In All Stitched Up! issue #297 we unpacked the idea of finding hidden joy in the world around us and how, once we become attuned to the idea, we’ll begin spotting little moments of joy everywhere we go.

And do you know what? We absolutely have!

After looking further into the work of Ingrid Fetell Lee, we came across another idea she shared that was inspired by the work of Leah Rosenberg – a colour walk. Put simply, the notion of a colour walk is that before going for a walk we should pick a colour and keep an eye out for it as we walk.

Whilst Leah Rosenberg’s book that prompted Ingrid’s idea, ‘The Color Collector's Handbook: A Journal for Discovering the Colors in Your Everyday’, contains 100 unique shades of colour that take the reader on a scavenger hunt as they notice, name and record the colours they find in the world around them that match those hues contained within the book, we couldn’t help but bring needle and thread to the idea!

It’s been impossible not to notice the delicate pink blossom now adorning many of the trees and the vivid yellow of the golden wattle that is now in full bloom as winter begins to give way to spring in the Southern Hemisphere and do you know what we instantly found ourselves thinking of?

It turns out that our minds are so accustomed to thinking in thread colours, that we instantly translated the colours we saw on our walk to those found on the DMC, Au Ver à Soie and numerous other thread charts it seems we have committed to memory. Whilst our colour walk was somewhat backwards compared to Leah’s as we saw the colours and then matched them to the hue of a thread, we could just as easily have done it the other way around and selected a DMC colour before embarking on the walk to see how many things we found that matched that colour.

It is such a simple idea, but as Ingrid so eloquently stated, ‘I’m always amazed by what we can discover even along our most well-worn paths once we tune in to joy.’

We hope we’ll always be amazed by the colour and joy we find in the world around us, even on the most familiar paths.

We weren’t surprised when our welcome from All Stitched Up! issue #294 titled 48 Minutes, about the best time of day to stitch, inspired quite a few of you. We all have a favourite time and a favourite place that is particularly precious and allows us to be creative in effective ways.

For some people, such as Bunny Goodman, the mornings are best, before everyone else wakes up. Bunny likes the fact that it is quiet and she can gather her thoughts without being disturbed. Also, her eyes seem to be better first thing so she can get more needlework done, which is always valuable!

Bette Kelley is also a morning person. She likes to wake up before she has to get up so she can lie quietly and think about what she has to do that day or, better still, what the next step of her latest project is. Bette says she also enjoys a similar form of relaxation and mental planning in the evening, especially doing activities like walking her dogs or sitting outside and enjoying the sunset. It all sounds wonderfully calming.

You’ll also find Debra Dawson awake between 5.00am and 6.00am, brewing a cup of coffee and planning her creative pursuits. She then gathers her materials together for the day and sits down for the morning to work on detailed or challenging sections of her stitching that require precision. This goes until 2.00pm, after which time she starts on the more repetitive stitches. We can but envy Debra being able to devote entire days to her passion and can only imagine what a wonderfully prolific output she must have.

Rather than a specific time of day, Pat Armour finds that the best time for her to work is under pressure – especially when she has a deadline to meet. Her deadlines can be self-imposed, or they can be external but they all help her to push herself creatively. Pat says:

Pat does admit she’s lucky enough to have her own craft room to work in and a patient spouse who understands when she gets ‘on a roll’. She also enjoys the luxury of retirement that allows her to devote most of her days to her stitching.

Finally, Jackie Schallert says that any time is the right time for her to stitch. Needlepoint is her life, so much so that she’d happily give up eating to have more time to stitch! We are grateful that Jackie took a few minutes away from her needle to email us as it sounds like she’ll get so caught up in her stitching that almost everything else falls by the wayside.

Also from All Stitched Up! issue #294, a question was asked about caravan storage and we received a fantastic response from none other than needlework artisan extraordinaire Alison Cole. Alison said that when they bought their caravan, she commandeered three of the four cupboards over the dining table for her stitching. She asked her brother-in-law, who owns a cardboard box factory, to make a series of bespoke boxes to fit exactly into the cupboards. Each box will hold a project including its 8” hoop and she can stack them three high in the cupboards.

Alison’s craft room at home is set up in a similar fashion as it ensures that nothing gets shoved to the back and ‘lost’. But when they go on holidays, she’ll happily take 6 to 8 projects with her to work on rotation.

In fact, a recent five-week trip saw Alison either finishing, or almost finishing, four projects. One of these included a 20+ year old canvas UFO that was stitched mainly while her husband was driving. Although she didn’t have quite enough thread to finish the canvas in its entirety and recognised that the likelihood of matching the threads after all this time was very doubtful, Alison is more than pleased to have completely finished just over half of the original canvas, now having a smaller version of what was originally painted. Alison, we love that you didn’t allow perfect to be the enemy of the good and now have another completed UFO to show for the many hours you and Steve must have spent on the road during your recent trip!

You might remember that also in All Stitched Up! issue #294 we wrote about the release of the lovely little smocked dress called Kaleidoscope as a digital pattern. When Paula Wilson saw it, it immediately reminded her of when she made the same dress for her granddaughter, Celeste.

