In a recent email from ‘The Tonic’, they introduced us to the work of Peter Sage as they posed the question he opened his TED Talk with, ‘Why is it that intelligent people procrastinate?’

Having unpacked James Clear’s premise of Motion vs Action in All Stitched Up! issue #327 – where motion could easily be interchanged with procrastination – we were eager to read more.

Peter’s answer to his own question is that we’ve all formed a subconscious glass ceiling above ourselves and that no matter the number of new skills we try to learn, many of us simply find different ways to achieve the same level of success.

But why?

For most of us, it’s not because we lack resource or opportunity, but more because our nervous systems have been hard wired for comfort. Peter believes we need to find a way of managing the tension between our comfort zone and the innate calling of reaching our fullest potential. Or, as we shared in All Stitched Up! issue #331 as James Clear likes to term it, ‘The Goldilocks Rule’ whereby we should be operating in a zone that’s not too easy and not too hard, but just right.

Also, as we are innately creatures of habit, we tend to do what we’ve always done.

Therefore, Peter suggests that each day or at least week, we need to ensure we deliberately expose ourselves to the kind of information that supports who we want to become and where we want to go.

Peter believes that once these things happen, ‘we give ourselves the best shot of becoming the best and greatest versions of our self that we can be.’

In regard to our time with needle and thread, it means that our current ‘level’ of stitching may not be all we’re capable of, and if we’re brave enough to step outside our comfort zone all the while exposing ourselves to new stitches, techniques and projects, we’ll achieve far more than we ever thought possible.

This week we have a very special World of Needlework article for you that we’ve been working on for a little while now.

In recent months, many of you have written to us expressing concern about the conflict in Ukraine, asking if we knew of any initiatives the needlework community are engaged in to render assistance and specifically enquiring about the welfare of embroidery designer Tatiana Popova.

Thanks to the collective effort of many, we have managed to make contact with Tatiana and this week we can share with you that, in light of the continuing conflict in Ukraine, Tatiana has managed to leave her home country and is currently safe in Australia.

Secondly, Tatiana graciously agreed for the All Stitched Up! team to interview her so we can share her story with you all.

We began our interview by asking how it was she first started stitching, to which she explained that she fell in love with it when she was a little girl. With both her grandmother and mother sewing and knitting, it was as a young child that Tatiana really developed the passion for needlework that she has carried throughout her life.

Tatiana also credits a very special handicraft teacher she was fortunate enough to encounter at school who taught her a great deal:

‘My teacher looked just like Mary Poppins - slim, elegant, graceful, clever, skilful. It was impossible not to love her and best of all, she embroidered! She taught me silk shading when I was 12. It was a simplified version with only two or three colours used for shading. But she insisted that the right and the wrong side of embroidery should look the same. It was difficult to do, but we managed, although my Dad made jokes about it, saying that it was no good because one couldn’t tell which was the right side of the fabric!’

Yet she made do and kept stitching, learning all kinds of surface embroidery stitches. As she got older, she learned her two favourite techniques, silk ribbon embroidery and crewel embroidery.

We asked Tatiana where the inspiration for her designs comes from, and she most enthusiastically pointed us to her love of flowers.

‘I believe they are very special inhabitants of our planet. And I totally agree with what Sherlock Holmes once said: 'Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it.’

Tatiana’s first visit to Australia was just two years ago, right before the COVID pandemic. She was immediately captivated by the beautiful city of Brisbane when she arrived. She loved the people who were so friendly, as well as the city and the landscape. The reason for her trip was to teach in Australia, and when it was time to return home to Ukraine, Tatiana said the country had become firmly lodged in her heart.

When the conflict in Ukraine began early this year, Tatiana and her family made the difficult decision to relocate from her home to Western Ukraine, which was considered to be a safer region. She then received an incredibly gracious invitation from Simon and Maureen Laughlin of Needlework Tours to leave and join them in Australia.

