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ISSUE 302, OCTOBER 1, 2021
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INSPIRATIONS. ALL Stitched Up!
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Hi There,
The welcome in All Stitched Up! issue #291 unpacked the idea of the 15 Minute Rule that encourages us to set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle a task that will ensure we make progress in a direction that’s important to us. Whilst we recognised that most tasks wouldn’t be complete in this time, we knew that we’d be closer to our end goal than we were before we set the timer.

Since penning these words, we’ve come across a similar time management strategy that, like the 15 Minute Rule, focuses on short sprints of focused work. However, this strategy works with slightly longer increments of time that are spaced out by short breaks to ensure we take the time to recharge throughout the task before us.
Image courtesy of tomatotimers.com
Devised by Francesco Cirillo, The Pomodoro Technique consists of six steps:

1. Choose a Task You'd Like to Get Done.
2. Set a Timer for 25 Minutes.
3. Work on the Task Until the Timer Rings.
4. Record Your Progress.
5. Take a Short Break.
6. After Every Four Pomodoro’s, Take a Longer Break.

The steps, though deceptively simple, will absolutely work if we choose a task that will benefit from our full attention, focus entirely on the task at hand during each 25 minute interval, take a moment between Pomodoros to reflect on what we’ve achieved, use our short breaks to refresh our minds by doing something relaxing and then, after completing a series of four Pomodoros, take a 30 minute break that will allow our brains to assimilate new information and rest before we begin the cycle again.

We love that this idea takes the 15 Minute Rule a step further by ensuring we take the time to not only recognise the progress we’re making, but also reminds us to take a break from the task before us that will ensure we’re able to focus for longer periods of time, ultimately ensuring we achieve more.

How long will it be before we start measuring our projects with needle and thread in Pomodoros?!
 
Have Your Say
A Week for Chit-Chat
You may have noticed that we’ve been writing a lot of Have Your Say articles recently. After receiving so many fantastic responses to our newsletters, it’s been hard trying to keep up! But we wanted to assure you that if you’ve written to us, we will do our best to feature you. If you haven’t seen your message addressed yet, it is coming.
There are weeks we can group together your messages within several themes, and weeks when we have a delicious array of almost unrelated bits and pieces. These latter weeks can be a lot of fun and we find they often generate more conversation than any other.
This week is one of those weeks… it’s a general chit-chat where we share a bit about anything and everything!
Toody Cassidy wrote in a while back noticing we hadn’t sent out a greeting on the actual day of World Embroidery Day! Good pick up Toody, we hope the stories we featured in All Stitched Up! issue#298 helped make up for it, thank you for the good wishes and happy World Embroidery Day (belated) to you too!
Peggy’s Temari, all made from waste fabric
Long-time contributor Peggy Kimble thanked us for featuring her Temari in All Stitched Up! issue #292 and also mentioned that she enjoyed the reminder of her own visit to The Bayeux Tapestry many years ago. She also shared that the Quaker Tapestry, which we featured in that issue, is very close to her heart as she even put a few stitches into it herself!
Leanne Atkins wrote to us from a very cold Tasmania, expressing her love of stitching samplers while keeping warm and cosy indoors. She too was inspired by the Quaker Tapestry and pointed to a communal artwork that was produced in Deloraine, Tasmania. Entitled ‘Artwork in Silk and Yarns’, a look at the pictures on the website indicates it is of an equally majestic scale as the Quaker Tapestry and filled with colour. It shows what wonderful things can be created when a group of committed stitchers collaborate and work together.
We received another book recommendation from Susan Steele who just finished reading The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. This is a story about how indigo dyeing started in the USA, brought there by a woman – no small feat at a time when women were often confined to domestic duties. It sounds like a good read and we thank you for the recommendation.

We also received a wonderful email from Elizabeth Braun from the UK. She wrote out in detail the explanations for the many acronyms that people use for unfinished projects. Here are a few:

WIP: Work in Progress – this is something that Elizabeth is working on, however slowly. She also had WISPs which stands for ‘Work in Slow Progress’. But whether fast or slow, these projects are always moving forwards.

UFO: Unfinished Object – Elizabeth was always led to believe that these were projects that had been put aside, never to be picked up again. Elizabeth doesn’t like these as they represent, for her, a waste of time – something she can never get back. She makes it her mission never to have any of these.

