In last week’s All Stitched Up!, we unpacked the idea of motion vs action.

You may recall that James Clear defined the subtle difference between the two as motion being when you’re planning, strategising and learning, but not actually producing a result. Whereas action is when you’re engaged in behaviour that will deliver an outcome.

Whilst we closed our welcome with two thoughts from James about how we can move from motion to action, we found ourselves pondering why motion can be an all too easy state to remain in.

A timely email from Hannah Brencher helped put words to our contemplations – it may be that we don’t believe we’re ready.

For Hannah, her ‘motion’ is feeling like she needs to acquire something new in order to make a start on something. Think anything from notebooks and planners right through to kitchen appliances!

Over time - and after one too many purchases - however, Hannah came to the realisation that she didn’t need to add another new thing to her life in order to change it. She simply needed to change her mindset to move from Point A to Point B, or as James would term it, to move from motion to action.

There was no having to get ready, she was already ready.

As Hannah sees it, if we’re trapped thinking we need x, y, or z to be successful, the starting line will continue to feel further and further away. For us, that means we may never lay the first stitch of ‘that’ project.

Whilst Hannah recognises there are times we need to invest in our craft or tools, all too often we use this as an excuse to remain in motion rather than taking a moment to breathe and simply take the brave first step to action.

She closed her email by reminding us that we are already equipped, already ready and already enough just as we are. Nothing new required.

What are you already ready to start today?!

We were listening to a podcast recently that was discussing the benefits of ‘mind-wandering’ for creativity. The observation was made that many of our best ideas come in those moments when we allow our minds the freedom to wander where they will rather than being endlessly distracted by something else.

Judging by the glorious array of different topics our readers have written to us about recently, it seems as if this valuable creative pursuit is something many of us have mastered! Perhaps it goes hand in hand with our passion for the creative arts?

Wendy Armitage was thinking about orts, which many people define as ‘old raggedy threads’ that we’ve talked about in several past issues of All Stitched Up! She’d also heard about the term being an acronym, but then recently discovered it was actually a backronym. A backronym, Wendy explained, is an acronym which is made up of the letters of an already existing word.

It seems the word orts is much older, originating from Middle English via the Middle German word ‘orte’. The original world meant scraps of food left after a meal, or food remains. Over time, the meaning has expanded to include scraps of anything, including threads. As the original usage was lost, stitchers asked where the word had come from, and it is likely then that the backronym was created.

Kay Smith wanted to write in after reading about Jackie Williams’ experience of a well-meaning relative cleaning up her sewing room in All Stitched Up! issue #323. Kay could, unfortunately, relate to Jackie’s experience completely. Kay had gone to Europe a few years back and when she came home, she discovered her mother had convinced her sister to ‘tidy up’ all of Kay’s quilting materials!

On her arrival home, Kay discovered what they had done. She promptly shouted at them and then went out and bought a whole lot more as she couldn’t find anything in the newly ‘tidied’ room. Her advice to Jackie and anyone else whose relatives get the urge to tidy up is:

Designer and regular Inspirations magazine contributor, Helen M. Stevens wanted to share a bit of news with everyone. Helen already has a strong presence on Facebook, but she wanted to share that she has begun a regular, almost daily post on Instagram too. She describes it as a daily ‘feel good’ picture with a quick caption to brighten the day.

Helen has also started an occasional board on Pinterest that she has called ‘Sow and Sew’. In it, she shows a photo of a particular flower and then she lists the stitches necessary to re-create it in her characteristic style.

Helen is hoping this will become a useful resource for needleworkers who are familiar with her work and want a quick reference as to specific techniques for a particular subject. You can follow the board on Pinterest HERE.

Finally, we had two requests for ideas that we thought we’d put out to you, our valued community. Although we can furnish some suggestions, it is better to tap into the wealth of experience held by all of you, as then even we can learn something new.