This required a move to Poland in the first instance, as no airports were operating in Ukraine. They finally got on a flight and were met by Simon and Maureen (who have been incredibly supportive) at Melbourne airport. Tatiana is now living in Melbourne, safe and doing what she can to work and support herself and her family back in Ukraine.

As we have all been moved by the terrible events unfolding in Ukraine, we asked Tatiana what can be done to help those in need, including herself as she now has become a refugee - something unthinkable just two short years ago when she was last in Australia.

‘For anyone who would like to help with my own personal situation, I have been directing them to my website, www.owl-crafts.com. It still needs some work, but I hope it will become a place for all people who are passionate about embroidery to enjoy. I also have a Facebook page HERE and my daughter-in-law Marina Popova, who has fled to Australia with me, is also an artist and you can see her work on Facebook HERE.’

In terms of helping Ukraine in general, Tatiana’s advice was this:

‘My only idea is to try to reach out to Ukrainians personally. It may be via social media or online platforms like Etsy. So many kind people turn first to Ukrainian organisations to help, but in my experience, it can take a very long time for the help to get to the people who need it most, so it is far better to try to help people directly.’

Finally, we asked Tatiana about her plans for the future and what her hopes and expectations are. She concluded our interview by letting us know:

It was a great pleasure to talk to Tatiana, to hear her story and have the privilege of sharing it with our needlework community. Tatiana’s own experience helps to remind us that our passion for stitching is transcendent – whatever we face, needlework is always there as a comfort, a distraction, an expression and for some, even the means for a livelihood.

Once again we find ourselves forever grateful for our needle and thread and our amazing global needlework community.

We all wish Tatiana the very best in her endeavours and are looking forward to seeing more of her beautiful work.

A mandala is a circular shaped pattern, often featuring intricate details and usually displaying repetition and symmetry in the shapes and motifs. The word mandala comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and means ‘circle’.

Traditionally, a mandala was an artistic representation of thought or meaning, which was designed to be used for contemplation or meditation. The symbol has been used for centuries in Eastern religions including Buddhism and has recently become a popular design across the world as people are learning the value of mindfulness and focus.

You can find mandalas in all kinds of places now, including in adult colouring books, being taught in art classes, or being created using knitting or crochet.

This is what the original purpose of the mandala was. From our point of view, embroidered mandalas are the ones that strike a chord. The latest project in our Handpicked series, Mandala Magic by Laurence Lieblich, is a perfect example.

The design is worked in subtle blues and greens and features a range of different flowers laid out in the traditional circular shape. At the centre is a six-petal daisy. Radiating out from the daisy are star flowers, hydrangeas and anemones, all repeating in perfectly symmetrical patterns to form a stunning mandala shape.

The choice of flowers means that the tonal range remains consistent throughout. Then, they are highlighted with the addition of scalloped circles, leaves and foliage in a complementary range of greens.

The purpose of repetitive motifs is to really encourage the stitcher to take the time to contemplate each stitch. Rather than worrying how to do the next technique or hurrying to get one motif finished so that you can start on another, Mandala Magic is perfect for settling the mind, watching the progress of the needle and the formation of each flower or leaf, and focussing one hundred percent on the task at hand.

Once you have completed Mandala Magic, the choice is yours as to how you display it. It can be framed and hung on a wall, turned into a stunning cushion, or even sewn up as a tote bag or project bag.

The circular shape will encourage the eye to move from one area to the next, admiring the subtle colours and the direction of the stitches and enjoying the serenity that comes from the design, palette, and shape.

Although we all love intricate needlework designs filled with different stitches that stretch our skills with different techniques, it is wonderful to take some time to work on a project that brings nothing but relaxation and joy. Mandala Magic is that project. It is the ‘time out’ you need with your favourite needle and thread in hand.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Mandala Magic by Laurence Lieblich is a spectacular, floral mandala in gentle shades of green and blue.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Mandala Magic includes everything* you need to re-create this spectacular floral mandala: Fabric (unprinted), embroidery threads and needle.

