When you think of fairy godmothers, chances are the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella or Glinda from The Wizard of Oz come to mind. Now, whilst Glinda is, technically speaking, a good witch rather than a fairy godmother, we’re overlooking those semantics for the point of our story!

A fairy godmother is the epitome of hope, devoted to nothing more than making the dreams of the pure-hearted possible, and in the case of Cinderella, all with a simple ‘bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’.

Whilst we started dreaming of sinks no longer filled with dirty dishes, pantries filling themselves with groceries and laundries empty of the washing they once held, our thoughts quickly wandered to the transferring of intricate patterns onto fabric, hand stitching binding onto quilts and those UFO’s that require just a ‘little something’ to make all our dreams with needle and thread come true.

After posting the above image on Instagram recently, it turns out it was a fifty-fifty split between how much room our needles and threads had for some ‘bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’. Dima was worried that it would take all the fun out of her stitching while Joy realised that a fairy godmother was the only way she was going to see all her projects come to fruition in her lifetime.

What about you? Whilst you may not want all your projects completed, is there a particular aspect of your time with needle and thread you’d happily outsource should a fairy godmother ever come your way? Email news@inspirationsstudios.com with how you’d put a little ‘bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’ of your own to good use - we can’t wait to share in the magic of your fairy godmother dreams!

In Australia and the UK, when you use the term ‘tapestry,’ you may be referring to the embroidery technique of working tent stitch or basketweave stitch on a printed, stiff, open weave canvas. This technique is generally worked in wool and originated out of the tradition of Berlin wool work from the 19th Century.

In North America and other parts of the world, this technique is called needlepoint, although the terms ‘tapestry’ and ‘needlepoint’ are now regarded as interchangeable by many.

Traditionally, tapestry is something quite different. It actually describes the enormous and intricately woven wall hangings that grace the walls of palaces across Europe, both in the past and present. For anyone who has ever toured a European chateau, castle or stately home, you may have marvelled over these historical wall hangings and wondered how they were created.

Tapestries are woven textiles made by weaving colourful weft threads through long, plain warp threads.

Traditional tapestries were woven on a loom with the vertical warp threads stretched tightly between the bars. The image was then formed by weaving blocks of colour with the weft fibres. To achieve the minute colour changes, these fibres don’t go all the way from one side to the other, as in cloth weaving. Rather they are ‘discontinuous weft’ threads which are tied off each time.

As you can imagine, the process is incredibly labour intensive. It has been said that for a tapestry weaver to create one square metre of coarse tapestry, they could be looking at a month’s work. Now, just translate that to a fine tapestry, and then bring to mind the size and detail of some of the exquisite works which still hang, carefully protected, in European palaces and museums.

In a high-quality tapestry, the warp threads are completely invisible. This is achieved by ‘beating down’ the weft threads so firmly that they become visible on both sides of the finished piece, hiding the warp threads completely. This meant tapestries were two-sided and allowed the artisans to do their weaving from the back of the piece. Working in teams, they usually worked from a picture or cartoon, using a mirror image of it in order to get the details correct.

Although wool was often used for both the warp and the weft threads, other fibres were incorporated in the creation of the image, including silk, cotton and rich metallics such as gold and silver threads. You wouldn’t want to make a mistake!

With all of the different threads, the weight of a completed tapestry would be immense. The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries, which now live at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, were each over 3 metres (approx. 10 feet) wide with ‘Falconry’ measuring in at a gargantuan 4.5m (approx. 15 feet) tall and over 10 metres (approx. 33 feet) wide! One can only imagine the size of the room needed to weave it, not to mention the huge task of transporting such a behemoth once completed.

The sheer size and cost of tapestries ensured that they were a powerful status symbol. While they had the practical purpose of keeping out draughts and keeping the warmth in, especially during the cold winters experienced in many parts of Europe, they also indicated the position of the owner in a very obvious way.

