Copy
ISSUE 351, 7 OCTOBER, 2022
No images? View online
INSPIRATIONS. ALL Stitched Up!
Click to enable images
Hi There,
Have you ever stopped to notice how often you find yourself ‘working’ on something?

It might be that you’re working on keeping a gratitude journal or working towards one of the New Year’s Resolutions you set at the start of 2022. You might be working on a home renovation, your health or the relationships with those you hold dearest. You might simply be ‘working’ on the stitching before you.

Somehow, we’ve come to believe that ‘working on’ something means that we’re taking it seriously. We’re committed to an outcome and are willing to put in the effort to get there.
‘But what if it could be easy?’
This simple question posed by Ingrid Fetell Lee led her to explore the possibility that there might just be an easier way to ‘work’.

Ingrid came to realise that when we allow things to happen rather than pushing our way through them, when we soften into an experience rather than hardening ourselves to work on it, ‘easy’ can in fact be a conduit to not only joy but also productivity.

Sound easier said than done?!

Ingrid suggests the following ideas to shift our focus from working on what’s before us to easing into it:

Do Less | Is it possible to do less? Maybe you don’t need to do everything that’s before you or maybe some of the things you’re putting your hand to don’t need to be done quite so ‘perfectly’.

Go Slow | Taking your time will allow you to make progress without having to rush toward a result.

Add Music or a Friend | Sometimes adding a component such as music or someone to complete a task with makes it feel lighter.

Embrace Curiosity | Being curious about what’s before us puts us in an exploratory mindset that can relieve the pressure we put on ourselves to perform.

As Ingrid so eloquently reminded us at the end of her piece, ‘there will always be hard things in life, and there will always be things that are worth working for. Let it be easy doesn’t mean drop your standards and settle for less. It doesn’t mean that you never push yourself or rise to a challenge. Rather, it means acknowledging that easy doesn’t mean lazy or weak. It’s not a compromise. It’s a gentle surrender that trades control for presence. By allowing ourselves to participate in an experience without orchestrating it, to let it happen rather than forcing it, we find a more easeful way of being in the world, one that channels our energy in creative new ways.’

We hope that after reading Ingrid’s words, we’ll no longer find ourselves ‘working’ on our time with needle and thread, but rather easing into it. After all, stitching is supposed to be our absolute joy and there are but a few places where work and joy are used synonymously with each other!
 
Have Your Say
To Plan or Not to Plan?
That was the question we raised in All Stitched Up! issue #347 when we unpacked Emily Naismith’s thoughts on meal planning. Emily’s ponderings had us considering whether our approach to the time we spend with needle and thread echoed Emily’s ‘not to plan’ method or whether we had our feet firmly set ‘to plan’.

It turns out the article inspired much pondering from the Inspirations Community!

In general, Carol is a planner, whose stitching is often driven by her desire to learn. As a result, there aren’t many stitching techniques she’s yet to put her hand to.

Carol finds she has certain ‘comfort food’ stitches that she’ll readily put her needle and thread to, however she has come to recognise that time and practise is required to perfect a complicated technique she feels she struggles with.

So, instead of always allowing the ‘comfort food’ to come first, Carol ensures she starts with one of her difficult projects for at least an hour, then rewards herself with some comfort stitching.

Her other rule is that she never starts a new project until her current one is finished.

Judith, on the other hand, prefers to go with the flow in not only her stitching, but also with her paper craft and meal preparation.
I check my supplies and cook what I feel like, usually with no recipe.
When starting a needlework project, Judith follows much the same process – she chooses her ribbon or thread as well as fabric to suit, then stitches without a pattern. Testament to finding this approach more creative, Judith recently crafted more than 70 gift cards and tags for family, with each one of them of unique.
From going with the flow, to ‘definitely not being an Emily’, Cristina finds a lot of the enjoyment in her time with needle and thread is the planning and organising. When creating a perpetual calendar from PuntiniPuntini comprising of some 17 individual panels, Cristina wanted to organise her threads so she wouldn’t have to get them out and put them away at the end of each panel.

Her solution? An Excel Spreadsheet that allowed her to know which colours were needed for each panel and when their use had ended for the project before her.
Cristina recognises that for some, this method may seem cumbersome and ‘a waste of time and energy’, but she found it suited her so well she’s now applying it to her next big project – Hometown Holiday by Little House of Needlework.

Kim usually starts out following the pattern before her, but part way through changes her mind and follows her own instincts. She then finds she enjoys the embroidery before her even more!
Norleen found the question we posed, ‘Do you plan or simply start stitching and see where you end up?’ an interesting one that she had to spend some thinking about.

It turns out her husband has become well versed in that what Noreen says is for dinner at 6:30 in the morning has changed multiple times until the moment it hits the table at 5:30 that evening. But he doesn’t mind, as he knows that whatever Norleen puts on the table is always delicious!

Norleen closed her email with the words of Robert Burns,
‘The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.’
As she recognises hers certainly do when it comes to menu planning!

Interestingly though, when it comes to her stitching, she is a strict planner, so concluded that it is indeed possible to have a foot in both camps.
Sharon is of the same mindset as Emily as she cannot think of anything worse than planning a meal only to find it’s the last thing she feels like eating when it comes time to serve it.

Interestingly, she finds the same thing is true when it comes to planning her wardrobe. Why set clothes out the night before when you may not feel like wearing them the next morning?!

