Inspired by an email we received from Hannah Brencher, our welcome to All Stitched Up! issue #281 unpacked some thoughts about comparison.

We looked at some of the reasons comparison doesn’t serve us well, walked through a few of the steps Hannah has taken to swap comparison for productivity in her own life and encouraged us all to acknowledge that each step of our own needlework journey matters, as by doing our best we give others a reason to celebrate all that’s possible with their own needle and thread.

Since penning these words, another of Hannah’s emails brought a further antidote to comparison. It was titled with just three simple words.

Now admittedly, Hannah’s latest email unpacked her journey with body image rather than needle and thread, but when we read her words in light of our own stitching experience, her words rang ever true!

When we look at what we’ve achieved with needle and thread and somehow feel we’ve fallen short, Hannah has three simple questions we can ask ourselves that will help us figure out where our standard of ‘not enough’ comes from.

1. What standard am I striving to meet?
2. Who is the benchmark?
3. What must I accomplish before I give myself the title of enough?

Chances are the answers to these questions may well come from the comparisons we’ve made to the stitching of others.

But the truth is, not only are we enough, but what we create with needle and thread will always be enough. However, in order to believe that truth, Hannah reminded us that we must always treat ourselves with respect, dignity and kindness and that regardless of what goes wrong with the stitching before us, we will be kind to ourselves and gentle in our judgement of what we’ve achieved.

We need to remember that progress, not perfection is our goal and promise ourselves that we will show up to the needlework before us, whether we find ourselves full of confidence or riddled with apprehension. Hannah’s advice is to simply commit to the project ahead, be all in with each stitch that lays before us and to squash the lie that we aren’t enough for the task at hand.

It may be a struggle to begin with, and whilst true change takes time and commitment, if we stay the course, Hannah’s experience of feeling enough can too be ours.

In closing her email, Hannah asked us to take these words with us on our journey to enough: ‘You are ready. You are qualified for this moment. If you weren’t then you would not be here. The way towards deep and lasting change is small things on repeat. You are worth the fight.’

We like to think that the relationship we have with all of you is that of a good friend. Although we can’t physically sit down and have a cuppa, we can still have a weekly catch up via this newsletter and exchange thoughts, ask questions, share ideas or tips we’ve come across, just like face-to-face friends would.

Ordinarily, we receive responses in relation to articles we’ve written, but it is also lovely to hear your random musings as it makes us feel like we’ve just poured the tea and are settling in for a good old chat.

Pat Demharter, who is a regular community contributor, often finds herself wondering, as she stitches away, what it was that drew her to the piece she’s working on. Was it the design? The colours? The challenge? That led her to wonder why other people choose their projects, and why some of us are drawn to one thing but not to others.

Pat would love to hear about what inspires you to tackle any particular project or why you’re drawn to a particular design. It is sure to be different for everyone, but Pat believes we all have one thing in common:

That is something we can definitely get on board with!

If, like many of us, you find yourself with too many finished pieces and not enough walls, Sara Neal shared her solution. She says she finds immense joy in giving her finished pieces away. She has donated her art to hospitals, churches, elderly care centres and pre-schools, that now have her embroidery hanging on their walls. She gets a little burst of pleasure when she sees one of her pieces being displayed. She says it makes her feel just a little bit famous.

Sara also likes to make things to help others memorialise parts of their lives, whether joyful or sad. Sara’s dearest memory is when she gave an embroidered piece to a couple in honour of their stillborn daughter. We can only imagine how precious that moment must have been.

Sara’s advice is to always photograph your work so you can remember it and sign it before you give it away.

Do any of you regularly give away your work? If so, do you have any stories or moments that are particularly special? Or have you been anywhere and spotted your own work on display? If not, then perhaps Sara’s suggestion might be something to consider next time you’re scratching your head wondering where to hang your latest masterpiece.

Finally, there were a few thoughts about threading needles that have been sitting in our inbox for a while. The first came from Jean Manning who wanted to pass on a tip she discovered in a quilting magazine many years ago. The advice was to wet the thread and wet the needle eye, which should make the thread go through first time. Jean wondered whether it had something to do with static electricity, does anyone know?