Celeste was 7 years old at the time, and they started making the dress together when Paula’s family had come to visit. Celeste even put in a few stitches of her own. When the dress was finally finished, Paula sent it to her granddaughter who proudly wore it for photo day at school.

Paula, who is a proud collector and conservator of all her old AS&E magazines, said she would be thrilled.

Finally, a little erratum. Cristina Casoli pointed out that we had made a mistake when referring to a town in Italy. We had called it ‘Fermi’ but in fact we should have said ‘Fermo’. Please accept out apologies and thank you for being so eagle-eyed.

Keep the messages coming! Although we know that writing to us might take you away from your precious stitching time, we love it and we are always grateful for everyone who takes the time to send us their thoughts and stories.

One of the beauties of blackwork is the almost infinite number of patterns that you can use. Some are simple, others are detailed and complex, but every pattern provides a different effect and brings with it its own challenge. What would be ideal would be a comprehensive book showing not just the patterns themselves, but clear, easy to read diagrams of how to work them…

We’re thrilled to tell you that Chrissie Juno Mann has finally produced just that book!

Chrissie is a talented designer and Royal School of Needlework tutor who has compiled 50 of the most widely used and beautiful blackwork patterns.

Each double page spread gives a brief description of the pattern, a photograph of it worked and a fantastic diagram explaining precisely how to stitch the pattern successfully. You can use the book to create your own blackwork designs, or to skilfully work the patterns that others have used in their own projects.

This book reminds us of a delicious box of chocolates. You can’t help but fall in love with the soft blue vintage-style cover. Then, when you open it up, you’re met with such a delicious array of patterns it is hard to know which one to start with.

However, what makes this book even better than a box of chocolates is that you’ll keep coming back to it year after year and the treats inside will never run out. But if you still don’t think that’s enough, then watch this space. A little bird had told us that Chrissie is working on a sequel as we speak…

Yes, we know we got you all excited about the 2022 Calendar and the much anticipated release of Betsy Morgan’s Willing Hands 2. And we know that we were then at the mercy of the printers and the vagaries of shipping. Well, at last we can say that they’re here so you don’t need to wait any longer. Snap your copies up today before they all disappear as quickly as they have come in.

Because we have now published over 110 issues of Inspirations magazine and counting, we often forget that the patterns from the very earliest issues are still popular.

So, imagine our surprise when we received an email from a reader, Colleen Cox, asking us whether we could release The Magic Rooster Rug from Inspirations issue #5 as a digital pattern.

This striking blanket, designed by our very own Susan O’Connor, displays four proud roosters stitched in wool on a bright red blanket. Although the result is a cosy rug, the roosters are so beautifully drawn and so accurately coloured that this project is as much a work of art as it is a practical item.

Going back to look at this early project has made us realise how timeless so many of the designs in Inspirations are. If there are any early projects you’d like to see in digital format, please let us know. We have really loved the trip down Memory Lane.

While the fashion for wearing brooches waxes and wanes over the years, it has long established itself as a staple in many a wardrobe. And, of course, how often they are worn depends on the brooch itself. The breathtaking embroidered brooches produced by needlework artist, Ira Pashkevych, definitely give us reason to wear them as often and whenever we are able.

Ira recreates famous artworks in miniature with uncanny precision. These tiny masterpieces can all then be worn on a lapel or collar. The skill, verisimilitude and beauty of these handmade jewellery pieces are almost beyond words.

One must appreciate the time it takes to produce each piece, which gives more reason to want to show it off by wearing it out. So much talent in such diminutive pieces.

If you’d like to see more of Ira’s work you can follow her on Instagram @bloomingdaythings, read more about her HERE or take a look at her Etsy shop.

From wares to kits and all kinds of tricks, if it has recently come back in stock, you’ll discover it below.

While the average person would assume that anything to do with embroidery would require a needle going through fabric, most of us know that there is a plethora of other techniques that fall under the umbrella of needlework yet don’t necessarily require the fabric/needle pairing. One of those techniques is the creation of Dorset buttons.

Dorset buttons were originally crafted in the 1600s in the southwest of England. The first Dorset buttons were called ‘High Tops’ and consisted of a bone disc that was topped by a small piece of fabric and stitches were then added to make a cone shape.

Eventually the ring shape took precedence, with the characteristic pinwheel stitching. Whole families may have been involved in the button making business and by the nineteenth century, these lovely handmade buttons were being sold widely and shipped all over the world.

The Dorset button industry remained strong until industrialisation took over and machine-made buttons became cheaper and quicker to manufacture. Unfortunately, the collapse of handmade buttons as a viable business meant many families were driven to poverty, as it was simply untenable to compete with the mechanised factories.

Nevertheless, the tradition and craft of Dorset button making was retained and despite the flood of manufactured buttons that adorn clothing and accessories today, they never quite match up to the beauty of a handmade Dorset button.

Pat Olski’s designs are particularly gorgeous with her latest project Button Bouquets from Inspirations issue #111 giving the embroiderer the opportunity to try out this historic technique.

The design consists of two stitching accessories: an elegant tape-measure case and a clever pincushion. The pincushion has four rings attached so it also doubles as a thread holder, making it a particularly useful addition to your sewing kit.

