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ISSUE 332, 27 MAY, 2022
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INSPIRATIONS. ALL Stitched Up!
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Hi There,
We recently received a fascinating email from Brené Brown. Titled ‘Creating Space’, its content was anything but what we were expecting.

We thought Brené might have included her thoughts on creating space within her physical environment, perhaps pointing us in the direction of a decluttering method or two. Instead, she took us on a journey to how she creates space in what is sometimes referred to as the sacred pause.
‘Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.’
These words, most commonly attributed to Viktor Frankl, have become the sacred pause by which Brené now lives. If converted to a formula, Viktor’s quote might look something like S( )R.

Growing up, Brené wasn’t aware of this space and would often find herself putting the R before the S was even complete! No space, no choosing a response.

As she became more aware of the power within these parentheses however, Brené employed the self-care rituals of sobriety, sleep, prayer, working out, practicing curiosity, therapy and intentional breathing to create a wide space, thus allowing her to choose her most appropriate response.

Both personally and professionally, Brené noticed that her ability to keep the space open between stimuli and response had been narrowing. As a result, and for the first time ever, Brené made the difficult decision to take a summer sabbatical. After a couple of challenging years, she’s creating the space to breathe again.

Her hope is that when she ‘returns’ to life, her capacity to maintain the sacred pause will be restored and her responses more aligned with who she wants to be.

As so often happens when we read something as thought provoking as Brené’s email, our thoughts turn to needle and thread.

At first, we found ourselves incredibly grateful that our time spent stitching is one of the many tools we have in our self-care ritual. A tool that helps us create the space we need mentally and emotionally to use our sacred pause well.

Then, however, we realised there are times we pick up needle and thread only to find how we feel in our ‘parentheses’ is anything but restorative and calming! It may be that ‘real’ life gets in our way as we struggle to disconnect and enjoy the stitching before us. Perhaps the project is far harder or taking longer to complete than we’d initially anticipated and our patience is running short. Possibly the tools we’re using or the threads we’ve gathered aren’t quite right for the task at hand and the stitching is now more difficult than it needs to be.

Whatever the reason, Brené’s email made us realise that sometimes there’s even wisdom in occasionally taking a short sabbatical from needle and thread. Doing so will ensure our response is always positive and we will continue to enjoy the calming, meditative and restorative push and pull of needle and thread through fabric.
 
Have Your Say
Smocking Ideas and Other Things
In All Stitched Up! #328, Wendy Armitage put a question out to our community about smocking. She loves smocking but she doesn’t sew, so she was wondering what other kinds of projects she could make using the technique. We suspected our creative readers would come up with lots of ideas, and we weren’t disappointed!
Jenni Davill agreed with Wendy in that she wants to smock but she also doesn’t want to make clothing. The solution she came up with was to enter ‘smocked Christmas decorations’ into Google and she discovered plenty of ideas. You could spend hours going through all the different types of smocked baubles and other ornaments on show. You’d need to have multiple Christmas trees up each year to hold them all.
Katherine Petty suggested a circular drawstring jewellery or needle case that is smocked on the outside and has pockets on the inside for storage. This is a fabulous idea and Katherine shared that she owns a couple that she bought and just loves. Patterns for jewellery rolls or other storage solutions have appeared in Australian Smocking & Embroidery Magazine from time to time, including Safe Keeping by Nancy McEvoy from AS&E Issue #94.
We received some book suggestions from Ann including Contemporary Smocking by Dorothea Hall. She also pointed us to Modern Smocking: Canadian Smocking Techniques and Patterns by Debbie Shore, which focuses on lattice smocking. This is a type of smocking that doesn’t require pleating beforehand but produces fabulous cushions and other homewares. Ann also suggested looking on Amazon for other books, however she did warn that searching for ‘smocking’ seems to return books on ‘smoking’ as well, referring to both food and cigarettes!

Lynn Healy grew up in Canada so is familiar with Canadian or lattice smocking. She said it was often used to decorate scatter cushions and was worked in rich velvets or satins. She confirmed that the designs are beautiful and suggested taking a look at Pinterest for ideas. She also directed us to a website specifically about Canadian smocking in case you would like to learn more about it.
An unusual idea came from Jeanette Sclar who suggested smocked jewellery. We were curious too and did a search. Not only is it a thing, it is absolutely beautiful as well. Jeanette directed us to look at this site, but a trusty Google search will keep you busy for hours too.