PHD: Project Half Done – this can be defined any way you like according to Elizabeth. But for her, it is a piece that is on the back burner for now, but she has every intention of coming back to it when she gets the chance.
Does anyone else have any favourite acronyms that they use in relation to their work? The three mentioned by Elizabeth are quite common, but we’d love to hear if anyone has any others. One of the acronyms that has always made us laugh is SABLE.
This stands for ‘Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy’. Sounds like it could be relevant for quite a few of us!
We’d love to hear from you with acronyms, things that make you laugh, recommendations or anything at all stitching related. We know we sound like a broken record sometimes, but your emails make this job worthwhile. We couldn’t do without them.
 
Needlework News
BATB 2022 | Update
Beating Around the Bush 2022 has been a hot topic of discussion at Inspirations HQ of late. With the catalogue scheduled to be released this month, we’ve reached an important decision point as to whether the event can proceed as planned.
Having held our last convention in 2018, then with both the 2020 and 2021 events cancelled, we’ve all been pinning our hopes that BATB 2022 would finally be our much-anticipated return.

And yet, as we type this newsletter, almost half of the Australian population is in lockdown, our international borders remain closed and as a country, we are yet to establish a sustainable management plan for COVID-19 moving forward.
Additionally, with all public events here in Adelaide currently subject to attendance caps, minimum social distancing requirements, limitations with food service options and mandatory face masks, even if we could proceed with an international needlework convention in these uncertain times, it would be quite a different experience to that which we are accustomed.
We share all of this with you to help give context to our decision to regretfully postpone Beating Around the Bush 2022 & beyond… for now!
We believe the most prudent approach at present is to wait until Australia has found its way into a new normal and then re-assess how best to bring BATB back in whatever format is possible at the time.
While we all agree this is a terribly disappointing outcome, we are exploring other ways of getting our needlework community together, which we hope to share with you in due course.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who has supported this event, we look forward to being in contact again as soon as we know more about our future plans.

Kristian & Andrea Fleming
Inspirations Studios
Christmas Called… Your Kits are Ready!
It’s October and as much as you may not be ready for this… Christmas is coming! For some people, that thought brings dread, but for others (like us!) it brings nothing but excitement.
Season’s Greetings
Sure, we’re excited about the holidays and the gifts and the family gatherings.
What we’re most excited about though, is all the Christmas stitching we get to do!
Some of you may remember back to Inspirations issue #96 that featured the project ‘Season’s Greetings’ by Ana Mallah. To get everyone in the Christmas spirit this year, we’ve decided to re-release a couple of the kits from this project, with the Berry Wreath and Christmas Tree Ready-to-Stitch kits now back in stock.
Berry Wreath
Both ornaments look stunning on any Christmas tree, with Berry Wreath a beautiful, circular ornament festooned with glistening red stumpwork berries.
Christmas Tree
And Christmas Tree, an elegant piece worked in long and short stitch with stumpwork highlights.

If you don’t have the instructions, printed copies of Inspirations issue #96 are still available and it’s filled with a range of festive projects as a bonus.

A digital pattern for ‘Seasons Greetings’, which includes instructions for both kits, is also available.

So, for those of us who would love to see these gorgeous ornaments finished in time to hang on our tree, it would be a good idea to start about now!
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Season’s Greetings | Berry Wreath
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Season’s Greetings | Christmas Tree
 
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 96
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Season’s Greetings
 
Maria Rita Faleri Designs
Just before you start hunting around for your next project, we wanted to remind you about the work of Maria Rita Faleri. Maria has produced a stunning series of projects worked in the simple, yet beautiful, Catherine de’ Medici stitch.
Caterina from Inspirations issue #107 is an elegant pattern for a table mat worked in white on natural linen.
Natural Wonder, which featured in Inspirations issue #111, offers the next step in this fascinating technique, with a slightly more challenging design, this time worked into a rustic cushion.

Instructions and Ready-to-Stitch kits for both designs are still in stock.