Kay Dennis offered slightly different advice when it came to the endless problems of needles and how to thread them. She says to not lick the thread as it fluffs up the fibres, however she confirms that licking the eye of the needle instead causes friction which helps pull the thread through. We just ask that you make sure you’re licking the correct end!

Kay also pointed out that matching the thread to the eye will also help. In other words, if you’re using a sewing thread, which is round, it will go through a round sewing needle eye easier than an embroidery needle eye. Similarly, a flatter thread like stranded cotton or silk will go through the long eye of an embroidery needle with greater ease.

As most needles nowadays are ‘stamped’, the eye has a front and a back with the back being rougher and much harder to put a thread through. However, Kay did say that she loves using Tulip needles as they tend not to suffer from this problem.

It really doesn’t matter what thoughts or musings about our craft come to mind, make yourself comfortable, take a biscuit or two, and share it with us. We love ideas like these that help get the conversation going. Although, we’re pretty sure it’s unlikely that we’ll ever run out of things to say about this beautiful hobby of ours!

One of the best things about working with felt is that you can get projects finished quickly and the designs often have a unique ‘cuteness’ factor about them.

Following on from the popularity of the felting books we’ve been stocking of late, we now have some adorable kits available to help you get started on this fabulous technique.

Corinne Lapierre is famous for her felt designs and her super cute projects so it seems natural that she would produce kits as well. Her range of mini kits are a series of ornaments that are as suitable for Christmas as they are for decorating your home throughout the year.

We now have three mini kits available: a jolly gingerbread man with rick-rack trim; a robin red-breast finished with embroidered foliage; and a chubby little penguin cuddling his latest catch of fish.

All three kits include everything you need to make each character, including high quality wool-mix felt and all the templates and instructions required.

We suspect that once you’ve made these three, you’ll be looking around for more, so stay tuned as we’re pretty enthused about Corinne’s work too!

Are those unruly pins and needles still causing problems? Check out our range of premium quality Cohana Spool Holders that are sure to help you wrangle them back under control once and for all.

These stunning ceramic spool holders are magnetic so that your needles and pins stay put when you drop them in. They are also sturdy enough to stay upright whilst being small enough to fit neatly in your embroidery bag.

Available in a variety of colours, the Cohana Spool Holders are the perfect way to take charge of your needles and pins for good.

As the days get shorter at Inspirations HQ and we start heading towards winter, one thing we are noticing is the change of produce available to buy in the shops. Gone are the summer fruits, to be replaced by an array of apples in various colours and shapes. Their availability makes us think of cold nights, hot apple crumble and golden cider.

Thankfully apples are one of those versatile fruits that you can usually get at most times of the year. Who doesn’t enjoy a juicy, crunchy apple ice cold from the fridge on a hot day, or piping hot out of the oven, baked with cinnamon and brown sugar? Or best of all, stitched in wool threads and nestled in a bowl, guaranteed to remain ruby red for ever?

That’s what this month’s calendar project lets you do. Julie Kneidl’s ‘An Apple a Day’ from Inspirations issue #103 is a wonderful three-dimensional embroidery project that permanently captures the glorious colours and shape of the humble apple. The colour and texture of the fruit is achieved by long and short stitch worked using an array of autumnal colours over a felt and fibre-fill base.

But why stop at just one? If you make a bowlful of embroidered apples, you can fill your kitchen with cheer whilst being able to keep your real apples and eat them too. What more could you ask for?

Everyone knows that Margaret Lee is a superb designer, but she’s also an exquisite embroidery artist in her own right. If you happen to be lucky enough to be living in Sydney, Australia, you are about to get the opportunity to see just how fabulous she is at her solo exhibition ‘Enchanting Silk’.

The show is being opened next Thursday 3rd June at Gallery76 by Oliver Krischer, Deputy Director of the China Study Centre at the University of Sydney. Entry for the opening is free, however RSVP is essential.