Finally, Sandra Gascoigne confirmed the idea of smocked baubles, but she also suggested a smocked lampshade as well.
If anyone else has other ideas, we’d all love to hear them and we’d love to see any completed projects showing smocking used in new and creative ways. We’ll always love little girls in colourful smocked dresses, but it gives us just as much pleasure seeing how such a traditional technique can be used to create stunning, modern designs.

Our readers clearly loved the book recommendations that have appeared in All Stitched Up! over the past weeks. Ellen Tabak admitted to putting at least two of our suggested books into her Amazon shopping cart, and Margaret Mathers wanted to add her endorsement for The Gown by Jennifer Robson that she has finished and thoroughly enjoyed.
Cécile, who is a reader from France, has bought Tracy Chevalier’s books, A Single Thread and The Lady and the Unicorn. She says that she loves reading in English, even though she has to use a dictionary, and can’t wait to dive into them.

If you have anything to share, from stitching ideas to books, or from new techniques to your own personal musings about stitching, it is all welcome. We love the conversation, we love learning new things, and we know that our All Stitched Up! family love it too.
 
Needlework News
Rechargeable Magnifying Lamp
Every stitcher needs good light to work in. Even if you have the sharpest eyes in the world, to successfully work fine stitches, having good, white light is essential. Many of us have our stitching nook set up at home with our daylight bulbs and large windows nearby, but what about when we’re travelling?
The Triumph Rechargeable LED Magnifying Lamp is one answer. This lamp is compact, incredibly light and produces a strong, even, white light that is ideal for stitching. The magnifier allows for a massive 3 x magnification and it all sits on a flexible gooseneck so it can be adjusted to suit everyone and every location.

Best of all, this magnifying lamp charges from a universal USB cable, which means it can be used anywhere in the world without having to worry about conversion plugs.
You will enjoy a full sized, 70mm (2.75”) diameter lamp area that provides ample light yet doesn’t distract your neighbouring stitchers. The light is also dimmable and will shine for 3.5 hours in between charges.

If you’ve been searching for the right light to take with you to your guild or stitch group, look no further. The Triumph Rechargeable LED Magnifying Lamp will tuck neatly in your stitching bag so you’ll always have the lighting you need for a satisfying stitching session.
Elisabetta Sforza Books
Elisabetta Sforza is well known for her stunning alphabet designs. Each alphabet is created using a gorgeous array of surface stitches, with each set beautifully themed.
We have all three of Elisabetta’s books in stock:
A Flower Alphabet features a gorgeous, embroidered alphabet teeming with different flowers. There are two sizes of each letter in the book so you can create a single, large monogram or form the smaller floral letters into a special phrase or name.
A Sea to Stitch offers a nautical themed alphabet with shells, seabirds and waves in a gorgeous ocean palette.
In a Wheat Field is an autumnal alphabet bursting with wheat, poppies and cornflowers.

All three books suggest different ideas for using the letters and are a go-to reference for any project or piece you wish to personalise in the most beautiful way imaginable.

STOP PRESS! NEWS JUST IN…

Elisabetta’s brand new book ‘Rose to Rose’ has just been added to our website for you to pre-order, with our stock expected to arrive any day now. So, you’re now spoiled for choice with 4 Elisabetta Sforza books to spoil yourself with!
Inspirations Calendar | June Project
Open the Inspirations Calendar to June, and you are met with a stunning design shining out from a striking black background.
Woodland Floor by Helen M. Stevens was first published in A Passion for Needlework 3 | Blakiston Creamery. It is a beautiful project, stitched in silks so fine they could have been spun directly by the tiny spider that is just one of the highlights of this piece.
Woodland Floor is a gorgeous study of insects and flowers. The elegantly shaped plants with their rich, green leaves form a circular shape dotted with flowers. Amongst the dandelions, yellow archangel and periwinkle blooms flutter two brilliantly coloured butterflies; a purple emperor and a golden yellow painted lady.

A bumble bee hovers over the scene, which is completed by a fine spiderweb closing the circle. At the centre of it all, a dandelion clock is captured just as the wind blows and a few seeds float free.
This project is the perfect choice as the seasons turn. When completed, this shimmering image will take pride of place in your home, capturing a moment in time for you to contemplate as the busy world moves around you.
For the very first time, Woodland Floor is now available as a digital pattern giving you the choice of enjoying the project either as downloadable PDF, or as it originally appeared in our book A Passion for Needlework 3 | Blakiston Creamery.
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Woodland Floor
 