Plus, we also have the beautiful 6ct Burratto Greggio Unbleached Linen that Maria uses for these designs available to purchase, sourced directly from Italy.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Caterina
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Caterina
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Caterina
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Natural Wonder
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Natural Wonder
 
 
WARES
6ct Burratto Greggio Linen
 
Inspirations Calendar | October Project
October is typically a month of mixed fortunes when it comes to the weather. Be it cooling down or warming up, the combination of changeable weather, hay fever and unpredictable rain can be a little unsettling.
Luckily turning the page of your Inspirations calendar to October is a real treat! The featured project is enough to make anyone feel truly inspired.
Originally featured in Inspirations issue #104, Carnation Tile by Fiona Hibbett is a gorgeously elegant stumpwork piece based on an original Art Nouveau design. This style emerged in the late 1800s and was characterised by sinuous lines, beautiful shapes and intricate organic subject matter.
This project perfectly encapsulates the period. Worked on ivory satin, the coral flowers and curving, blue-green leaves are beautifully embellished with tiny beads and a hint of lustrous gold. The resulting piece is definitely a work of art that would take pride of place on any wall.

We love that needlework can make any month a wonderful one, no matter the weather, season or temperature.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Carnation Tile
 
News from Betsy Morgan
The other week we showcased Betsy Morgan’s Shaker Spool Box from Inspirations issue #111. Whilst many will be aware that Betsy is retiring, we did mention that it’s for good reason though, as she is now a proud grandmother twice over.
And as many can attest, being a grandmother can be a very time-consuming job!
Well, to follow on from that story, we received a wonderful email from Betsy that we wanted to share. When her grandson was born last year, Betsy stitched a beautiful sampler to celebrate his birth. It seems that her new granddaughter has been blessed with a similar gift.
Reflecting Betsy’s love of Elizabethan band samplers, she created this work of art which is sure to be treasured by her granddaughter throughout her life.
The Tooth Fairy by Betsy Morgan | Inspirations #99
Betsy said that she wanted it to be very ‘girlie’ which explains the colour palette and all of the flowers. She also wanted it to complement the girl’s tooth fairy box that she designed for the magazine back in 2017.

In fact, she’s also giving both tooth fairy boxes to her daughter although it will be a few years before they are put into use!

We’re sure you’ll all want to join us in congratulating Betsy on the new arrival and we can safely say that her new granddaughter is an incredibly lucky little girl to have such a talented grandmother stitching for her. It will be wonderful to see if the little ones follow in Betsy’s footsteps and become master stitchers themselves.
This Now In...
From wares to kits and all kinds of tricks, if it has recently come back in stock, you’ll discover it below.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Pane di Casa | Back in Stock
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Pane di Casa | Now in Stock
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Pomegranate | Now in Stock
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
O, Tannenbaum | Now in Stock
 
 
Featured Project
Home Sweet Home by Carolyn Pearce
Ten years ago, when we first published Carolyn Pearce’s remarkable project Home Sweet Home, we could not have anticipated how much of a phenomenon it would become. We knew that this incredibly detailed, cottage-shaped box, filled with an array of adorable stitching accessories would be popular, but we didn’t know that it would become so loved the world over.
In the past decade, this project has been tackled by an enormous number of stitchers who fell in love with it and took the time to complete it. And little wonder. The actual cottage itself, with its perfectly aligned tray inside and the host of beautiful details on the outside, is something to be admired.
But each and every accessory complements the whole in a way we don’t think any other project does.
Each piece is a tiny work of art, deserving of the care and attention in the stitching and construction required to complete the entire set.
We’ve seen people take on Home Sweet Home as a passion project. We’ve seen them take it on as a challenge. We’ve even seen them take it on in a group.
You might not remember, but way, way back in issue #31 of our newsletter (early February 2016) we shared about the Houston Embroidery Guild whose members decided to each stitch their own Home Sweet Home workbox.
Once completed, they created an entire township lining up all their cottages in a row, complete with little cars and people!
The workbox is a remarkable project for many reasons, not the least of which is Carolyn’s unique ability to channel her seemingly endless artistry and harness it with masterful refinement.
As Carolyn shares: ‘The construction itself was inspired by the numerous Japanese paper-covered boxes I had made over the years. Having created a prototype out of cardboard of what I had in mind, I then drew the embroidery designs on paper and taped them to each panel. I always knew I wanted a whimsical Elizabethan-inspired garden, so I included lots of field flowers and grasses on each panel.’
‘The most enjoyable part for me was choosing the colours and threads! I am a self-confessed threadaholic and have always loved threads, ribbons, bits and bobs since I was a very small child. They are my paint box.’
‘To finish off I made the original nine matching needlework accessories and created compartments in the lift-out tray by adding dividers.’
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this world class project, we have released a very special edition of the book that includes three additional accessories giving even long-time fans of Home Sweet Home something new to turn their nimble fingers to.
There are other changes to the project as well, in particular the lining fabric. As the original print has since gone out of production, it has now been refreshed with an ivory and fern green spot cotton, making construction a little easier with no patterns to line up.
Originally released with nine accessories, the 10th Anniversary Edition now includes 12, with the addition of a scissor sheath, pinwheel and a bodkin holder.
Over the years, we have heard countless stories from people about how much they enjoyed stitching Home Sweet Home. In fact, many people have tackled this project more than once, to give as gifts to treasured friends or relatives, or simply because they enjoyed the journey so much.
If you are yet to stitch Home Sweet Home for yourself, the 10th anniversary might just be the right time to start.
For those interested in either creating the entire project from beginning to end or adding the three new accessories to their existing workbox, we have everything you need.