Pat has taken the traditional technique of Dorset button making and added something extra special. The initial ring is covered in close detached blanket stitch, just as the ring buttons always were in the past. However, rather than adding a traditional pinwheel, Pat has reimagined the centre as a gorgeous little bouquet of flowers.

By combining straight spokes with needlewoven leaves, and then topping them with a puff of French knot blooms, Pat has created something really unique whilst staying true to the Dorset button makers of the past.

It won’t take you long to master this technique and you’re all but guaranteed to fall in love with Dorset buttons and all the possibilities that arise for using them. These particular accessories are finished with cross stitch patterning, but there is nothing stopping you from making more buttons to add to projects, bags, clothing, jewellery or any number of other items.

While the original industry behind these clever buttons has since been relegated to history, the actual technique itself is just as gorgeous as ever. You can feel satisfied that you are ensuring that these skills continue to be practiced and you get the pleasure of adding an additional technique to your own personal collection of skills.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Button Bouquets by Pat Olski is a beautiful pincushion and tape measure cover worked with timeless cross stitch and enhanced with Dorset buttons.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Button Bouquets includes everything* you need to re-create these lovely accessories: Fabric (unprinted), plastic rings, card, fibre-fill, tape measure, wool felt, interlining, sewing thread, 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.

Fine Tradition by Pat Olski from Inspirations issue #99 includes three button, and two brooch designs. These pretty floral designs, worked in a contemporary twist on Dorset buttons, display inventive wrapping and weaving to create stylised flowers or a base on which further embroidery can be worked.

White Rose by Jenny Adin-Christie from Inspirations issue #100 is an exquisite rose button brooch using timeless whitework techniques.

Strawberry Fayre by Carolyn Pearce from Inspirations issue #95 is a fabulous heart-shaped necessaire with pockets for essentials plus a pincushion, needle pages and thread rings that closes with a Dorset button.

The time has come again to revisit one of our favourite designers; not just a favourite here at Inspirations as she also enjoys a huge fan base across the globe. Jenny McWhinney creates the most adorable characters and beautiful designs that have seen her remain as popular and timeless today as when she first began, as the projects in today’s segment demonstrate.

‘Here is a photo of a baby blanket I embroidered 13 years ago. The little girl for whom I created it for used to pull the threads of the blanket with her teeth. It became a bit of a raggedy mess, but she refused to part with it.’

What a clever way to rescue a much-loved blanket, Sue. It also provides a beautiful childhood memory keepsake for the teeth puller herself! If anyone else falls in love with this cute design, it originally appeared in Inspirations issue #49 and is called Berry Harvest.

‘Not too long ago, I was part way through my Bachelor of Science when my already severe endometriosis suddenly got so bad I became bed ridden and had to leave school. I was devastated as the endometriosis had already hampered me all through high school and I was already years behind my peers. I sank into a serious depression. I began struggling to cope with anxiety and panic attacks. My Mum was by my side throughout it all.

‘My Dad got me a subscription to Inspirations magazine, and I fell in love with the project Santa's Helpers by Jenny McWhinney from issue #92. But I always put off trying to actually stitch it as I was sure I wasn't good enough. My Mum talked me into trying, and last year I finished them at one o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve!’

‘I loved stitching them so much; I changed some colours and added little bits here and there, like bells on their boots, musical notes, garlanding and snowflakes to make them a little more ‘mine’. I dedicated each elf to a family member with a little plaque on the back.’

What a wonderful story of strength and survival, Madeleine – thank you for sharing your inspiring journey with us, we never tire of hearing how powerful the benefits of needlework are and the impact it has in so many lives. We’re so glad that Jenny’s designs have helped you through and we wish you all the best in your future recovery.

‘I have always loved Jenny McWhinney’s project Arabian Nights, which is her blanket featuring the camels, but didn't want to do the whole thing. So, a few years ago I decided to create them as cushion covers, but when I saw how people treated my beloved Camel cushions, I undid them and made wall hangings that I am much happier with!’

‘They took me 18 months to complete. I only embroider at night while my husband watches TV, so look forward so much to the evenings.’

We’re glad your magnificent camels are safely on the wall, rather than being sat on, Yvonne! They’re beautifully stitched and we can only imagine how fabulous they look when displayed next to each other. Well done.

Do you love stitching Jenny McWhinney’s designs? Or is there another designer you love? Are you unable to resist whenever your favourite designer releases a new pattern? Whatever it is you like to stitch, we’d like to see it. Send us an image with a bit of information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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The Hedgerow by Kay Dennis is a delightful stumpwork panel of hedgerow fruits and flowers, visited by a delicate butterfly and ladybird.

Sweet Succulents by Ana Mallah from the book A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery is three handmade trinket pots topped with lifelike stumpwork succulents.

Forest Floor by Kay Dennis from Inspirations issue #104 is an enchanting stumpwork scene of mushrooms and berries.

Loves Me by Susan O'Connor from Inspirations issue #70 is a charming stumpwork picture embroidered with pale pink daisies.

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

~ Ingrid Fetell Lee ~

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.