Royal Adelaide Show
As most of you may know, Inspirations HQ is lucky enough to be situated in the beautiful city of Adelaide, Australia. One of the features of the Adelaide calendar for the past 180 years has been the Royal Adelaide Show, an agricultural and horticultural show that has also traditionally held a fabulous needlework competition and display.
Up until 2020, the only times The Show, as it is affectionately known, wasn’t held was during the two World Wars. However, in 2020 it had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All seemed to be going well for The Show to run in 2021, but the continuing spread of the virus meant that it was cancelled three weeks before the event.
But in 2022, it is third time lucky! The Show should be back on the calendar and it is going to be bigger than ever after the forced hiatus. Everyone who is in Adelaide during September will be eagerly lining up for tickets to see all the livestock, arts, food and displays of skill and best of all, the needlework.
Entries for the competition are open right now, so if you have projects completed then don’t be shy. Get your entries in – there are a range of categories for all kinds of needlework - and let’s make this Show and its needlework display the biggest one yet.
Stitching on Social | May
May was a month of new discoveries for us as we found more amazing new textile artists on social media and spent many hours admiring their work. Here are just a few of the talented people we discovered:
@kimkaranikolaou_fibreartist: Kim Karanikolaou makes portraits of your beloved pets, however she adds an extra bit of realism to her exquisite pieces by including your pet’s own hair!
@nonakeddenim: This clever lady from the USA creates embroidered works of art out of Converse sneakers. They’re just stunning.
@eventide_embroidery: Aimee Estcourt uses a fascinating combination of stitches and colours to create her unique, beautiful works of embroidered art.
@jolly_hoops: Sila Gur produces ‘fashion inspired threadpainting’. Whatever inspires it, this is threadpainting to take your breath away.

If you ever come across an artist 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.
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.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
The Fan | New
 
 
WARES
Browse Sotema Linen | New
 
 
Featured Project
Dresden Lace by Mike Parr
For regular readers of All Stitched Up! you’ll know that we have been talking a lot about lace in recent weeks. We’ve discussed many different kinds of lace, from bobbin lace to crochet. However, we knew that we were really only scratching the surface of this distinctive and ethereal fabric. There are so many other ways to produce lace that we’re sure to be uncovering them for years to come.
We were pretty excited then to realise that the latest project by Mike Parr in Inspirations issue #114 represented yet another lace technique. Entitled Dresden Lace, this simple, crisp and stunning design is worked in a traditional technique originating from way back in the seventeenth century.
Dresden lace is a form of lacy whitework that employs a range of counted thread stitches.
It has variously been known as point de Saxe, Dresden point and toile de mousseline, and was said to have first come from Dresden in Germany. Traditionally worked on high count evenweave, it is hard to believe that the stitches are counted as most appear to simply float above the ground fabric.
The characteristic motifs of Dresden lace were hearts, flowers and foliage with plenty of scrolls and ribbons. Often the shapes are filled with different pulled thread stitches to create elegant holes and increase the lacy texture.

It is the combination of pulled thread shapes with the solid motifs, often worked in counted satin stitch, that creates the characteristic finish of this historic technique.
Mike Parr has created a project that is the perfect introduction to Dresden lace embroidery. He has selected the traditional heart shape as the frame and filled it with flowers and tendrils that seem to jump out from the ground fabric.
The petals of the flowers are all worked in counted satin stitch, giving them a satisfying solidity.
They are then contrasted with a variety of pulled thread stitches in the centres of the flowers and each of the heart shaped leaves, offering a fascinating texture and allowing the stitcher to try their hand at several different stitches.
Worked in the traditional white on white, the resulting project is true to its seventeenth century origins yet would not look out of place in even the most modern of houses.

Mike has taken the best of early Dresden lace design, with the solid outlines acting as the perfect frame for the intricate pulled thread centres, but reduced the number of motifs down so that his project is completely on trend for the 21st century.
The ease of the instructions and the simplicity of this design will make Dresden Lace a joy to stitch. We love seeing a centuries old technique continue to be practiced and developed so that it will be enjoyed well into the future.
Make Your Own Dresden Lace
Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Dresden Lace by Mike Parr is a graceful, whitework heart filled with flowers and leaves in Dresden embroidery.
 
PRINTED MAGZINE
Inspirations Issue 114
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Dresden Lace
 
Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Dresden Lace includes everything* you need to re-create this charming heart motif: Fabric (unprinted), sewing threads, embroidery threads and needles.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Dresden Lace
 
*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.
Looking for More Whitework?
White Rose
White Rose by Jenny Adin-Christie from Inspirations issue #100 is an exquisite rose button brooch using timeless whitework techniques.
 
PRINTED PATTERN
White Rose
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
White Rose
 
Field of Flowers
Field of Flowers by Deborah Love from Inspirations issue #106 is a whitework mat with flowers worked using a compelling variety of traditional Schwalm fillings.
 
