Have you ever joined an Embroiderers’ Guild or local Stitch ‘n Chat only to find yourself several stitches in and wondering what you’re doing there?

Perhaps you signed up for a class either online or in person and quickly realised you wouldn’t be able to keep up with those around you? It may even be that you started a project you knew would provide many ‘opportunities for growth’ only to discover you weren’t up for that much growth?!

Feeling inadequate in our time with needle and thread is an all too common occurrence and one that is often communicated to us at Inspirations HQ. We hear from stitchers the world over who hesitate to believe they’re capable of tackling the projects published in Inspirations magazine or think their stitching is anything but worthy of being shared right here in All Stitched Up!

A recent blog post from Hannah Brencher, however, pointed us in a direction that might just change those ‘less than’ mindsets we can sometimes find ourselves indulging.

When Hannah was invited to travel with a prominent Christian women’s conference, the excitement she experienced in receiving the invitation quickly turned to feelings of dread as she started to ask questions such as, ‘Who am I within this speaker line up? What do I have to say that actually matters? How can I even compare to these other voices?’

In short, Hannah was experiencing a good dose of Imposter Syndrome, and if you resonated with anything from the opening paragraphs, chances are you can sympathise with how she was feeling!

Upon hearing the news of Hannah’s invitation, however, her mum exclaimed,

It was those simple words that changed everything for Hannah.

Instead of searching for all the ways she was qualified for what was before her, comparing herself to those around her and searching for approval, her mind went to the beauty the opportunity presented and to myriad chances the conference would afford to learn things she didn’t yet know. A simple shift in perspective was all Hannah needed, and it’s a shift we too can make.

If we approach our time with needle and thread with the mindset of learning, instead of comparing and worrying we don’t measure up, we’ll take our notebook in hand and learn from the stitching before us as well as those around us. Instead of trying to prove our worth, we’ll simply realise we’re there to learn.

Here’s to being students of stitching for life and always learning…

After sharing Callie Holland’s thoughts on how the time ‘in between’ shapes who we are in All Stitched Up! issue #344, Maureen was reminded of her mother who used her ‘in-between’ to the full.

Maureen’s mother Irene started work at the tender age of 14 examining fibres that were destined for use in parachutes during WWII. Irene was constantly surrounded by fabrics and threads. She began making clothes for family and friends, which eventually led to her undertaking a qualification in tailoring and teaching.

Irene learnt, practised and shared her love of needle and thread throughout her life, passing her skills onto many people including Maureen.

When Irene died, aged 94, Linda Ellis’s poem ‘The Dash’ was read at her funeral. As Maureen so eloquently stated, the poem ‘was so fitting as she’d certainly used her dash to the full.’

Never a truer word was spoken Maureen. Not only did your mother spend her dash indulging her passion for all things needle and thread, but passed her legacy of embroidery onto the next generation. Her story is both an inspiration and invitation to each of us to make sure we’re spending our dash well.

From a life well lived, it’s onto our Inspirations Community who’ve continued the conversation about books that should be well read!

After reading ‘The Girl Who Wrote in Silk’ by Kelli Estes, Karla couldn’t wait to pass on the recommendation. An elaborately stitched piece of fabric found hidden in a house becomes the focus of an historic novel inspired by true events. The poignant tale centres around two women who, though separated by centuries, become bound by a length of silk.

Whilst tragic truths will be uncovered and impossible choices made, the story unpacks the tale of the women as they determine to do the right thing, all the while reminding us about the power of our own stories.

After making mention of ‘The Silk Weaver’ in last week’s Have Your Say, Jane emailed to let us know that the book was published as ‘The Hidden Thread’ in the United States. That is a very helpful hint for any of our North American readers who were struggling to order a copy to read Jane! We appreciate you taking the time to let us know about the title change and just how much you enjoy the inspiration provided through All Stitched Up!

Whether it be more stories of lives well lived, books that deserve to be well read or simply tales of needle and thread, we’d love to hear what you have to say! We look forward to receiving your email as you join in on the conversation.

As the world mourns the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, one cannot help but admire and celebrate her life dedicated to servitude.

Acting as the Patron for the Royal School of Needlework, Her Majesty served from 2002 through to 2016, during which time she attended several needlework exhibitions helping to raise awareness of hand embroidery as both a traditional and dynamic contemporary art form.

Each of us will have our own unique perspective on what The Queen’s tenure and her death has meant to us, and our personal grief will also manifest itself in many different ways.

As stitchers we are comforted by the knowledge that it is during these times the soothing and soulful respite of needlework can act as a wonderful elixir to ease our ails.

Just this week we received an email from Courtney Cox who shared with us her own story of needle and thread:

‘It was made over 31 hours, during which the portrait was hand embroidered onto dissolving fabric, the fabric dissolved, and then the portrait was mounted onto iridescent plastic stretched over a 10”x 10” (25cm x 25cm) canvas.’

