We don’t know about you, but there are days a sense of peace seems hard come by in this current season!

In last week’s All Stitched Up! HERE, we shared Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘pause’ as she encouraged us to name five things we can see, four things we can hear, three things we can feel, two things we can smell and one thing we can taste as a way to ground ourselves in the present moment.

This week we’re pausing again as we pursue peace amidst the hustle and bustle that is swirling around us the world over.

In a recent email, Grit & Virtue encouraged us to pause and breathe deeply, to inhale, exhale and repeat as often as needed. They reminded us that whilst we need to stay informed of, and ensure we’re prepared for, the situation before us we can’t let the storm overwhelm and overtake us.

They encouraged us to let go of the things we can’t control and reminded us that it will get better.

Whilst easier said than done, we’re determined to pause and breathe, reminding ourselves that we’re all in this together and as long we choose to embrace hope and love, peace will eventually follow.

It’s almost become the new mantra, hasn’t it? These are strange times indeed. For many of us around the world, we’re discovering a ‘new normal’ with our movement seriously curtailed and the almost unheard-of experience of being confined to our homes.

There are plenty of us who are using the time to stitch and are trying to make the most of it. Imagine being able to stitch all day long at last!

During this time, we are so fortunate that we have the internet and that its presence allows us to still connect to others. And stitchers, crafters and artists around the world are rising to the challenge. Using different technologies, such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, people are coming together to help one another ride this crisis out.

We’ve always equated stitchers and artists together, so it doesn’t seem out of place to bring to your attention a movement known as #quarantineartclubs. These virtual clubs, being led by different artists around the world on Instagram, provide you with a prompt each day in order for you to exercise your creativity, or offer a lesson, or just encourage you to creatively journal. As a needlework community we can interpret these prompts through the lens of our needle and thread and who knows what new adventures might spring forth.

For all of the knitters out there, you’re probably familiar with the famous design team of Arne and Carlos. Well, they are offering a free quarantine knit-along. Their comforting and uplifting designs for squares are available free and are accompanied by a podcast so that you don’t ever have to feel like you’re knitting on your own.

Quilters can also choose any one of a number of quarantine quilt-alongs with free patterns and daily guidance. Most of them accept that popping out to the shops to buy supplies isn’t always an option, and so have designed their patterns specifically to use up all of that stash which many of us have been collecting for just this kind of ‘rainy day’.

If you prefer stitching, a search for ‘free stitch patterns for quarantine’ or a combination of those words will result in a wealth of different options. One of our favourites was a free pattern of the coronavirus itself – know thine enemy? But there are plenty of others available for cross stitch, needlepoint and embroidery. It seems the generosity of designers knows no bounds.

Facebook groups, Instagram hashtags and sites such as Ravelry for yarn crafters provide further options. And the best thing about them is that they’re filled with other people who are all feeling the same things that you’re feeling and are all turning to their favourite craft and each other in order to help to navigate this crisis.

We’re all being forced to find ways to support each other. This includes those people requiring immediate support such as our family, neighbours and friends, as well as those people further away from us who we might not even know yet.

They might just need someone to talk with, someone to share their latest stitching with, or someone to hold on to – virtually, of course – so that they don’t feel like they are experiencing this alone.

We already know the goodness, kindness and love that exists within the global needlework community and we have no doubt that these new ways we’re learning to care and help others won’t stop when the virus does. In so many ways, it is going to bring us even closer together than before.

Whilst many of us have retreated to needle and thread to help take our minds off the situation unfolding before us on a daily basis, one very special member of the Inspirations family finds herself with needle and thread in hand for an entirely different reason!

We know many of you are currently plying your talent to the projects featured in ‘Willing Hands | The Counted Thread Embroidery of Betsy Morgan’ and while you’re busy counting twice, stitching once and constructing carefully, Betsy finds herself stitching a long-awaited birth sampler.

Eli was born to Betsy’s daughter, Caitie, at 12:11am on 18 March in South Riding, Virginia USA. He came into the world weighing 8lbs 3oz and was 21.5 inches long.

While they’re currently all self-isolating at home, Betsy is enjoying every second she’s getting to spend with him and is so thankful to have this precious time with him. She’s even managing to squeeze in an hour or two of stitching each day while he naps!

Although Eli’s come into the world amidst a time of great uncertainty, we love that Betsy and Caitie have determined to take everything day by day and are relishing the uninterrupted time they’ve been given to spend with him in the all too often fleeting newborn days of a baby’s life.