DIGITAL MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 106
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Field of Flowers
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Field of Flowers
 
The Great Charter
The Great Charter by Mike Parr from Inspirations issue #109 is a needlebook and scissor fob embellished with a kingly monogram in whitework, inspired by the Magna Carta.
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 109
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
The Great Charter
 
Snowberry
Snowberry by Yvette Stanton from Inspirations issue #80 is a quirky biscornu that forms the perfect backdrop for highly textured whitework.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Snowberry
 
What Are You Stitching?
Flowers are a natural fit with needlework. There is no end to the different colours, shapes and textures offered up by the world of flowers, so it is little wonder they offer a wealth of inspiration for the needleworker. Here are a selection of floral projects for you to marvel at and we can assure you that there are plenty more where they came from:
Elizabeth Anderson
‘I started stitching over 20 years ago, after a trip to the local craft store where I saw an embroidery kit. I was looking for a new challenge and thought this would be perfect. After a few simple kits, I was hooked. I kept taking on more challenging, difficult patterns and just fell in love with the craft.’
‘Life got hard, stressful, and I got side-tracked for a very long time. But then I picked up an issue of Inspirations magazine and found 'Sweet Hydrangeas' by Kris Richards and it called to me. I found a linen tablecloth, traced the pattern, and began. I haven't stopped since.’

We can appreciate how life moves through stages and embroidery either fits in to a stage or it doesn’t. Fortunately, it is always there and, as you have discovered Elizabeth, it waits patiently until you return. We’re so glad you’ve rediscovered your love.
Mrunalini Nimbalker
‘I wanted to share my first ever dimensional hand embroidery work.’
‘This pattern is my own journey of imagination, inspired by the beautiful work I have seen on the Inspirations website. I chose all of the colours myself and, although I made a few mistakes, I was very pleased with the result.’
‘I have now been asked by family and friends to make several more copies for them. But best of all, I learnt the technique during my Mom's birthday month, which I felt was a fitting tribute to someone who loved embroidery dearly.’

What a lovely story and a beautiful finish, Mrunalini. Thank you for sharing your fantastic work and we agree that it is a fitting tribute to your dear mother.
Trang Folliot
‘I would like to share with you two needle paintings that I bought as kits. The kits are from the talented Catherine Laurençon. It is always a pleasure to work on them and I was very pleased when I finished them.’
‘The one below is called Rose and Rosebud. Having a needle and thread in my hand is similar to meditating; I enjoy it tremendously!’
These are both beautiful finishes, Trang. You’ve reproduced Catherine’s designs perfectly. You should be very proud of your work.

Do you love stitching flowers? Are you inspired by the gorgeous colours of the petals, the shapes of the leaves and the variation in texture? Is your house covered in all things floral, and even then you can’t get enough? Or are there other subjects you prefer to stitch?
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
Bonnie the Cow & Friends
Bonnie the Cow & Friends is the latest book by Claire Gelder filled with 20 loveable crochet animals and birds made with chunky yarn so they are all large enough to really love.
Dream a Little Dream
Dream a Little Dream by Taetia McEwen is an enchanting lampshade with characters dancing to the music of a frog band.
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 114
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Dream a Little Dream
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Dream a Little Dream
 
Starlight
Starlight by Taetia McEwen from the Handpicked Range is an enchanting lampshade with garden friends wishing on the first star.
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Starlight
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Starlight
 
Sunbeams
Sunbeams by Taetia McEwen from Inspirations issue #107 is a captivating fairytale garden adorning a lampshade, created using raised and surface embroidery.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Sunbeams
 
Ivy
Ivy by Margaret Light is a beautiful square pincushion featuring trailing stems of ivy with flowers and berries.
 
PRINTED BOOK
The Design Collective | Pincushions
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Ivy
 
The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #112 is a festive linen table runner with a central design of holly and ivy encircled with gold braid.
 
PRINTED MAGAZINE
Inspirations Issue 112
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
The Holly and the Ivy
 
Christmas Bouquet
Christmas Bouquet by Julie Kniedl from Inspirations issue #88 is a fabulous glass bauble adorned with winter rose, holly and ivy.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Christmas Bouquet
 
This Week on Social
 
Adorable flower hair clips by @baaftaab.handmades
 
Time to brighten your day with some tiny cute animals and flowers by @moha._.moha
 
Quote
‘Give yourself the permission to pause to create sacred space. The space to consciously choose how you want to respond to any situation’

~ Dr Debra Reble ~

What's On
Stay informed of upcoming needlework events taking place all around the world in our 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
© 2022 Inspirations Studios

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