Circa by Louise Spriggs from Inspirations issue #74 is a stunning cushion with modern motifs and an elegant colour scheme of natural and black.

Mandala Musings by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations issue #93 is an opulent, beaded Jacobean design with needleweaving and needlelace.

One of the essential requirements for any craft or hobby is good light. This goes as much for when we sit down at the sewing machine as it does for when we sit down at our needlework.

Although most sewing machines have a light installed within them, we find they are rarely bright enough. Most of us end up fashioning some kind of additional lighting using lamps that get in the way or head torches that can often become uncomfortable!

This compact little light attaches to your sewing machine and provides a super bright addition to your work. As well as a sturdy clip, it also has a bracket so you can mount it on the sewing machine safely, ensuring it won’t fall off as you’re working a difficult seam.

Best of all, it charges via a universal USB power cable, or you can install 3 AAA batteries in it for even longer lasting illumination.

If you don’t use a sewing machine, or if you want to use your light elsewhere, the OttLight LED Sewing Machine Light is incredibly versatile.

It is perfect for clipping onto a needlework frame to provide you with all the light you need for stitching. It would even clip on a book for you to use as a handy reading light.

You won’t ever have to sew, stitch or craft in poor light again. Your lightweight, super-bright, portable OttLite LED Sewing Machine Light is all you need for easy, comfortable needlework, day or night.

Ana Mallah’s Flower Pots from A Passion for Needlework 2 | Factoria VII has been one of our most popular projects to date. It is little wonder; these tiny pots are so adorable that we’d be hard pressed to find a stitcher who didn’t want to own one.

Thanks to their popularity, we have re-released the Ready-To-Stitch kits so that anyone who missed out can still have the chance to try this gorgeous project.

There are two kits available. One is for a flower pot with a lid covered in soft, lilac-coloured hydrangeas. The other has delicate pink roses on the lid with a glorious gradation of colour in each petal.

Both are lined with felt and are just the right size for jewellery, trinkets or little treasures. Both projects are worked in three-dimensional embroidery.

Flower Pots would look perfect sitting on a dressing table or mantlepiece. Why not get both kits and make the pair? You’re guaranteed to fall in love with Flower Pots as soon as you open the box, so order your kits now.

We promised last week that we’d deliver more projects from Inspirations issue #35 in digital format. So here we are, making good on that promise!

Flower Child by Carolyn Pearce is a simply adorable little overall for a precious little girl. Featuring embroidery and appliqué and finished with broderie anglaise, any little girl will look as pretty as a picture in this gorgeous project.

Baby Bunting by Kris Richards is a gorgeous baby sleeping bag with a cosy hood that opens out flat allowing for the bag to become a useful blanket. It is covered with fluffy felt teddies and bouquets of bullion roses and is lined with a bright checked brushed cotton.

To find these and other digital patterns from Inspirations issue #35, as well as the rest of the digital patterns in our huge library, just head to over to our website.

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. Nowadays, digital technology has caused an explosion in creativity as the possibilities have expanded. Some projects take our breath away. Others are compelling, even if we’re not entirely sure why!

Using yarn, some filming equipment and a whole lot of creativity, Kevin Parry decided to recreate the Netflix introduction in stop motion animation.

A pile of yarn balls, a lot of running around, and three days of work later… he did it.

Does there have to be a reason or a purpose behind every piece of creative output? We recommend watching Kevin’s process as, above all, it looked like a whole lot of fun.

This might make us rethink when we start lamenting how long it takes us to finish our own projects. Three days’ work for three seconds of film puts into perspective the hours of work we put in for the years of pleasure we receive afterwards!

You can watch Kevin’s experiment HERE.

Design inspiration can come from anywhere. Many designers keep scrapbooks, mood boards or journals to record ideas. These things are usually filled with photographs, colour swatches, sketches or bits of fabric.