The exhibition runs through until 1st July 2021 during which time Margaret will be teaching several workshops as well as giving a lecture entitled ‘More than Embroidery’ which traces the 5000 year history of this technique and its place in Chinese society.

Even if you can’t get to the opening, lecture or a workshop, a visit to the exhibition itself is essential. Margaret’s embroidered art is breathtaking, so make the most of this rare opportunity to see a collection of her work. For further details regarding the exhibition, click HERE.

It’s time for your monthly dose of social media inspiration. Here are our Stitching on Social recommendations for May:

@ouiannie.co: Charlotte Annie is an artist from Canada who is inspired by her landscape and does amazing things with low-count aida.

@artemarias: The dazzling woven mandalas produced by Brazilian artist, Maria Cristiane, are simply stunning.

@mary_textileart: Mary Jane Sneyd is a self-taught textile artist who creates unbelievably life-like portraits using fused collage.

@sewvintagebyjane: Jane is inspired by vintage fashion and creates wonderful handstitched pictures inspired by all kinds of retro and vintage images.

Don’t forget you can also enjoy our daily social media posts showcasing needlework designs, embroidery artists and other fabulous stitching centric musings. Follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram today, so you’ll never have to say that you haven’t got enough inspiration!

Our highlighted project this week from Inspirations issue #110 is the gorgeous Jacobean crewel cushion designed for us by The Weymss School of Needlework in Scotland. The design was inspired by a historical needlework fragment from Weymss Castle, and recreated in glorious shades of blue, burgundy and purple.

But the question you might be asking is what is The Weymss School of Needlework? Well… we’re glad you asked! Today we’ll share some of the history about this venerable organisation and what led them to contributing this fantastic design in Inspirations magazine.

The school was originally established in 1877 by Dora Wemyss, the eldest daughter of James Hay Erskine Wemyss of Wemyss Castle in Scotland. Dora had been inspired by the Royal School of Needlework in London that had been established not long before in 1872.

As such, she originally set the school up to help local girls learn a skill so they could gain employment and earn their own living.

At first, the girls who entered the school were daughters of local miners who undertook a 6-month apprenticeship. After that was complete, the girls could either head out to find work with their new needlework knowledge, or some were encouraged to remain at the school where they would transition to employees.

One of the reasons the school has remained so successful over the decades is thanks to the Mistresses who managed it. From the first Mistress, Mrs Jean Webster, through to Mary Birrell – great granddaughter of Jean, who finally retired after 42 years in 2011, these women have ensured that the school has run smoothly, and all of the students have left with exemplary needlework skills and knowledge.

Since 2012, the School has modernised and reinvented itself, increasing its range of kits, accessories and books as well as still offering classes. Now under the guardianship of Fiona Weymss, it also has a fantastic museum filled with textiles, historical documents and artefacts from the early days of the School.

It is with this background that you can gain a deeper appreciation of Jacobean Dream. The shape, design and colour of this elegant cushion are all derived from a fragment of a 17th Century crewel hanging that is in the museum at the Weymss School of Needlework.

The central flower, as well as the additional foliage, have been designed so that the embroiderer can try out a host of different stitches and techniques. Worked on traditional linen twill in a glorious palette of Appleton’s crewel wool, if you have never tried your hand at crewel embroidery before, you couldn’t choose a better project to start out with than this one.

Jacobean Dream is as much a sampler and exercise in learning new stitches as it is a project to be admired on completion. This fits perfectly with the whole ethos of the Weymss School, which has spent almost 140 years bringing together the beauty and pleasure of the needle arts with the practical aspects inherent in this special craft.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Jacobean Dream by The Wemyss School of Needlework is a striking cushion featuring crewel embroidery based on a 17th century crewel hanging.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Jacobean Dream includes everything* you need to re-create this charming cushion cover: 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 magazine/digital pattern.

Kit does not include cushion insert.

Circle of Life by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #79 is a captivating crewelwork cushion.