Thank you, Courtney, for sending in this beautifully stitched tribute to The Queen. Such a fitting and poignant piece, which no doubt will be one of many being created by stitchers right now as they turn to embroidery to process and express their grief.

Thank you for your service, Your Majesty. May you be forever remembered as a life laid down for the betterment of the people.

When it’s time to elevate or emphasise a few features of a project you’re working on, having a range of metallic threads on hand is a must.

Au Papillon threads are made in Greece and are high-quality threads that are a real joy to use.

Featuring a bright metallic finish, they are flexible, malleable and easily pass through fabric without shredding.

Now we all know threads are much more fun when they travel in packs, so we have just the thing to ensure you have all the essential colours in your stash.

The Au Papillon ‘Fil d'Or De Luxe’ Metallics Thread Pack includes 13 x 35m (114') reels across a variety of gorgeous hues such as gold, copper, silver, black, white and even green and red.

Whether it’s outlining a motif or adding a glint of sparkle to your current design, the Au Papillon thread pack is your new best friend.

Whenever a product is bold enough to use the word sublime in its name it’s either going to be an oxymoron or an understatement.

With so many great reviews to be found online, luckily for Sublime Transfer Pens they have a product that lives up to the name!

In fact, they are so popular that after we first announced they were available on our website we completely sold out. But the good news is that more stock is on its way.

Sublime Iron-On Transfer Pens are available in either blue or green – order yours below today!

Over recent weeks we’ve been releasing projects from Inspirations issue #83 as digital patterns. If you’ve lost track that’s ok, today we’re releasing the final four so now all the projects from this fantastic issue are just a download away.

Crocus Sativus is a detailed botanical study of the saffron crocus. Designed by Lesley Turpin-Delport and featuring trapunto quilting, surface embroidery and needlelace stitches, this specimen is stitched using a variety of silk, cotton and wool threads on a background of silk dupion.

Keep your iPad/tablet safe with Spice Up Your Life by Louise Spriggs, a handy padded cover embellished with exotic felt flower motifs worked in a stunning palette of rich colours.

Louise also created A Pinch of Spice, which uses the same striking colour palette and gorgeous design to create a spectacular felt brooch that just so happens to be a companion project to complement the Spice Up Your Life tablet cover.

Soft Touch by Heather Scott is an elegant, piped cushion featuring a threadpainted pelargonium, a flower popular with many gardeners due to its rich variety of colours.

Worked onto broadcloth with stranded cotton and shaded silk threads in soft shades of watermelon and apple green, the cushion is finished in piping and closes with a zip.

The above projects, as well as all the previously released designs, are now all available to purchase as digital patterns using the link below.

The Gardens Trust in the UK are swapping their spades for needles as they explore how plants and gardens have inspired arts and crafts.

Launching a series of online lectures entitled ‘The Fabric of Flowers’, the trust is taking a somewhat sideways step from their usual content as they focus on textiles and explore some of the historical and technical aspects of embroidering, weaving and printing using floral designs on fabric.

Inspirations ‘alumni’, Cynthia Jackson and Nicola Jarvis are opening the series across the first two weeks, with lectures from Mary Schoeser, Fiona McKelvie, Lynn Hulse and Janet Haigh rounding out the series.

Starting on 19 September, you can find out more and book tickets HERE. The talks will also be recorded and will be available for a week after each live lecture, so they can be viewed at leisure from anywhere in the world.

We’re excited to see this collaboration taking place as often it’s a one-way conversation with stitchers talking about the beauty of gardens, but now the gardeners get to hear about the beauty of needlework!

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

The humble bee… how did it become one of the most popular and famous insects of all time?

Having now expanded their brand presence far beyond just the garden, imagery of bees, honey and anything to do with the business of pollination can be found on almost anything and anywhere.

Whichever marketing company the bees engaged to represent them should take a bow – they have done an amazing job of marketing and promoting these busy buzzy fellows.

Bees can now be found starring in movie roles, appearing on merchandise, homewares products, clothing, stationery lines, featuring in embroidery designs, sung about in pop songs, they also lay claim to the second letter of the alphabet… let’s face it the bee is probably more famous than even Elvis!

By designing a series of projects entitled ‘Shades of Whitework’ Trish introduced colour into what were predominantly monochromatic pieces and in doing so revolutionised a technique that had previously been limited to a singular colour - white.

It is by using the whitework with colour process that Trish has created the ridiculously charming project Bumblebee that has been released as part of our Handpicked series – projects that you can purchase exclusively as printed or digital patterns.

Now, back to the bee. In particular, the bumblebee. Let’s look at some facts. The bumblebee is part of the larger bee family and is identified by its big, fluffy abdomen, a clue as to why they are so popular – fluffy always equals cute, right? Maybe not when it comes to spiders though… but we digress.

Feeding on nectar and living in small colonies, bumblebees are as important as pollinators as honeybees but are equally endangered.