Three Additional Accessories Kit

Instructions and pattern sheets for the scissor sheath, pinwheel and bodkin holder are all available in the 10th Anniversary Edition of the book and we have also created a Ready-To-Stitch kit with everything you need to create just the three new accessories.
Full Ready-to-Stitch Kit

With a requirements list comprising over 150 different components across the entire piece, Home Sweet Home 10th Anniversary Edition is the largest, most involved single project we have published to date. As a result, it may be a little overwhelming to source everything yourself.
The good news is we have also released a complete kit for the project that is now in stock, the not so good news however is we only have a small number remaining, so get in quick to avoid disappointment.

Facebook Group

Due to the popularity of this project, we have now created a dedicated Home Sweet Home Facebook Group where anyone embarking on the journey to re-create this very special project can belong.
Within this group we’re hoping to create a collaborative environment where you can share your progress, answer each other’s questions, inspire one another and impart knowledge, tips and tricks that you may have learned along the way.
Perhaps the most important thing to do today though, is to thank the lady who has made all this possible. Carolyn Pearce is without doubt one of the most talented and inspiring needlework artisans of our generation and it has been our great privilege to publish her work.
We leave you with her thoughts on celebrating 10 years of Home Sweet Home:

‘Reflecting on the popularity of Home Sweet Home, I’d have to say there is something magical about a box – always the question: what is inside? So many people over the years have been captivated by the little workbox, adding their own special touches.

I do hope Home Sweet Home continues to bring joy to all those who, like me, are captivated by the love of embroidery and the wonder of what’s inside the box.’
Make Your Own Home Sweet Home
Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Home Sweet Home | 10th Anniversary Edition by Carolyn Pearce is a remarkably ornate and intricate project, consisting of a charming two-story English cottage, beautifully decorated with a garden of stitches, that opens to reveal a lift-out tray and 12 gorgeous, coordinated needlework accessories neatly stored inside.
 
PRINTED BOOK
Home Sweet Home | 10th Anniversary Edition
 
Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

Inside the full Home Sweet Home kit you will find the fabrics (unprinted), interlining, interfacing, wadding, ribbons, charms, beads, buttons, selected hardware (inc. retractable tape measure, thread cutter, bodkin, pins), embroidery and sewing threads, needles and all the mount board (pre-cut to finished size) to create the workbox and all 12 accessories.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Home Sweet Home | Full Kit
 
The Home Sweet Home Accessories kit is perfect for anyone who already has their own Home Sweet Home and would like to add the three additional accessories released in the new 10th Anniversary Edition.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Home Sweet Home | Three Accessories
 
*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.
Looking for More Carolyn Pearce?
The Embroidered Village Bag
The Embroidered Village Bag by Carolyn Pearce is a whimsical tote bag decorated with charming country garden scenes.
 
DIGITAL BOOK
The Embroidered Village Bag
 
Home Sweet Home Cottages
Home Sweet Home Cottages by Carolyn Pearce from Inspirations issue #35 is two delightful accessories to house your thimble and tape measure.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Home Sweet Home Cottages
 
Perfect Pansies
Perfect Pansies by Carolyn Pearce from the book A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery is a vibrant set of needlework accessories.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Perfect Pansies
 
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery
 
English Rose | Thimble Holder
English Rose | Thimble Holder by Carolyn Pearce from Inspirations issue #76 is an exquisite thimble holder richly embroidered with a bouquet of roses.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
English Rose | Thimble Holder
 
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 76
 
What Are You Stitching?
Now that we’ve mentioned the word ‘Christmas’, we feel that we should keep the momentum building. Some stitchers leave their Christmas stitching right up to the night before the big day, while others like to stitch Christmas projects all year.