The first request came from Wendy Armitage again. Wendy loves smocked designs and treasures the two smocked dresses her grandmother made entirely by hand in 1949. Wendy would love to do more smocking but doesn’t make clothing. Can our readers suggest other uses for smocking that Wendy might try?

The second came from Judy Eckhardt who wanted to discover more ideas for using flat silks. She fell in love with the colours and sheen of Pipers Silks, so bought a sample pack but now she’d love to discover more ideas for their use.

Over to you, team! We can’t wait to hear from you and in the meantime, keep those ideas and thoughts flowing and those minds wandering.

Long before the days of Ikea and flat packed furniture, a beautifully tooled piece of furniture made from a highly sought after timber was a huge investment. This kind of furniture was purchased with the intention of handing it down to future generations, so it was usually protected and cared for with devotion.

One of the materials that was used in furniture built to last was Jarrah.

The timber was traditionally used to make railway sleepers, due to its durability and strength. But it was also used for flooring and magnificent furniture.

Unfortunately this beautiful tree, which can grow to heights of 50m (160 ft), is now on the ‘Red List’ of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), classed as a ‘near threatened’ species. It is an iconic tree whose wood has been treasured in Australia and around the world for a very long time. So, it makes it the perfect subject for an exquisite work of embroidery.

Jarrah & Grass Blue Butterfly by Denise Mackey from Inspirations issue #114 is a stunning stumpwork study featuring the elegant leaves and shiny, spherical gum nuts characteristic of the Jarrah. Denise has hinted at the rich red colour of the timber that this tree is so well known for in her selection of thread colours for the twigs and leaf veins. Interspersed among the leaves are tiny, scarlet buds and fluffy white flowers that provide a delightful contrast to the rich green of the leaves.

Although the Jarrah is incredibly striking, what makes this project unique is the addition of the Grass Blue Butterfly, represented in all stages of its life. On one of the leaves, Denise has added some tiny beads to represent the butterfly’s eggs.

Beneath the branch, and worked perfectly using a shiny bronze snakeskin fabric, is a pupa. And in a glorious display of colour, the fully mature butterfly with its sparkling purple wings gently alights on one of the leaves.

Although Jarrah furniture and cabinets are now rarer than they used to be, some of us are lucky enough to still have pieces that have been in our families for several generations. When we look at these wonderful old items, most of which have been hand-made with care, we can think of the majestic trees they came from.

By sitting down to stitch Jarrah & Grass Blue Butterfly, so redolent of the Australian outback and capturing the beautiful colours and shapes of the flora and fauna found there, we are able to connect together the beauty and bounty of nature with our own personal histories.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Jarrah & Grass Blue Butterfly by Denise Mackey is a beautiful stumpwork study of the life-cycle of a butterfly on eucalypt stems.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Jarrah & Grass Blue Butterfly includes everything* you need to re-create this beautiful stumpwork study: Fabric (unprinted), felt, snakeskin, fusible webbing, wire, paper, Post-it-Note, sewing thread, embroidery thread, beads and needles.

Hello Possum! by Jenny McWhinney from Inspirations issue #109 is a cuddly blanket with a cute possum amongst gum blossoms and a matching carry bag.

The Great Escape by Erica Frame from Inspirations issue #19 is an award-winning blanket, featuring the silken blossoms of Australia’s native eucalyptus.

We all know that between stitching sessions it is important to remove our work from its hoop and store it flat. However, this can sometimes pose a problem if we want to take our needlework with us to a stitch and chat group or guild meeting. This is where embroidery rolls are essential.

An embroidery roll allows you to carefully roll your fabric up, while ensuring that your stitches are protected, and no creases will form. The quilted roll is padded so that your stitches won’t be squashed, and it ties up neatly so that once your work is safely rolled inside, it can’t fall out.

We now have these essential items available for sale in two gorgeous fabric designs. Both designs are by iconic Australian textile designer, Florence Broadhurst, and feature florals in either pink or blue.