When seeking to be both popular and famous, it also helps to have an incredibly important job that everyone benefits from. Honeybees alone pollinate 80 percent of all flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables. So whether it’s enjoying a healthy bite to eat or a vase of fresh flowers in your home, bees are right up there in delivering the goods for us all.

Taking a closer look at the Bumblebee piece Trish has created, we can see why Trish Burr is also so famous.

The bee’s large fluffy body has been skilfully shaped using long and short stitch combined with subtle shading across the iconic black stripes.

Cute, stumpy legs, stitched again with short and long stitch, help to replicate the anatomically correct nature of their hairy legs.

Next, we have two sets of wings finished in a wonderful combination of techniques. Padded satin stitch on the front edges to create height, seed stitch for texture and threadpainting to replicate transparency.

The entire piece is worked with stranded cotton onto white linen, and to elevate the design further, Trish adorns our famous friend with a sprinkling of flowers as a subtle reminder of the unique symbiotic relationship they share.

For those of us who can’t wait to thread up our needles and begin stitching this fabulous piece, the Bumblebee Ready-to-Stitch kit even comes with the design pre-printed on the fabric so you can skip the design transfer process and lay your first stitches the minute you’ve hooped up.

There we have it, another classic Trish Burr design for us all to enjoy stitching and another reason why both Trish and bees are so famous!

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Bumblebee by Trish Burr is a striking bumblebee, worked in Trish's unique ‘Whitework with Colour’ technique.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Bumblebee includes everything* you need to re-create this this spectacular specimen: Fabric (with pre-printed design), embroidery threads and needles.

Gatsby by Trish Burr is a dapper flapper girl inspired by the 'roaring twenties' in whitework with colour.

Giraffe with Barbara Streisand Eyes by Trish Burr is a beguiling giraffe with dreamy eyes in whitework with colour.

O, Tannenbaum by Trish Burr from Inspirations issue #108 is a Scandinavian-inspired Christmas tree using an elegant palette of white, blue and gold.

After sharing Trish Burr’s (almost) monochromatic Bumblebee as this week’s Featured Project, our What Are You Stitching? files revealed other stitchers who appreciate the striking simplicity of stitching with single-coloured thread. Enjoy the monotone minimalism of this week’s What Are You Stitching?...

Firstly, Betsy it’s an honour to have you join us for ‘What Are You Stitching?’ this week… welcome! Secondly, we love how you customised Seeing Red to become yet another addition to your etui collection. Supplementing the project with an extra needlebook and scissor sheath is a brilliant idea and we know that Di will be thrilled you chose to stitch one of her designs. Also, we think there might just be a stitcher or two who are just a little envious that you have your husband’s assistance with all things needle and thread!

Linda, we appreciate you being an Inspirations Foundation Member - one of our readers who have been part of the Inspirations family from the very beginning, having all issues 1 to 100. Thank you for your support over so many years. It’s always an honour to hear we’ve been such an integral part of someone’s journey with needle and thread. Deerfield and Deborah Love are synonymous with each other, and we know she’ll be delighted to see the hours you’ve poured into stitching her designs.

Jane, not only are the wall hangings a wonderful legacy from your Mum, but her willingness to adapt her time with needle and thread as she grew older is a beautiful lesson in aging gracefully. A lesson we can all use as the years continue to pass us by!

Mattie, your eagerness to attempt a new technique after so many years with needle and thread is inspirational. We love that such a simple tool became so integral to completing Squarely Check. Your pincushion is picture perfect! We look forward to seeing what’s next on your journey with blackwork.

Jane, we love that you’ve taken a project and truly made it your own by altering the finish. You’ve created a practical and useful box that will take pride of place wherever its displayed. And just to let you in on a little secret – projects have been selected, a location booked, and props are being sourced as you read this newsletter in anticipation of the release of ‘A Fine Tradition II’ in March next year. It’s going to be every bit as beautiful as Margaret’s first book and we can’t wait to share it with you!

What about you? Do you love the simplicity of a single colour of thread or do the myriad colours available mean you couldn’t possibly choose just one?

Whatever colour palette you choose to stitch with, we’d love to see it. Simply email photos of what you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com

Become part of the Inspirations family by subscribing to the magazine... we'd love to have you join us!

Celine Semaan and Leonie Morgan’s latest book entitled ‘A Modern Girl’s Guide to Granny Squares’ offers a fabulously varied and colourful range of adaptations of the basic granny square.

Daffodils & Violas by Wendy Innes is a display of bright, spring flowers embroidered using stumpwork, raised and surface embroidery.

Monarch by Wendy Innes from Inspirations issue #42 is a striking stumpwork butterfly and thistle.

Buttercup by Wendy Innes from Inspirations issue #47 is a scissor case and matching fob featuring a sunny yellow buttercup.

Viola Tricolor by Wendy Innes from Inspirations issue #46 is an exquisite botanical study in stumpwork.

Anise by Wendy Innes from Inspirations issue #53 is a stunning stumpwork butterfly picture.

~ Hannah Brencher ~

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