A recent email from Hannah Brencher got us thinking.

In her email, Hannah unpacked the idea that each of us have a role to play in the stories of other people.

Whilst COVID-19 has presented many a challenge, it has also bestowed upon us the gift of time. Many of us have relished this gift and pursued needle and thread like never before, with the introverts among us also settling into the idea of never having to leave the house again!

But Hannah challenged us with one simple thought.

Sometimes it’s hard to up look from our stitching and outside ourselves amidst the chaos that still surrounds us, but what if we took a moment to, is there someone we need to show up for?

Sure, it may have been easier to show up for other people when life was ‘normal’, but how do we show up, encourage or cheer on those around us as we find our new normal going forward?

For each of us this will look a little different depending on who our people are and what gathering restrictions are currently in place where we live. But no matter what, there’ll always be a way for us to play our part in the stories of others. It’s simply about taking our thoughts and putting them into action – an email, phone call or handwritten note may be all it takes until we can go the extra mile in person once again.

It takes a village to continually fight forward in life, and each of us are a part of someone else’s community and they need us to play our part in their story so they can keep writing the pages they have before them. Who can you show up for today?

After navigating our way through the upheaval of 2020 and arriving where we are today, at the beginning of 2021, the journey between there and here has seen almost all of us experience change in some way or another.

The difficulties encountered last year have encouraged us to revisit a topic which has been addressed many times before, but due to its significance is absolutely worth re-visiting. That is the subject of stitching and mental health.

Words such as ‘mindfulness’ and ‘stress-reduction’ get tossed around frequently and with good reason. However, what is curious about the links between stitching and good mental health is how often the benefits can seem contradictory.

Clare Hunter, community textile artist and author of Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle, noted how sewing always offered her a measure of privacy. She grew up in a large family with lots of noise and not a lot of opportunity for individuality and self-reflection. When she could focus on her sewing, she achieved a form of private pleasure which was hers alone, despite what was going on around her.

However, in contrast, many stitchers see the value of their craft coming from the sense of community and togetherness it brings. This was brought into stark relief over the course of the past year when so many people were unable to meet with their stitching groups or guilds or were physically separated from their stitching friends.

Nevertheless, the sense of community still came out through the magic of the internet, whether through online groups, shared videos, social media or the ubiquitous Zoom calls. The sense of togetherness did not disappear. In fact, it might even have grown stronger with communities expanding thanks to the globalised nature of the internet.

A further benefit of stitching, tied up with the popular notion of mindfulness, comes from the focused contemplation arising out of methodical repetition. From mastering running stitch, through to the calming movement involved in knitting or crochet, or even the wonderful simplicity of forming coloured crosses on squared fabric, repetition encourages the stitcher to be in the ‘now’ in a way akin to watching the waves on a shoreline.

Nevertheless, the sense of achievement that comes from mastering a complex stitch, design or technique has also been shown to increase self-esteem. Trying something new, particularly something which has always seemed too difficult, can have huge benefits to confidence, self-image and self-acceptance.

Many of the stitchers who came to the craft through the charity Fine Cell Work during their incarceration, attest to the sense of achievement they gained from learning how to thread a needle, master a stitch or complete a project. Stretching themselves beyond their comfort zones was key to reaping lasting benefits.

Finally, the idea of stress-reduction is often entwined with the need for peace in a world overtaken by noise, demands and endless distraction. There is no noise when a thread pulls through the fabric.

A stitch makes very few demands on us, and there are few distractions which will pull us away from the simple joy of working in our favoured medium. As a result, many stitchers associate their craft with a sense of quiet they can’t achieve anywhere else.

For some, rather than craving silence, they benefit from expression – occasionally loud and strident but always heartfelt. Groups like the Profanity Embroidery Group in Whitstable in the UK formed, based on their common belief that swearing is beneficial for them, loudly in fact using their needle and thread, for them to come to terms with the difficulties of life, and express themselves in new and powerful ways.

Stitching, knitting, quilting, crocheting, weaving and sewing have all been shown to provide profound benefits to the mental health of the people who do them. There is no need for perfection, no need for judgement and no need for the approval of others.

Although the benefits which come out of practicing a craft may differ and vary in scope for everyone, what remains undeniable is just how good it is.

2020 demonstrated first-hand the very tangible link between stitching and maintaining positive mental health. So much so, we’re confident the lessons we all learned will endure well into the future and serve to better prepare us for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Whether you reside in the countryside or an urban environment, there is always the opportunity to appreciate the subtle beauty of nature. From the smallest indoor plant to an untouched wilderness teeming with birds and insects, the natural world provides both solace and inspiration.

Plants, animals, birds and insects are all represented in this fantastic issue, beginning with Emillie Ferris’s pastel Helena Gum Moth adorning the front cover, worked in long and short stitch to perfectly re-create this decorative species.

More stunning natural beauty awaits in Helen M. Stevens’s Aetna’s Bouquet, a characteristic botanical study in silk.