And better still, unlike many other symbols of wealth, their portability and their practicality meant that when a court moved, the tapestries could be rolled up and moved with them, ready to be hung for all to admire in a new palace or home.

If you’re curious as to why the term ‘tapestry’ has been appropriated to refer to needlepoint, it seems that the desire to re-create the exquisite designs of traditional woven tapestries meant designers became creative. Weaving on a loom wasn’t practical for the average person, but the needlepoint style introduced a way to reproduce the imagery using an easily accessible method. As a result, the word became synonymous for both styles.

However, if you really want to understand what a tapestry is and to appreciate the time, care and skill involved, then try sitting down in front of a traditional tapestry. While you’re visually picking out each weft thread and seeing how it serves to make up the image, just imagine the weaver, carefully choosing the colour, identifying how many warp threads they needed to traverse to get the precise detail, and then carefully adding that thread to the piece.

The patience involved was immense, and the results are undoubtedly spectacular.

When visiting a museum of natural history, many of us are fascinated by the exhibits of butterflies, pinned for eternity into glass covered display boxes. Many seem like they might take off, the brilliant colours of their wings flashing in the light. Butterflies are objects of natural beauty which are so fragile and yet so glorious, it is little wonder we want to preserve them to admire.

Luckily, as embroiderers we don’t need to capture live specimens. Using needle and thread, we can easily recreate the magic of the lepidopteran world, and the November project featured in the Inspirations calendar is the perfect place to start.

Papillon, designed by Rosemary Frezza, appeared way back in Inspirations issue #26. This exquisite stumpwork piece features six gloriously coloured butterflies resting proudly on a pure silk background, their wings splayed for maximum effect. So lifelike are the butterflies in this design, one can easily see this project right at home in a museum.

Papillon is worked in shimmering rayon and metallic thread, highlighted with glass beads and carefully stitched for maximum realism. Capture your very own Victorian butterfly display without a single insect being harmed, by stitching this unique and magnificent project.

We’re all dreaming of a white Christmas, even though for many of us – Northern and Southern hemispheres alike – it’s often unlikely to happen!

This third release in our latest series of gift packs is just right for anyone who adores the work of Deborah Love, or is inspired by the pure beauty of white-on-white embroidery.

It makes an ideal gift for a whitework-loving friend or even better, the perfect gift for yourself. The Wonderful Whitework Gift Pack includes:

1 x Ready-To-Stitch Kit for the project ‘Field of Flowers’ by Deborah Love
1 x Printed Pattern with instructions to complete the kit
1 x Book ‘Whitework Inspirations’
1 x Hardanger Scissors
1 x Nurge Embroidery Hoop | Size 2 (5”) required to complete the project

Ordinarily, to purchase all of these goodies separately you’d be looking at over AU$160. However, you can purchase this beautiful pack for just AU$110. But we recommend getting your orders in quickly. Whitework embroidery is incredibly popular and we only have a limited number of packs available, so ensure you have a white Christmas this year with the Wonderful Whitework Gift Pack.

You can also browse our range of other gift packs by clicking the link below.

Every now and then some truly innovative products arrive in the needlework world. These are variations on tools which we all know and love, but improved to such an extent, we can’t help but wonder how we did without them.

The Wonder Grip and Thimble makes the sometimes difficult task of working with a thimble easy. How often have we had a thimble on our finger, but found ourselves losing our grip on our thread, our needle as we pull it through, or the thimble itself? This clever item solves that problem.

With a silicone thimble on one end, and a handy finger cap on the other, you’ll be able to grip perfectly without anything slipping through your fingers. Designed to remain on your fingers and to allow for hassle free manipulation, you’ll soon relegate your old thimbles to the antiques cabinet.

The Double Ended Seam Ripper does just what it says on the tin – it offers you two sizes of seam ripper; a fine end for cotton and fine thread and a larger end for heavier seams and threads. The Seam Ripper is cleverly designed so that only one sharp end will be exposed at any one time, and, when you’ve completed your unpicking, both ends are safely tucked away to maintain their sharpness and ensure that nothing untoward is ripped!