Autumn Gold by Phillipa Turnbull from Inspirations issue #40 is a charming crewel cushion featuring a selection of delightful flowers on elegantly arching stems, growing from three small hillocks.

Sweet Repose by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #107 is a beautiful crewel cushion with coordinating print cotton panels.

In Good Time by Di Kirchner from Inspirations issue #78 is an elegant crewelwork cushion ideal for beginners.

Since our last parade of floral beauties shown in What Are You Stitching? a few months ago, we’ve been steadily receiving more emails of floral wonders from our needlework community and getting them ready for our next showcase starting this week.

Flowers will always be a favourite subject for needlework, due to their colour, shape and endless variety. And there isn’t a technique we can think of that doesn’t use flowers, whether realistic or stylised, as a focus. We hope you enjoy this week’s display of stitched floral art.

‘Here is a photo of my Dancing Iris – it’s an original design of mine taken from a watercolour painting I did some years ago. I challenged myself to use only reds and greens which are complementary colours. And oh what a range of reds and greens I discovered! I am now working on another piece of the same Iris design, only this time in violets and blues.'

Amazing design, amazing colours and amazing stitching, Mary. You’ve amazed us in triplicate! We can’t wait to see the next Dancing Iris.

‘I love lobelias and enjoy seeing their bright colours dotted throughout my garden. I enjoyed stitching this L'ucello Needle Keep project using Pipers silks and Silk Mill silks. Now I have bright lobelia flowers all year round.’

Janet, these colours really are glorious. So bright and vivid, this needle keep really is a wonderful addition to your embroidery kit. We love it.

‘Here are two embroidery pieces I designed for the neckline of a top, worked with different stitches.’

‘When I was a child, I used to do craft work. Later in my twenties I started with small embroidery patterns. At that time I was busy trying to find my passion, so I attempted many different jobs. But while I did enjoy my work, I felt there was always something missing.’

‘I discussed this all with my aunt. I would look at what she was doing and feel very inspired. With her support, I finally set up my own small craft business where I create everything from folk painting and jewellery to embroidery. I love what I do, but the credit goes to my aunt. Her name is Santosh Dudha and I am proud to be her student forever.’

‘In early 1980, my aunt completed this cross-stitch piece, which she still has. Her zeal, enthusiasm, gentleness and patience have made her a marvellous teacher, a wonderful embroiderer and inspiration for many of us. I believe that:

The story of your stitching journey and your aunt’s important role in it is incredibly inspiring, Vani. You’re lucky to have such a wonderful mentor and friend. We’re thrilled to hear you started your own business and we wish you every success.

‘Here is a picture of the piece I just finished. The motif is borrowed from the bottom of a plate on display at the Gulbekian Museum in Lisbon, in a collection dedicated to Turkish pottery from the city of Iznik. It dates from the 16th century.’

‘I only started embroidery when I retired. I have discovered a wonderful world with so many traditions and so many techniques to learn. Needlework is a path to creativity and a perfect way to find peace of mind.’

This is a lovely finish in a gorgeous colour scheme, Evelyne. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you come to embroidery; the fact it gives you so much pleasure is all that counts and we’re so pleased to have you part of the Inspirations family.

Do you love stitching flowers? Do you love the colours and shapes? Do you find yourself drawn to floral patterns over and above all others? Or are there specific flowers that fill your heart with joy?

Whatever it is you like to stitch or whatever inspires you to pick up needle and thread, we’d love to hear about it. Send us pictures of your work and a bit of information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Lotus by Margaret Lee from our Handpicked Range is a stunning flower design in Japanese goldwork and 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 that includes detailed step-by-step diagrams, full descriptions of the techniques involved and fabulous photography.

Sen'nohana by Margaret Lee from the book A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery is an elegant, hard-shell bag, richly embellished with Japanese-style bead embroidery.

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

Sakura by Margaret Lee from Inspirations issue #105 is a delightful, beaded purse featuring a cherry blossom.

~ Jenny Layton ~

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.