Bird lovers will adore Trish Burr’s plump Australian rose robin, perched on a brilliant pink magnolia. They’ll also be dazzled by Brenda Sortwell’s ornate bird, Arcadia, worked in traditional Jacobean crewel style.

Jenny McWhinney’s latest project is sure to charm. Hello Possum! is a fabulous blanket decorated with the cutest little possum you could imagine, cheekily hanging from the branches of a flowering gum tree.

Or for more flowers, you can work Philippa Todd’s simple, elegant three-dimensional poppy designed specifically to be worn as a stunning brooch.

Nature isn’t just representative, and the final two projects show how nature can inspire patterns as much as it inspires subjects and colours.

Kim Beamish’s Hardanger table mat is an intricate project worked in a much-loved traditional technique. And Mike Parr has created a beautiful, historical monogram, inspired by the Magna Carta and decorating a handy needlebook and scissor fob.

The call of nature will beckon loudly the minute you open the pages of Inspirations issue #109. Whichever project you start with, you’re guaranteed to find that precious connection between the natural world and your needle and thread.

To help you answer the call of nature, our kit team has miraculously not only sourced and ordered every thread, fabric, bead and needle you’ll need to re-create these projects, they even had everything arrive just in time to assemble the kits and have them available for sale right when the magazine is released – which is now!

See something you like? With needlework supplies limited, ensure you place your kit orders sooner than later to avoid disappointment.

If nature’s call is just too strong and you can’t even wait to get your hands on the magazine before you start one of the fabulous designs in issue #109, you’ll be pleased to learn that all of the projects are available for immediate purchase as a digital pattern to download. Don’t resist the call!

For our team here at Inspirations, out of all the amazing projects we get to work on, one of our absolute favourites is hosting the needlework convention Beating Around the Bush.

After all, who among us wouldn’t relish eight days and nights with 20 or so of the world’s most accomplished and talented designers and hundreds of ardent needlework fans from all over the globe, all in one place enjoying the time of our needlework lives?

With registration for our 2021 event originally scheduled to open in a few days’ time, we have been carefully monitoring COVID-19 developments worldwide.

As you will all be aware, this pandemic continues to adversely affect many of our day-to-day activities and, while we all wait patiently for the vaccine to help curtail the spread, there is no way of predicting when or where the next hotspot may break out.

With international and state borders prone to frequent closures, mandatory 14-day quarantine periods for travellers in effect regularly and flights cancelled and rescheduled daily, the impact these variables have on planning an international event such as Beating Around the Bush is significant and ultimately untenable.

In light of this announcement, our team will now begin the process of putting together a new catalogue for 2022 scheduled for release in September this year, with the dates for the 2022 event slated for the 5th to 12th October.

Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in attending Beating Around the Bush. We’re truly sorry that once again we are unable to proceed, however, we remain committed to hosting the event as soon as it’s safe and practical to do so. We look forward to seeing you then!

Kristian & Andrea
Inspirations Studios

Isn’t it amazing how some designers seem to have a natural eye for colour? How do they know which threads to put together to create such harmonious combinations?

Stitch Palettes offers a huge range of colour palettes for embroidery, using DMC colour numbers to make things easier.

You can sign up to their newsletter to receive weekly colour matching inspiration, and you can browse through their enormous library of beautiful palettes.

There is even a tool for you to create your own palette using any DMC colour number. You’ll be delivered a huge number of possible combinations based on shades, complimentary colours and the position of the colour on the colour wheel.

You’ll never doubt your ability to select colours again with this handy website at your fingertips. Check out all of the fabulous colours at the Stitch Palettes website HERE.

The creation of decorative art has a long history, however due to the ravages of time, not a great deal of it has survived for us to admire today.

Although we can be sure that our ancient ancestors were probably as eager to decorate their clothing, bodies, dwellings and places of worship then as we are today, for much of it we can only speculate as to what it may have looked like or what form it took.

However, we are fortunate that one particular form of decorative art, the art of ceramics, was so durable.

It is no wonder that ceramic tiles remain such a fantastic source of inspiration, as thanks to the manufacturing processes, the colours and designs often remain as vivid today as they were when they were first fired.

Decorative ceramic tiles have been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and over the centuries they have been used to decorate walls, cover floors and adorn buildings both inside and out. From the Islamic world through to the Industrial Revolution, decorative tiles have provided a medium for artists to express their ideas and beliefs in a stunning, durable way.

The first two projects in Margaret Light’s book ‘A Fine Tradition’ draw on the art of the decorative tile. The first, entitled Iznik Tile, is inspired by tiles from the inside of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. Dating from the mid 16th century, most of the tiles still remaining in the palace display floral designs in blues, greens and a beautiful, deep iron-red.

Margaret’s design displays an elegant symmetry and pleasing, curved lines. Her floral design is worked mainly in deep blues and greens with the perfect amount of eye-catching coppery-red to really make an impact.