These rolls are ideal for travel, for carrying your projects with you to stitching groups or simply for keeping your work safe and clean between stitching sessions. They also have a handy storage area inside the roll itself – you can remove one end and put your stitching tools and threads inside. This means that whenever you head out, you can grab your roll and be confident you will have everything you need with you.

Once you’ve seen just how handy the Florence Broadhurst embroidery rolls are, you will wonder why you hadn’t discovered them before. But why stop at one? We’re sure there are a few people out there who (like us) have more than one project on the go at a time!

Zweigart 56ct Kingston linen is a wonderfully versatile linen, produced by one of the finest linen manufacturers in the world. We still have pieces in stock, as it is ideal for both counted and surface embroidery.

The beautifully fine count means that this is an exquisitely smooth linen that takes surface stitches with ease. However, because it is an evenweave, it is also ideal for delicate counted work, such as Hardanger, counted whitework or cross stitch.

We have Zweigart Kingston 56ct linen available in Ecru. You can purchase lengths from 25cm (approx. 10 inches), or if you’d like a larger piece, just let us know how many units you’d like and we’ll send it to you as one, uncut whole.

There are not many scents better than the smell of freshly baked bread in the air. The wonderful, warm aroma will always invite compliments and entice more than a few hungry tummies! May is the month to think about baking bread thanks to the featured project in the Inspirations 2022 calendar, Pane di Casa by Elisabetta Sforza.

Pane di Casa first appeared in Inspirations issue #106. The project is a beautiful linen bread bag, decorated with an elegant design featuring wheat, cornflowers and poppies in Elisabetta’s characteristic style.

Pane di Casa can’t help but make you think of warm kitchens, family get-togethers and hot loaves straight from the oven. Although we find that fresh bread never makes it to the bread bag as it is just too good to eat!

If you love this project, don’t forget that we also have Elisabetta’s book ‘In A Wheat Field’, which follows a similar theme. The decorated alphabet featured in the book uses the same wheat and poppies and makes the perfect complement to Pane di Casa.

Despite social media having been in our lives now for well over a decade, there is no end to the new artists who are appearing and displaying their work on various platforms. We are so lucky in 2022 that we have all these wonderful artists at our fingertips so that we can admire their work and get inspired by their stories.

Here is our selection of artists to follow from April, although cutting the list down to four was particularly difficult!

@thatcurlyembroider: Preeti is an embroidery artist from India who makes bright, hand-stitched keychains and gorgeous wedding gifts.

@needlestitches: Rita, an embroidery artist from Portugal, creates embroidered portraits using a dizzying array of colours to exquisite effect.

@nataliezoestudio: Natalie Zoe turns blackwork on its head, producing stunning reverse blackwork pieces. She also has a beautiful collection of other works in a breathtaking number of techniques.

@sj.hull: Sarah uses traditional embroidery techniques in her minimalist designs, including a fascinating take on bobbin lace.

If you ever come across an artist or embroiderer you’d like us to include in this segment, write in and tell us! In the meantime you can also follow Inspirations on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest where you’ll discover fantastic needlework every day from all over the web.

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

All Stitched Up! seems to have been all about lace for several weeks now. Just like when you decide you want a red car and suddenly you start seeing red cars everywhere, when our attention was turned to lace, we realised that it was far more prevalent than we had previously thought.

When we saw that it was time to highlight Di Kirchner’s stunning Norwegian Lace from The Design Collective | Pincushions, we couldn’t help but smile. There it was again!

Di is a master at this technique, working the traditional stitches of this characteristic Norwegian style on fine 40ct linen. Her choice of linen ensures that the stitches and design are beautifully small, emphasising the lacy effect of this gorgeous pincushion.

Hardanger is traditionally worked in white on white, however, to emphasise the spaces created through the cutwork edge, a subtle pincushion base made from a natural linen supports the completed embroidery. The actual Hardanger design is carefully worked on white linen, with the natural linen only added during construction.

