In All Stitched Up! issue #283 we talked about wasting less. However, this week we’re going to unpack the idea of wasting more, well kind of anyway!

In a recent email from DO Lectures they pointed us in the direction of an article by Diana Kwon that looked at how we often limit our creativity by adding to a design rather than removing existing elements. The article explored the idea that when faced with improving something, many of us tend to add something to it, rather than exploring the benefit of removing something from it.

Think learning to ride a bicycle where the traditional method typically involved adding training wheels. Whereas today, many parents have opted to use balance bikes, which are pedal-less two wheelers that allow children to develop the coordination required for riding a bicycle. A skill, it turns out, that’s not easily acquired with an extra set of wheels.

After numerous studies, it came down to the simple fact that, ‘additive solutions tend to come to mind quickly and easily’ where as ‘subtractive solutions take more effort to find.’

After reading the article it rang especially true in our time with needle and thread. When faced with considering whether a design or stitched piece is complete, we often find ourselves working out what we can add to it - whether it be another colour, element or stitch - rarely do we find ourselves editing what is and seeing if there’s anything we can subtract.

Obviously, subtraction is far easier at the design stage, rather than by removing the stitches we’ve carefully worked, but the concept remains none the less!

Next time we’re faced with ‘improving’ the needlework before us, perhaps the ideas explored in Diana’s article will encourage us to subtract rather than add and we’ll find that by wasting more through the art of subtraction, we’ll actually add to what we’ve created.

In All Stitched Up! issue #281 we addressed the difficult issue of comparisons. No matter how much we try not to, it is very difficult to avoid comparing ourselves to others. Even the most accomplished stitchers will see the work of others and quietly compare their own output, often unfavourably, giving credence to the truism that we are our own worst critics.

Furthermore, for all of the wonderful aspects of the internet, including the camaraderie and community that comes out of it, it can sometimes have a sting in its tail. We’re definitely not the only ones who have seen beautiful work online and, whilst we applaud and congratulate it, can’t help but hear that little voice which tells us that our work could never be that good. Before social media it would happen, but less frequently. Now it can happen day and night, with little more than a glance at our phone or computer.

A couple of our readers responded to our article with some important wisdom. Hazel Francis agreed that we often compare ourselves to others and pointed out how that had probably increased during COVID with everyone moving online in order to share their passion. But she also agrees that our stitching reflects who we are; our personalities; our skills; and the kinds of designs we love.

Hazel makes the point that we can be inspired by others, but we should still find joy in our own style and not seek to make comparisons. You’re so right, Hazel. We all know it isn’t easy, but it is something we should strive for.

Lalah wrote to us as well, and we suspect her words echo many other stitchers out there. They certainly resonated here. She said that she has been embroidering for many years but has never felt that her work is as good as other people’s. But, after reading All Stitched Up! issue #281, she is now inspired to send us pictures and was grateful for the encouragement. We are looking forward to receiving them, and pictures from other stitchers out there who have suffered the same self-doubt. Everyone’s work is beautiful in its own right and we love celebrating all of it.

In the same issue we highlighted Mia Hansson who was single-handedly recreating the Bayeux Tapestry.

We were amazed to see that Mia isn’t the first stitcher to take on this gargantuan task. We’re grateful to Lolly Challice who drew our attention to Ray Dugan who also re-created the Tapestry. Lolly was lucky enough to hear Ray speak about his journey and directed us to his website HERE where you can read about his amazing work.

Not every stitcher has been courageous enough to take on the entire Tapestry, but there have been stitchers who have tackled at least a panel. Gail Haidon is one of those people. She said it took her 12 years, on and off, to complete her panel. You can read about her journey HERE, and see her work in the photos, but she was amused by the fact that Mia enjoyed stitching the horses. Gail decided that after the first one or two, she was completely over them.

Finally, Hazel also shared that she had been lucky enough to see the original Tapestry in France, only to discover another replica in Reading, UK, where she was living at the time. This one was created in the 1800’s by an embroiderer who was married to a wool merchant. He sourced and dyed the wools then his wife and her friends stitched the reproduction. One of their motivations was that they felt the UK should have its own version of the French original, but we’re sure they must have gained plenty of hours of stitching pleasure out of the project as well.

This experience led Hazel to draw the two themes – comparisons and the Bayeux Tapestry – nicely together. She said: ‘in all we do we actually copy what is around us. We get inspired by others, but still add our own personal touch.’ We couldn’t have expressed it better ourselves.

If you thought knitting and crochet meant woolly jumpers, scarves and beanies, then we’ve got a surprise for you. How about putting your needles and hooks to work at producing a menagerie of garden creatures, fruits, flowers and foliage all in glorious yarn?

Birds, Butterflies & Little Beasts to Knit and Crochet is a new book by Lesley Stanfield. It is packed with cute and whimsical projects to knit and crochet, including a swarm of 3D insects with shimmering wings, more leaves than an autumn walk in the park and an entire ocean rock pool complete with shells, starfish and sea anemones.

Each project takes no time at all to complete and would make perfect little gifts, embellishments on a card or parcel, or a part of a larger, knitted installation.