We couldn’t be happier for you Betsy and can’t wait to see Eli’s birth sampler once it’s complete!

BTW, Betsy’s book Willing Hands is finally back in stock! After selling out of the first print run last year, copies of the second print run have now just arrived. Thank you to everyone who has been waiting patiently, your orders will be on their way to you shortly. If you’re yet to buy your copy, you can click below to place your order.

Back in All Stitched Up! issue #223, we met the young, nervous Katherine of Aragon as she waited on the beach, newly arrived from Spain and destined to become wife to a king.

We can only imagine what was going through her mind at the time, but one of her thoughts would probably have been about her ability to produce heirs for the British throne.

In terms of symbolism, the House of Aragon had adopted the pomegranate which was very apt in this situation. The pomegranate had long been a symbol of fertility, and when Katherine married Henry, Duke of York, soon to become Henry VIII, her symbol was combined with the Tudor Rose to celebrate the union.

Pins showing these two symbols were worn in the first years of Katherine and Henry’s marriage to display the bearer’s loyalty to the new King and Queen.

Cynthia Jackson’s Tudor Rose & Pomegranate is the latest project in our Handpicked collection and is a beautiful silk and goldwork rendition of this famous symbol that radiates a sense of hope, capturing a moment in time perfectly.

Cynthia’s trademark style is employed to perfection in this piece. The sinuous weaving of the stalks and leaves speaks to how strong Katherine and Henry’s union was at the beginning of their marriage. The focal points of the piece – the head of the rose and the golden pomegranate, shine from the frame, highlighted in metal thread and carefully worked in shimmering silk.

It is only up close that one can really appreciate the delicate curls standing proud from the centre of the rose, the chipping which gives the centre and top of the pomegranate its texture, and the hint of gold plate beneath the brick stitch on the leaves.

These fine details provide Tudor Rose & Pomegranate with a clever combination of subtlety and opulence – something that Cynthia Jackson is renowned for.

Tudor Rose & Pomegranate celebrates strength, love and hope. No matter what happened subsequently, one shouldn’t discount this meaning. In creating this project, we encourage you to think about the symbolism while enjoying every delicate stitch.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Tudor Rose & Pomegranate by Cynthia Jackson from our Handpicked collection features 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 Tudor Rose & Pomegranate includes everything* you need to re-create this superb study: Fabric (unprinted), silk & metal embroidery threads 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 printed/digital pattern.

Chatelaine by Susan O’Connor from Inspirations issue #89 is an elegant collection of scissor sheath, needle book and pinwheel featuring the Tudor rose.

Tudor Garden by Valerie Whitcombe from Inspirations issue #59 is a glorious Elizabethan inspired floral quilt.

The Golden Pomegranate by Margaret Cobleigh from Inspirations issue #61 is a stunning pomegranate, beautifully represented in this richly ornamented goldwork study.

Pomegranate & Rose by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #100 is a superb silk and goldwork design of flowing stems laden with fruit and flowers.

With all of our talk about hoops and frames recently, we thought it was the perfect time to let you know that we now have a full range of Nurge hoops back in stock.

Whether you are looking for a tiny, 4 inch, No. 1 hoop – just perfect for that stumpwork slip, or for a 12-inch No. 8 for that big project you’ve been itching to start, we’ve got them all.

Our hoops are 8mm in depth and are available in sizes 1 through to 8 inclusive.

So why not take the opportunity to grab one or two of these world class hoops, or better still, buy the whole set so that you’ll always have the right hoop for your project on hand.

There is no doubt technology makes things more convenient, but sometimes it’s still nice to do things the ‘old way’.

Stand-alone printed patterns are perfect if, like us, you want to keep your Inspirations magazine collection pristine, or if you want to gift an individual project to a friend, or if you were unfortunate enough to miss an issue and find that it is now out of print!

Plus, with our new range of Handpicked projects only available as individual patterns in print and digital, and more designs being released regularly, now is a great time to start your own collection of printed patterns.

All of our printed patterns are produced to the highest quality, with laminated covers, pull out pattern sheets and comprehensive step-by-step instructions for the featured design.

Click on the link below to take a look at our range of printed patterns now available.

What could be better than winning the prestigious Hand & Lock embroidery prize? How about winning it twice! That is exactly what talented embroiderer Hannah Mansfield has done, taking the Textile & Fibre Arts category in 2017 and now again in 2019.

The detail and work in these flowers take your breath away and it perfectly answers the 2019 theme of ‘Fool the Senses’.

