, this is truly an heirloom piece to treasure.

After reading just how wonderful this project is, we can’t wait to make our own as well, so thank you Angie for requesting Magnifique, the digital pattern has now been released and is available to purchase.

The fabulous and amazing Hazel Blomkamp will once again be gracing us with her presence at Beating Around the Bush 2020.

Choose from three spectacular projects featuring a variety of different techniques including bead embroidery, needlelace, needleweaving and surface embroidery. Click below to discover more.

Did you know that in addition to all the Inspirations publications we offer, we also sell a number of books from designers and writers we admire? From goldwork to cross stitch, kitchen gardens to flower gardens, we’re sure you’ll find a book you’ll love.

Take a look at our selection available for purchase now.

When a piece of fruit goes mouldy, our first reaction is to screw up our face and throw it into the bin or the compost. It would be a rare person who would stop, look closely and find beauty in it. But this is precisely what textile artist, Kathleen Ryan does.

We first saw Ryan’s oversized fruits on our friend Mr X-Stitch’s blog. We could hardly believe that they were minutely reconstructed out of precious and semi-precious gemstones, inviting us to look very differently at a part of the natural flow of life which we often turn away from.

It is difficult not to appreciate how beauty can be found in all things if we just take the time to look.

You can read more about Kathleen’s work HERE or follow her on Instagram @katieryankatieryan

The tree of life was a symbol used frequently during the Jacobean period, stitched in many variations on bed coverings, upholstery and curtains. The tree itself is an ancient symbol which appears in many of the world’s religions and philosophies.

The tree of life has been stitched in many different styles, but the one we’re probably most familiar with is the version we see in crewel embroidery. Characterised by oversized and mismatched leaves and fruits, the Jacobean Tree of Life is a wonderfully whimsical interpretation of this ancient symbol.

Alison’s pomegranate is bursting with sparkling beads and is framed by leaves shimmering with the iridescent blues and greens of paua shell and Elphin green couching thread.

Then, nestled beneath a raised organza leaf, you’ll find a plump bunch of golden grapes, tendrils curling from them like springs. And the whole tree sits atop traditional triple hillocks, observed by a tiny snail who is necessarily out of proportion to comply with traditional Jacobean style.

But remember, once your piece is laced into your frame, it is unwise to remove it until it is complete.

When asked if she had any other advice for the stitcher, Alison replied that enjoying every step of the process was the only thing she required.

Goldwork is slow and requires a great deal of care but achieving all of the textures and techniques offered in this wonderful project will make it all worthwhile.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Tree of Life by Alison Cole is a superb goldwork embroidery showcasing a compelling variety of techniques and metal threads.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Tree of Life includes everything you need to re-create this popular motif: Fabrics (unprinted), wool felts, kid leather, Paua shell laminate, wire, silk and metal embroidery threads, beads, paillettes and needles.

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

If goldwork, stumpwork and having a cracking good time while stitching are things you’re interested in, then you simply must attend a class with Alison Cole at Beating Around the Bush!

With over 20 years’ experience, Alison is a multi-award winning speciality tutor, internationally renowned as an accomplished author and needlework artist.

In fact, the secret is already out, as her 2-day class is fully booked, but you can still join her for a one day or three day class.

If you can’t make it to one of Alison’s classes in person, we have the next best thing for you. Her fabulous book ‘The Goldwork Masterclass’ is available to purchase from our website.

Alison’s book takes a look at a different aspect of goldwork from traditional through to contemporary. Starting with its rich history and the materials and paddings beneath, through to the glittering threads and techniques for their application – this book takes goldwork apart to give you the inspiration to create your own beautiful metal thread embroidery.

Modern Crewel by Susan Porter from Inspirations issue #90 is an elegant crewel embroidery worked with glorious, over-dyed threads.

Aurora by Christine Burton from Inspirations issue #97 features timeless crewel designs on a handy, zipped pouch.

Autumn Gold by Phillipa Turnbull from Inspirations issue #40 is a charming crewel cushion.

The tree of life symbolises a connection to creation, but trees themselves are also bringers of shade, comfort, sustenance and remembrance. In fact, there is very little that a tree doesn’t offer up in our world, so we thought we would bring you some beautifully stitched trees from our readers.

‘When we downsized a few years ago he discovered the trees wouldn’t grow well in our seaside environment, hence this picture. Now he can have a silver birch wherever he goes.’

You can see that craft didn’t loom large in her life which meant that I didn’t have anyone to show me how to do crafty things.

I am 68 and have been thinking about starting embroidery for several decades now – you can’t rush these things – a bit like my mother! I have to admit that I am not the neatest person in the world and all the embroidery in your magazine is so pristine I felt a bit intimidated.’

‘I found that I spent some time prior to sleep each night doing my embroidery as it was a time when I could totally focus on the stitching.

I did find myself getting rather stressed when I started to do the fill-in embroidery for Roger. But then I thought to myself, ‘it doesn’t matter what stitch I do as long as I am using a stitch that I think fits into that particular space.’ This helped me relax and enjoy the journey even if it took me down quite a few side roads and dead ends.

It has taken me about 6 months to complete, which was just in time for Christmas to give to my granddaughter as a special gift.’

‘Since retiring I’ve joined the Embroiderers’ Guild branch in Merseyside UK, which is a lively group of likeminded people.’

Vicky, your Jacobean crewel work is lovely, and we’re glad you get to enjoy your needlework with a group of likeminded stitchers as it is certainly an important part of the stitching experience.

As always, we love showcasing the wonderful work from everyone in our community… however our cupboard of photographs is beginning to run short! So if you've been thinking about sending us a picture of your stitching, now is the time!

Email us at news@inspirationsstudios.com with a couple of photos and a few words about the piece so we can share it with all the other needlework fans out there – after all, your needlework might be just what someone else needs to inspire them to keep on stitching.

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Sakura by Margaret Lee is a delightful beaded purse featuring a cherry blossom.

Hanabatake by Margaret Lee from Inspirations issue #95 is a dazzling zipped case with Japanese-style bead embroidery.

Hana by Merrilyn Whittle from Inspirations issue #91 is a delightful scissor fob embellished with Japanese bead embroidery.

Who can resist the alluring sparkle and infinite palette of beautiful beads, artfully worked to create truly spectacular results? Discover a whole new world of beading through the pages of this superb book by Margaret Lee which includes detailed step-by-step diagrams, full descriptions of the techniques involved and fabulous photography.

~ Coretta Scott King ~

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.