The best thing of all is that it is perfect as a stash buster, as so many of these little patterns only require small amounts of yarn.

So put down the half-finished cardigan, order a copy of this fabulous book and start filling your home with knitted flora and fauna with a cuteness-factor that’s out of this world.

While we like reminding everyone about wares that we still have in stock, we have to say that we are so in love with the House of Embroidery thread packs that there’s a little part of us that would like to keep them all for ourselves!

These beautiful packs each contain 10 skeins of hand-dyed stranded cotton from House of Embroidery in South Africa. Available in a range of jewel-like colours, they are perfect for all kinds of embroidery, from surface stitching to cross stitch and everything in between.

Don’t let us succumb to temptation - help us by ordering your thread packs today so that we don’t end up buying all of our own stock!

Continuing the process of working through our extensive back-catalogue, this week we noticed that a few of the patterns from Inspirations issue #79, now out of print, are yet to be released in digital. So, we’ve got on to it for you.

Inspirations issue #79 is packed with 9 projects that you can now enjoy, thanks to these new releases: Scented Rose, a stunning cosmetics pouch by Lesley McConnell; Starburst by Anna Scott – a practical coffee pot cosy and matching coasters stitched all over with dandelions; Gentle Romance, a luxurious silk lingerie bag with bullion roses and an elegant heart, by Monique Johnston.

Plus, we’re also releasing Summer Fields, a Punto Antico table mat created by Patricia Girolami from Italy that provides a masterclass in this traditional technique. And finally, Pontos Vermelhos, a striking red on white drawstring bag stitched in the traditional embroidery of Guimarães in Portugal by Maria do Céu Freitas and Méri Almeida.

If you’ve ever dreamed of stitching these projects, thanks to the convenience of digital patterns, you can now purchase and download them so fast, you’ll be threading your needle and starting within minutes!

One of the lovely things about having the Inspirations HQ in Adelaide, Australia, is that some of our favourite designers also live in the same city. That means they often pop in to deliver projects and while they’re here, stay for a chat and a catch up – something everyone in the office thoroughly enjoys.

Just the other day, the doorbell rang and we were delighted to greet Margaret Lee, smiling as always. While we spent some time catching up, the main reason she was calling in was to drop off some materials we source from her and as a result, we are now all stocked up again with some Margaret Lee goodies.

Inspirations has been fortunate enough to publish several of Margaret’s books including The Art of Japanese Bead Embroidery and her most recent title The Art of Chinese Embroidery 2, the follow-on book from her original, The Art of Chinese Embroidery. This second book in her Chinese Embroidery series focuses on Random Stitch Embroidery, a technique that produces stunningly life-like results in exquisite silks.

As well as her books, we also have several kits available if you’d like to give this technique a try. Margaret’s instructions are second-to-none, so if you couple that with purchasing a Ready-to-Stitch kit with all of the materials you need included, you’re well on your way to mastering this wonderful skill.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, women’s education was very different to what it is today. It has recently emerged that young women at the time were encouraged to put their needlework skills to work in order to learn about geography.

After almost 20 years of research, Judith A. Tyner has produced a book that gathers all the information about this fascinating aspect of history. Through studying historic map samplers as well as document archives and various other aspects of history, the author has uncovered the painstaking efforts that girls at the time made to learn about the world.

One of the more fascinating discoveries were the embroidered globes from the early 19th century from the Westtown Quaker Boarding School near Philadelphia. The author speculates that these amazing artefacts helped their makers to understand longitude, latitude and the movements of the earth and sun.

You can read a detailed review of Judith A. Tyner’s ‘Stitching the World: Embroidered Maps and Women’s Geographical Education’ HERE. After checking it out ourselves, it definitely gave us pause for reflection when we next opened the Google Maps app on our phone!

We live in a moment in history where, as the current generation of stitchers, we’re continually surrounded by incredibly innovative designers who are pushing the boundaries of embroidery and coming up with designs and subjects which most of us could barely have imagined. But that doesn’t mean the traditional has fallen by the wayside.

Many will be familiar with Margaret Light, who has been a leading needlework designer for years. Her output is prolific and her designs have always been very popular. Margaret’s ability to translate traditional motifs and styles into inspiring projects has been the secret of her success. It is no wonder her classes are highly sought after and all of her kits are hot sellers.

In this project, Violets & Strawberries from Inspirations issue #110, Margaret has produced two gorgeous needlerolls festooned with fruit, flowers and foliage. In her characteristic style, she’s used two highly traditional motifs – the strawberry and the violet – to decorate these must-stitch accessories.

If you think you’ve seen the strawberry depicted all over the place, you’d be absolutely correct. The strawberry has been a popular motif in embroidery and art since the Middle Ages. Historically, strawberries symbolised purity, passion and love, due to their perfect shape, rich red colour and vaguely heart-shaped appearance.

As for the violet, it too has layers of meaning. It also has links to the Virgin Mary, often associated with her humble nature and her devotion. More generally, violets represent spiritual insight and modesty, but have most commonly been used to speak of love.