You can’t help but be inspired by Hannah and her successes. The only question we ask is, what will she produce next?

Thanks again to our friends at Mr X-Stitch who brought this amazing embroiderer to our attention. You can read his article HERE.

In our opinion, art and needlework are one and the same thing. But we love it when designers draw on traditional art movements to inform their needlework and Trish Burr’s Tuscan Landscape does just that.

Cezanne was an artist whose use of bold colour and flattened perspective marked a break with Impressionism before him. His observation of nature and landscape highlighted the layering of colour and the demarcation between objects, something which translates beautifully into needle and thread.

In keeping with that style, Trish’s Tuscan Landscape is worked in rich, jewel-like colours which speak of the heat of a summer’s day. Yet each hill and each flower has a distinct border which serves to emphasise the overall perspective.

Subtle shading is used in each element and, as with all threadpainting, it is the combination of colour blending and stitch direction which gives such a painterly effect.

Tuscan Landscape draws you in. You can almost feel the soft summer breeze and the heat from the landscape, smell the lavender from the distant fields, and hear the sounds of birds twittering in the trees sitting snugly against the ancient farmhouse.

Whether you’ve been to Tuscany or daydream about one day visiting, Tuscan Landscape is both a beautiful memento and an inspirational project to stitch.

Tuscan Landscape by Trish Burr is an enchanting scene reproduced from an original painting.

Explore our complete range of Trish Burr Designer Kits by clicking below.

Another favourite subject for many stitchers is the animal kingdom. We’re consistently amazed at how beautiful the stitched animal portraits are that our readers send in. Each and every one of these projects displays such character and personality. Through each piece you can clearly see how much the stitcher has loved their subject.

‘My design of the macaw will be part of a larger piece for exhibition on the theme ‘local authors’ for the East Midlands Region of the Embroiderer's Guild in the UK.

It is embroidered on a silk mix fabric in DMC and Anchor stranded cottons.’

‘Then later, it became my grief therapy as my dad passed away and mom has begun a slow decline into dementia.

While some of them are just pretty pictures that I wanted to put to embroidery, many have special meaning as they remind me of God’s consistent, loving care for me even when life is hard.’

When life sends so much your way, it is wonderful to know that you’ve got your needlework to help you through. I am sure many of our readers can relate to your experience, Sandie. You’re never alone.

‘The minute I saw it, I knew I wanted to embroider it and Roby was so kind to give me permission. The painting is called On Point and is of a ring neck pheasant with a Brittany Spaniel gun dog.’

‘The second picture is a crested barbet, a local indigenous bird.’

Thank you for sending in pictures of your exquisite embroidery, Elza. The moment has been captured so perfectly in your work and I’m sure your friend must be very pleased in how well you’ve reproduced her painting.

‘I started learning crewelwork in November 2017. I had to step back from my business as an interior designer due to some serious medical issues and found myself with a lot of time on my hands.

‘I ordered my first kit from The Floss Box and was surprised at the result of my first try at crewel. The kit was of an adorable fox and I loved the bushy tail that I stitched with turkey stitch, although it did make me want to pull out my hair!

I watched tutorials on YouTube, read posts online and referred to several books. A friend who is a very talented needlepoint stitcher gave me this advice:

We’re so glad you discovered needlework Marianne and welcome to the stitching community! Your friend’s advice was excellent. We’ve all spent many hours unpicking, just to make sure things are right. Keep sending in your pictures, Marianne, as we would love to see your progress.

Have you recently completed any animal portraits? Or even human portraits? Whatever it is you’re stitching, we’d love to see it so email us at news@inspirationsstudios.com with photos and a story about your stitching journey.

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Rocket Man by Yvonne McMillan Betts is a cosy blanket for those with a sense of adventure and exploration.

Fairy Dreams by Yvonne McMillan Betts from Inspirations issue #98 is an enchanting blanket for cosy days shared with a fairy friend at her toadstool house.

Elephant Walk by Jenny McWhinney from Inspirations issue #58 features a delightful family of elephants wandering across a soft blue wool and cashmere blanket and matching white pillowcase.

Cupcake by Annette Drysdale from Inspirations issue #64 is a gorgeous blanket, bordered with twelve delicious cupcakes.

Blissful Beginnings features seven blankets and three bonus gift projects with each design presented with beautiful photography, clear and concise instructions for the embroidery and construction, and detailed diagrams.

~ Unknown ~

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.