A lot of designers speak of the pleasure that comes from leafing through their journals, and suddenly feeling that burst of inspiration that leads on to the next design. The secret is to keep and collect anything and everything that appeals, as you never know what might ignite the next spark.

Anna Scott had a piece of fabric in her collection that had always appealed to her. It was a beautiful piece of silk with a large, striking print worked in reds and blues. She always wanted to design something based on the fabric but was waiting for the right commission and the right moment.

When we approached her with the concept for our book The Design Collective | Pincushions, she knew it had arrived, and Fragments was born.

Anna selected a limited colour palette that featured the bold reds and blues of her silk fragment. Using crewel wool and a range of surface stitches, she created something that beautifully crosses the border between traditional Jacobean crewel and a more modern feel.

Although the space on this pincushion is necessarily limited, Anna has offered the embroiderer a wide range of stitches to try out. This ensures that your interest will be captured from the first moment you thread your needle until you finally start the construction.

There are some 18 different stitches hidden within the flowers and leaves of the design. Furthermore, rather than using solid colour wools, the choice of Gumnut Yarns means that each skein has a subtle variegation. This creates a gentle gradation of colour within each motif.

Anna opted to construct her pincushion as a simple, practical pillow. She didn’t want it to be too big as, she admitted, she has a habit of putting needles into her pincushions. If your pincushion is too big, your needles get lost inside and then you have the rather terrifying process of trying to find them without them going into your fingers!

Fragments is an ideal project for you to tuck into your stitching bag or sit next to you on your stitching table.

The bright, beautiful colour scheme ensures that you can see it, and the shape and size are just right. Whether you are making it as a gift for a friend or relative, or you are stitching Fragments for yourself, you’re sure to enjoy the process from beginning to end.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Fragments by Anna Scott is a Jacobean-style crewelwork design of flowers and leaves atop a pleated pillow.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Fragments includes everything* you need to re-create this gorgeous crewel work pincushion: Fabrics (unprinted), ivory sewing thread, fibre-fill, 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 book.

Persian Bounty by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #108 is a beautiful pomegranate study using a variety of stumpwork techniques.

Mountain Oak by Anna Scott from Inspirations issue #113 is a stunning crewel cushion with a Tree of Life set among mountain peaks, worked in alpine colours.

Samplers were originally stitched to learn and practise a particular stitch, but also to act as a reference piece. They consisted of different motifs, different types of stitches and different techniques. Historic samplers often included verses or proverbs that were also meant to be contemplated.

Nowadays, samplers remain popular projects mainly because of their beauty, however they are still an exceptionally good way to learn new stitches. Today we bring you two types of samplers with two very different stories. We hope they bring you inspiration.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, Barbara. It is incredible to read about your resilience and persistence and to hear how stitching got you through. We wish you well in your continuing recovery and hope that you enjoy many years of stitching ahead.

These are lovely samplers, Bunny. They are gorgeous in the range of stitches and techniques and look like they were a lot of fun to stitch. Thank you for taking the time and effort to complete them and send them in so we can all enjoy your wonderful work.

Do you love stitching samplers? Do you like making up your own samplers? Or do you like to stitch reproduction samplers, either precisely or with personal touches and additions just for you? Or are there other projects you like 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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Little Brown Hen by Anna Scott is a garland of pretty periwinkles around a plump brown hen and her sweet yellow chicks.

Break of Day by Jenny McWhinney from Inspirations issue #41 is a charming hessian garlic bag with an elegant, crowing rooster.

The Magic Rooster Rug by Susan O’Connor from Inspirations issue #5 is a stunning red blanket with four proud roosters.

Feathered Friends by Ruth Orvis from Inspirations issue #59 is a bright, colourful cushion with a family of chickens.

Cock-a-doodle-doo by Deidri Blay from Inspirations issue #69 is a rustic lavender sachet featuring a silk ribbon rooster.

~ Max Depree ~

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