Both needlerolls are worked on sturdy twill that gives them a gorgeously rustic finish. The designs are stitched in both stranded and perlé silk threads that results in a magnificent shimmer.

Each needleroll is constructed using lining in a complementary colour – violet for the violets and red for the strawberries. Each has a place for needles, a cushion for pins and the violet roll has a handy scissor pocket for a pair of scissors, attached to the roll by a silk twisted cord.

For those of us who will have trouble deciding which of the two needlerolls is the loveliest, you’ll be pleased to know they are slightly different internally with only the violet roll featuring a scissor sheath, so you are well justified in reasoning that you will just have to make them both!

Even if traditional subjects aren’t typically your focus, for this wonderful project you’ll want to make an exception. You’ll be following a long tradition of representing love by stitching these motifs. It doesn’t matter if it is love for another, love for your family or simply love for your art – it will be expressed perfectly in this project… and we’re also confident you’ll love the joy that you’ll gain out of stitching them.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Violets & Strawberries by Margaret Light is two gorgeous needlerolls to keep your essential tools at your fingertips.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kits for Violets & Strawberries include everything* you need to re-create these delightful needlerolls: Fabric (unprinted), interfacing, wadding, template plastic or thin card, button (Violets kit), emery, sewing & embroidery threads and needles.

Due to popular demand the Violets & Strawberries | Strawberries 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 4-6 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 digital/printed pattern.

Violette by Carolyn Pearce from Inspirations issue #81 is three sweet needlework accessories embroidered with dainty violets.

Sweet Violets by Susan Porter from Inspirations #82 is an exquisite spray of stumpwork violets.

Lady's Slipper by Denise Little from Inspirations issue #17 is a framed embroidery of an elegant strawberry slipper.

Festive Fruit by Denise Forsyth from Inspirations issue #96 is a collection of fabulous strawberries made from linen textured with pulled thread embroidery.

While flowers are a perennial favourite, there are other fruits of nature which embroiderers love to stitch. Indeed, ‘fruits’ is the important word here, as we have several projects to share with you today that feature fruits and vegetables in glorious colour. From the humble strawberry to the intricate artichoke, nature produces natural art that translates perfectly into fabric and thread.

‘Three of us bought the kit for Strawberry Fayre from Inspirations issue #95 as soon as it came out. We decided we could all do it together and help each other out with the tricky bits.’

‘We met every Tuesday for a year, almost finishing before COVID-19 restrictions took hold. Even then, our little group (which grew larger with other stitching friends joining the fun) would meet via Zoom on our regular Tuesday for a chat and final finishing advice.’

‘It was a challenge for us and there may have been words uttered at times (not specifically mentioning our left hander!), but it was lovely to have each other to problem-solve all of the issues we faced. We gained so much from this project and have used the new stitches we learnt in subsequent projects.’

‘Our group is still going, spurred on by the experience, with other projects from our stashes or new creations.’

What a marvellous way to finish a complex project and to cement your friendship to boot. Kim, Carolyn and Dynesse, you should be very proud of such a wonderful achievement.

‘When I saw Julie Kniedl’s Grapes highlighted in All Stitched Up! issue #281 it prompted me to send in some pictures of my latest finish. This is Julie's An Apple a Day.’

‘I'm usually a counted thread stitcher, but I love stumpwork and I'm always up for a challenge. The directions were very easy to follow and as I had purchased one of the Ready-to Stitch kits for this design, I had all the supplies I needed.’

‘I have kits for more of the projects from the Botanica book so now I need to decide which one I should do next!’

This looks so realistic Julie, you’ve done a superb done. We’re glad you enjoyed stitching it and we look forward to seeing what other delights you produce from Botanica.

‘This is my canvas embroidery of an artichoke. I took the original photo of artichokes growing in the kitchen gardens at Hampton Court Palace in the UK and then developed a design and stitched the piece on 18 count canvas using Appleton’s crewel wools.’

‘The technique is called Tapestry Shading and is one of the modules I have recently completed while undertaking the Future Tutors course at the Royal School of Needlework.’

It’s a fantastic depiction of an artichoke, Sally, that looks so effective completed in the tapestry shading technique. We trust you’re enjoying your course at the RSN and a shout out to all the team there who do an amazing job.

‘I’ve just finished the Elizabethan Sweetbag from Inspirations issue #36 which I bought as a digital pattern. I dyed the silk fabric in coffee as suggested in the instructions to give it a traditional look.’

‘This is a project that will never be used but will be handed down in the family. I’m also hoping that I can enter it into our local flower show and try to win a cup!’

Congratulations on a magnificent finish Susan, you most certainly have created an heirloom project to be admired for years to come. We look forward to hearing how you go entering it in the flower show - hopefully you’ll be rewarded with a much-deserved win!

Do you love the rich colours and shapes of fruits and vegetables as subjects? Or do you prefer other kinds of food (to stitch, of course!). Or are you definitely sold on flowers, preferring them to nature’s other bounties?

It doesn’t matter what it is you like to stitch, we’d like to see it. Send us a picture of your work as well as some information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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

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.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ~

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.