She employs an array of stitches to provide a magnificent variation in texture, offering a depth to the design which could never have been fully realized in the ceramic original. Her stylised tulips, carnations and hyacinths sit proud in the sinuous vase resulting in a piece which will be just as striking on a cosy mantlepiece as it would be on a palace wall.

Shifting countries, periods and styles, the second project is a Delft tile inspired by Delftware from the Netherlands which had its heyday among Dutch and Flemish potters during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Adorning the tile is a representation of a blue and white Delft pottery fruit bowl. Bursting from the bowl is a cornucopia of pears, cherries and figs, all worked in a delicious array of colours and stitches with no two fruits sharing the same texture or design.

The original tiles were often produced to decorate hearths and stoves in European households, so this project would look perfect hanging in a country kitchen or a cosy living area.

There is no end of inspiration to be found in historic decorative ceramics and, in the hands of a master designer such as Margaret Light, these tile projects are simply sublime.

You’ll find enjoyment from the minute you thread your needle until the final stitch in both of these projects, which together, form the perfect pair.

They may cross cultures and countries but together, they demonstrate the beauty of the decorative arts no matter the origin.

In celebration of the launch of renowned Australian needle artisan Margaret Light’s first ever book ‘A Fine Tradition’, we will be releasing all the projects featured as Ready-to-Stitch kits.

With a total of 12 designs scheduled to become available, we’re thrilled to announce that the first 7 are out now.

Stay tuned to All Stitched Up! for updates as more kits from A Fine Tradition become available.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Delft Tile by Margaret Light from the book A Fine Tradition features a fruit bowl laden with pears, figs and cherries, inspired by 17th century Delft tiles.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Delft Tile includes everything* you need to re-create this stunning tile: Fabric (unprinted), embroidery threads and needles.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Iznik Tile by Margaret Light from the book A Fine Tradition features tulips, carnations and hyacinths in a vase reflecting Islamic decorative arts.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Iznik Tile includes everything* you need to re-create this stunning tile: Fabric (unprinted), 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 book.

Spring Delight by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #91 is a beautiful dogwood wreath stitched with crewel wools on linen twill.

Forget-me-not by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #38 is a dainty blanket featuring pretty sprays of forget-me-nots.

Trés Belle by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #84 is a zippered oval linen pouch with elegant embroidery.

Strawberry Fields by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #42 is a charming needlecase featuring strawberry stems that softly entwine to form a delicate heart.

The Jacobean style of embroidery has been something of a staple for our What Are You Stitching? segment. The truth is, just as you can’t get enough of stitching it, we can’t get enough of admiring it. It is always gratifying to see new projects come in which use the style so beautifully and in so many different ways. This week we’re going to spoil you with three more fabulous Jacobean style projects to delight and inspire you.

‘Here is my finished piece of the design Sweet Repose by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #107. I loved it! Some stitches I knew and some I learned for the first time.’

‘I must compliment my friend and former member of my EGA Chapter, Susan MacRae. She advised, taught, critiqued and encouraged me as we worked the design together, but from our own homes. Thank you, Susan!’

This is a perfect example of working together even when forced to be apart, Jeanne. Your finish is fantastic. Both you and Susan are to be congratulated.

‘Here is a chair I embroidered a little while ago. I used Appleton’s crewel wool on a GP&J Baker furnishing fabric inspired by an Erica Wilson design.’

‘I hand drew it onto the fabric with a pencil and when it came to colour I had to wing it by using whatever I had in my wool box!’

Wow - what a spectacular project, Anna! Although we’re not sure we’d be allowing anyone to sit in such a beautifully embroidered chair, no doubt this piece lights up any room it graces.

‘I thought you might like to see another interpretation of Midnight Meander by Hazel Blomkamp. I did enjoy seeing the other two interpretations in All Stitched Up! issue #247. It took me a while to finish this design, but I am very pleased with it.’

We absolutely love seeing all the different interpretations of these designs. It just goes to show that no two embroiderers are alike, just as no two finished projects are alike. Well done, Rita you have created a beautiful piece with such refined and precise stitching.

Do you love the Jacobean style? Or is it simply the wools that make your heart sing? Do you like interpreting designs and making them your own? Or do you get the most pleasure out of following the instructions carefully to produce a piece just as the designer intended?

We don’t really mind what you stitch or how you like to do it, we want to see it! Send a picture of your work and a bit of information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Woodland Floor by Helen M. Stevens from the book A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery is an enchanting woodland scene captured using lustrous filament silk threads.

Crocus sativus by Lesley Turpin-Delport from Inspirations issue #83 is a detailed botanical study of the saffron crocus inspired by Redouté.

Leucadendron by Gary Clarke from Inspirations issue #105 is a dimensional botanical embroidery worked on organza.

Bauhinia by Nikki Delport-Wepener from Inspirations issue #75 is a superb botanical study of the elegant bauhinia, with its distinctly lobed leaves and graceful flowers.

~ Mandy Hale ~

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.