With innovative new tools such as these now available, one wonders how long it will be before their traditional cousins are relegated to the display cabinet! Click below to purchase online from our website now.

For mixed media artist, Ava Roth, stitching with bees means asking bees to be collaborators in her artistic process.

Ava, concerned about the destruction of bee colonies, creates unusual hoop art using natural materials such as horse hair, porcupine quills and bark, as well as fabric and beads. She then places her hoop inside a frame which is inserted into a bee hive. This is where the magic begins, as the bees build their honeycombs around the pieces, adding to the works in mysterious and beautiful ways.

Who would have thought that asking the natural world to collaborate in one’s textile art could be so fruitful, or so exquisitely sublime?

To see more of Ava’s work, you can follow her on Instagram @avarothart or to read more about her and her work vist her website.

When you’re asked to think about Christmas, what comes to mind? Is it family dinners with all the trimmings? Is it the sparkling Christmas tree surrounded by gifts? Or is it the sound of Christmas carols emanating from every shop, radio and TV, evoking that wonderful feeling so unique to the season?

Music has an amazing ability to stimulate memory and emotion which could be one of the reasons why Christmas carols are so popular and have such a strong association with the season.

As Christmas became universally celebrated in many parts of the world, singing soon became associated with the celebration. It is believed that the first Christmas carol was called ‘Angel’s Hymn’ and was sung at a Christmas service in Rome in 129AD.

The style of carols we enjoy today started to develop between the 14th and 16th Centuries, with the sentimental Victorians granting us the wonderful array of carols we still sing each and every year.

Indeed, the much-loved carol service was instigated by Edward White Benson in Truro in 1880. Around the same time, the tradition of roaming carol singers became widespread and the singing of Christmas carols became a fundamental part of the Christmas celebrations.

Today, we enjoy a wide range of carols, from the traditional ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman’, purportedly originating in the Middle Ages, through to the jolly ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ first performed by Brenda Lee in 1958.

O Tannenbaum was originally not a Christmas song at all. Derived from a traditional German folk song, it referred to the constancy of the evergreen fir tree in contrast to an unfaithful lover. However, when the fir tree became an iconic symbol of Christmas, the song developed its lasting association as a much-loved Christmas carol.

One of the joys of Christmas in the 21st Century is the merging of the traditional with the modern. We send pictures of our traditional Christmas meal to our friends via text and we set our ringtone to a 200-year-old Christmas tune just for the season.

And we embroiderers can do even more, by stitching a wonderfully modern interpretation of a traditional Christmas symbol. Trish Burr, who is known for her gorgeous take on whitework by adding perfect splashes of colour to a highly traditional technique, has created O, Tannenbaum; recalling the beloved, centuries old carol in her clean, modern and truly stunning design.

This striking project from Inspirations issue #108 is worked using satin stitch, split stitch, trellis couching and subtly shaded long and short stitch. Trish has blended delicate shades of blue with brilliant whites and festive golds, creating a glorious Christmas tree with echoes of the Scandinavian tradition throughout.

The branches are formed from sinuous shapes, flowers, hearts and two elegant birds in perfect symmetry, topped with a Christmas star that leaves no doubt as to what this is, despite the use of colours and motifs not traditionally associated with Christmas.

Trish’s designs are always popular and each one she produces rapidly becomes a firm favourite. O, Tannenbaum is guaranteed to join that ‘tradition’.

Put on some Christmas carols in the background as you stitch this glorious piece and once finished may O, Tannenbaum bring joy and peace to you and your household each and every time you put it on display to celebrate the magnificent time of year that is Christmas.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

O, Tannenbaum by Trish Burr is a Scandinavian-inspired Christmas tree using an elegant palette of white, blue and gold.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for O, Tannenbaum includes everything* you need to re-create this beautiful tree: Fabric (unprinted), embroidery threads and needle.