We have received some lovely Christmas projects from our readers over the past few months, so now seems like the perfect time to showcase them. Just see if the Christmas spirit doesn’t start growing in you after you’ve enjoyed these festive wonders…
Helen Sargent
‘My stitching journey started with my Grandma and a primary school teacher, both of whom encouraged my interest. I used to stay at my Grandma’s house for an occasional weekend and she soon cottoned on that I would sit quietly and sew!’
‘My primary school teacher was into textile art and I was encouraged to try out whatever interested me. In my final year we had to do a project on Elizabeth the First and I was allowed to make a fabric collage of one of her portraits. I just like making things and being creative, be it pre-designed kits or my own designs.

I love trying new techniques and that is what has inspired me to try some of the designs from Inspirations magazine. I have just finished the Trish Burr blue and white Christmas tree O, Tannenbaum from issue #108 as I haven’t done any whitework before.’


You’ve done a lovely job Helen, we hope you enjoyed stitching this piece. It has clearly allowed you to add a new skill to your repertoire and judging by the quality of the finished piece, you’ve mastered it beautifully!
Kathleen Weston
‘I haven’t been stitching much recently, but I have been beading. As long as I'm doing one or the other, I'm happy!’
‘Here are three beaded ornaments designed by Cindy Hambrick.’
Thanks Kathleen – it’s always a joy to see what fabulous projects you have been working on and as long as what you are doing is making you happy, that is all that matters! Your decorations are going to look wonderful on the Christmas tree this year.
Arke Lopez
‘These are two gingerbread houses I made from a Canadian designer in Vancouver. The original pattern was all stitched with only a few coloured buttons attached that I did not feel made the house, and all the hard work, stand out. Instead, I sourced all sorts of beads to make it look more like a gingerbread house full of candy, including a Santa with reindeer on the roof! I made one for me and one for my best friend.’
These are fantastic houses that are filled with glorious details, Arke. You’ve done an amazing job creating them and we adore all the creative embellishments you added. They look good enough to eat!

Do you love to stitch anything Christmassy, whatever time of year it is? Do you have a specific date on which you start your Christmas stitching? Or do you avoid anything to do with Christmas, preferring to stitch projects that will last the whole year around?
Whatever it is you like to stitch, we’d like to see it. Send us a picture of your work with a bit of information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com
 
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You May Have Missed
Four Corners
Four Corners by Di Kirchner from our Handpicked Range is an elegant and richly shaded crewelwork panel on sturdy linen twill, perfect to use as an insert for a wooden footstool base.
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Four Corners
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Four Corners
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Four Corners
 
Winter Sunset
Winter Sunset by Hazel Blomkamp from the book A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII features a magical palette of gentle pastels and intricate stitch techniques to create the fascinating surface on this square footstool.
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII
 
Masterpiece
Masterpiece by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations issue #70 is a superb footstool richly decorated with ornate, traditional Jacobean motifs, and embroidered with a rich palette of lustrous cotton threads and stitch techniques.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Masterpiece
 
Jacobean Dream
Jacobean Dream by The Wemyss School of Needlework from Inspirations issue #110 is a charming crewelwork cushion featuring embroidery based on a 17th century crewel hanging.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Jacobean Dream
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Jacobean Dream
 
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 110
 
Symphony in Blue
Symphony in Blue by Deborah Love from Inspirations issue #72 is a stylish Deerfield embroidered cushion, perfect for any home.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Symphony in Blue
 
This Week on Social
 
From the archives ~ 'Playful Companions' by the talented ⁠ Jenny McWhinney published in Inspirations issue #28. ⁠ ⁠
 
'Broken Tulip' by @_genkakulemon_ . The 'breaking virus' infects the bulb of the tulip and causes the cultivar to 'break' its lock on a single color, resulting in intricate streaks of different colors on the petals. ⁠
 
Quote
‘One day we will be more creative, more productive and yet more relaxed.’
~ Francesco Cirillo ~
What's On
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.
If you’re holding an event or would like to suggest one to be added, we’d love to hear about it. Email us the details at news@inspirationsstudios.com
INSPIRATIONS
© 2021 Inspirations Studios

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