To achieve perfect results in Hardanger, a pair of sharp, fine-pointed scissors are essential to ensure that you cut just the threads you need to. As you are doing the Kloster blocks and needleweaving, you’ll discover your even tension as you go. It requires your stitches to be firm but not too tight so that the cut linen holds without any distortion.

There are four identical corners to Norwegian Lace, although Di recommends you stitch all of the Kloster blocks first followed by the satin stitch and eyelets.

Only after you have completed the surface elements do you start cutting. This helps you to keep the pattern even and identical across the four sections. Once you have started on the cutwork, you complete each quadrant with all the needleweaving before you move on to the next.

Di has really added to the lacy effect in her choice of border.

This is one project where you can enjoy the meditative pleasure that comes from the gentle repetition in the stitches. You’re able to get lost in the flow, and when you emerge, a gorgeous piece of lacy Hardanger is the result.

Creating lace with a needle is intensely satisfying and Hardanger is one of the most popular ways that you can do that. Norwegian Lace allows you to construct a beautiful and practical pincushion using a technique that you’re sure to fall in love with, if you haven’t done so already.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Norwegian Lace by Di Kirchner is a delicate and lace-like square of Hardanger atop a linen base, finished with a wrapped bead.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Norwegian Lace includes everything* you need to re-create this delicate Hardanger pincushion: Fabrics (unprinted), fibre-fill, embroidery threads, beads and needles.

Bianca by Patricia Girolami from Inspirations issue #66 is an elegant Hardanger mat made from a combination of perfect stitches and precise cutting.

Mind Games by Kim Beamish from Inspirations issue #109 is a whitework table mat or cushion front worked with Hardanger embroidery.

We’ve been discussing lace quite a lot in recent weeks. We went to our What Are You Stitching? cupboard, and sure enough, there were some gorgeous examples of lace and lacy embroidery sitting there. So now seems like the perfect time to showcase them and let everyone see how talented our wonderful community of readers are.

What an exquisite finish, Ann! The lace is so delicate and the adapted Hardanger is absolutely perfect as an accompaniment.

‘It was stitched using Brock size 60 and 80 thread and a machine 50 thread, it is mounted on a background of blue silk, which a friend gave me.’

It’s magnificent, Leila. What a labour of love – one that is guaranteed to be an heirloom. You’ve taken our collective breaths away.

‘I am not the most creative person when it comes to originality but there are so many fabulous designers that I feel I have plenty of opportunity to totally enjoy my needlework experience. I like to think they would be pleased with my results.’

We’re absolutely confident they would be, Mavis. We can see Hazel smiling in satisfaction at your results as she is reading this very newsletter right now in fact! This is a stunning project that you’ve finished to perfection.

Do you enjoy lace making in any or all of its forms? Have you tried different ways to create lace, whether needlelace, bobbin lace or another type? Do you have a favourite method? Or are you comfortable leaving the lace making to the experts, preferring more solid stitches?

Whatever needlework you like to create, we’d like to see it. Send us a picture of your work with a bit of information about your project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

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Flower Pots by Ana Mallah Morgan from A Passion For Needlework 2 | Factoria VII are adorable little three-dimensional embroidery pots embellished with stunning stumpwork flowers on the lids.

Briar Rose & Honeysuckle by Margaret Light is a framed embroidery of twining stems richly ornamented with flowers and foliage.

Redwork Pincushion & Chatelaine by Margaret Light from A Fine Tradition is a barrel pincushion and chatelaine comprising scissor sheath and fob, thimble pod and strawberry emery.

Tree of Life by Margaret Light from A Fine Tradition is a sumptuous crewel wall hanging masterfully combining colour and stitch.

~ Amy Poehler ~

Stay informed of upcoming needlework events taking place all around the world in our What’s On page on the Inspirations Studios Website HERE.