Due to popular demand O, Tannenbaum kits are currently sold out. The good news is that more stock is on its way. The not so good news is that due to sourcing lead times and current delivery delays there is an expected wait of 6-8 weeks. Thank you for your patience.

*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.

Prancer by Trish Burr from Inspirations issue #88 is a contemporary whitework portrait of a stylish reindeer.

Shades of Christmas by Trish Burr from Inspirations issue #92 is a gorgeous wreath made up of seasonal decorations, stitched using whitework techniques with Christmas colours.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree by Trish Burr from Inspirations issue #96 is a graceful bird perched on a branch with a sprig of holly and the prescribed pear.

An exclusive range of Trish Burr designs are also available as Ready-to-Stitch kits. Complete with pre-printed fabric and everything you need to re-create each magnificent piece, these kits also come with printed instructions.

It is time to celebrate Trish Burr yet again. The fact we do this regularly is an indicator of how popular Trish’s designs are, and how many of us love stitching them. Thank goodness Trish continues to produce gorgeous design after gorgeous design, ensuring that we’ll all be kept busy for years to come!

‘My re-kindled embroidery inspiration was Trish Burr with her book Whitework with Colour.’

‘I was born in South Wales in the 1940s and, as a small child, would plague my mother until she gave in to take me to the village shop for an embroidery ‘transfer’. Usually a crinoline lady in a garden, I would proceed to iron it on to every corner of linen my mother would give me until it was so pale it was no longer any use!

I only knew how to do lazy daisy, satin and stem stitches. As the years went by, I learned dressmaking then, over the last 20 years, became hooked on patchwork and quilting.’

‘Finding Trish Burr’s book was a revelation to me. I have stitched quite a few designs from the book and I feel quite precious about them as I put so much of ‘me’ into each piece.’

Thank you for sharing such a lovely story and a wonderful piece of embroidery, Dorothy. We hope you keep enjoying Trish’s designs for many years to come.

‘Here is my latest goldwork piece. Trish Burr kindly gave me permission to use her design of ‘Giraffe with Barbara Streisand Eyes’. She requested a photo when I was finished, which I sent and she seemed pleased with the result.’

‘I have been fortunate to have the guidance of two amazing teachers; Alison Cole who taught me the art of goldwork and Trish Burr who taught me not only stitching skills, but how to reach beyond what you think you are capable of.’

‘This is the first time I have taken a pattern and turned it into my own goldwork design. I thank both Alison and Trish for ‘leaving a trail for me to follow’.’

We are very lucky to have such inspiring designers and teachers to follow, aren’t we, Louise? Your interpretation of Trish’s giraffe is magnificent.

‘My favourite embroidery has been the designs from Trish Burr's Whitework with Colour.’

‘I thought I would make the pieces I worked from it into a quilted wall hanging. I feel this is less successful than a bed quilt, but I am proud of the work.’

Knowing how much work goes into each one of these pieces, we can’t help but be amazed by your incredible finished project, Susan. Such a wonderful achievement.

Do you keep going back to Trish and her fabulous designs? Or are you a devotee of another of our amazing Inspirations contributors? Perhaps you love the work of another designer altogether? Or maybe you’re fortunate enough to have the skills to design pieces for yourself?

Whatever the case, we’d love to see your work. Send photos and a little bit about your stitching journey and the project itself to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Relax! by Deborah Love is a pretty, scented sachet or eye pillow embellished with Deerfield embroidery.

White Linen by Deborah Love from A Passion for Needlework 1 is an elegant white linen cushion with Schwalm tulips.

Symphony in Blue by Deborah Love from Inspirations issue #72 is a stylish Deerfield embroidered cushion, perfect for any home.

Hidden Delights by Deborah Love from Inspirations issue #93 is an enchanting Schwalm embroidery featuring a songbird framed by a heart.

Fallahi by Deborah Love from Inspirations issue #72 is tasselled pincushion inspired by the embroidered cover of a Palestinian kohl container from the mid nineteenth century.

~ Jeanette Winterson ~

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.