Instead, Sharon’s planning includes making sure her fridge is full of healthy fruits and vegetables and her clothes are clean and ready to wear so the choices before her each day are all but limitless.
We love that the Inspirations Community is always so willing to share their thoughts as they continue the conversations we start each week. They always give us food for thought and this week is no exception. We’ve come to appreciate that when it comes to the question of whether to plan or not to plan, it really is possible to have a foot in both camps depending on what we find before us. So, here’s to planning or not planning subject to what we’re doing and/or how we’re feeling at any given time!
 
Needlework News
Susan Clarke Originals | Charm Pack
For anyone familiar with Carolyn Pearce’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ embroidered workbox, you will appreciate that part of the reason it is such a spectacular project is the quality of components Carolyn used when creating it.
The 10th Anniversary Edition of Home Sweet Home uses no less than 17 charms, which is all part of the intricate story telling that each panel and each piece conveys.
It’s no wonder then, that Carolyn chose Susan Clarke Originals as her charms of choice.
Susan Clarke Original Charms are an American owned and operated artisan business who make the most exquisite charms you will ever find.
If you have never used a charm on a needlework project before, you have been missing out! With such a huge range of characters and motifs to choose from, selecting one from their premium quality range can really elevate a design.
This week we are super excited to release a brand-new collection of Susan Clarke Original charms we have put together.
The Home Sweet Home charm pack comes with 17 charms in total and includes the following:

3 x Bee Hive Charms
5 x Bee Charms (Petite)
3 x Bee Charms (Small)
1 x Owl Button
1 x Bunny Charm
1 x Carrot Charm
1 x Gecko Charm
1 x Ladybug Charm
1 x Flower Pot Charm

These are all the charms required to re-create the workbox and accessories for the Home Sweet Home 10th Anniversary Edition in one convenient pack.
These are also a beautiful collection of stunning charms that you can use for myriad projects and designs.
So, whether you are creating your own Home Sweet Home workbox or looking for that little something extra to add to your next design, this is the charm pack for you.
Koala Stitchable Comforters
Koala’s look like cuddly teddy bears that you just want to scoop up and hold, don’t they? In fact, as most Aussie’s know, due to the koala’s sharp claws, strong limbs and rigid muscular bodies, the reality of handling these marsupials is quite a different experience.
Try and disturb one in the wild and you will quickly find a very unwilling participant who is prone to scratching and biting!

Still hankering to cuddle a koala? Luckily, we have a solution… well not for you exactly, but for a baby in your life!
The DMC Stitchable Comforter is a much better way to enjoy cuddling a koala, suitable for babies and young children alike, this adorable two in one toy is both a plush animal and comforter.
The best part? You can personalise the koala’s bib by stitching the baby's name, date of birth or favourite motif on the 18ct Aida cloth.
Nothing is more special than receiving a gift that has been personalised and as stitchers, that is what we do best!
Available in Pink, Blue and Grey, these versatile gifts are just waiting for a new home. Order your Stitchable Koala Comforter today.
Beating Around The Bush Update
Once upon a time there was a fabulous needlework convention that would gather the world’s best tutors along with needlework fans from all over the globe for 7 days of pure stitching joy.
And then along came Covid-19…
As many of our readers will know, ever since our last convention held back in 2018, we have been trying in earnest to host our next Beating Around the Bush.
The greatest barrier we have faced in trying to plan another international needlework convention has been the mandated quarantine rules Australia has had in place for anyone testing positive to Covid.

The ramifications of these quarantine restrictions could result in entire classes cancelled at the last minute, or worse, halfway through the event.
Logos from Beating Around the Bush over the years
When considering the time and costs associated with everyone travelling around the world to join us, the prospect of disappointing even a single participant who may get infected and be required to spend the entire convention isolated in quarantine, is not a risk we can in good conscience take.
So, for now, we continue to wait.
While the mandate to quarantine for Covid in Australia is soon to be revised, as we are all aware this is very much a moving target and could be reinstated at any time.

As soon as it is safe to do so, we will begin exploring options for what Beating Around the Bush looks like in the new post-Covid world we live in.
Thank you for everyone’s continued interest in the event, stay tuned to All Stitched Up! for further updates…

The Inspirations Team
Inspirations Magazine#115 Kits | Final Call
Within each issue of Inspirations Magazine, there is a treasure trove of projects to admire, savour and ultimately re-create in stitch.
As it’s a quarterly publication, there does come a time when we thank the previous issue for all the wonder it has imparted as we look ahead to what new wonders await in the upcoming issue.
Just before we bid farewell, we take a moment to ensure we’ve extracted every last bit of stitching goodness!
So now is the time to pick up your copy of Inspirations magazine #115… it’s ok we’ll wait for you to find it… (don’t have a copy? It’s not too late, click HERE to fix the problem)…
…Found it? Great, now open it up and refresh your memory with which projects you fell in love with, and ensure you have either added them to your ‘Must Stitch’ list and/or purchased the relevant Ready-To-Stitch Kits.
Kits for some projects have already sold out, so take action today to ensure you don’t miss out and make the most of your time with issue #115.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Browse Kits from Issue #115
 
 
Featured Project
Put Your Feet Up by Di Kirchner
Crewel embroidery is a favourite technique among the needlework community the world over. Its popularity ensures it features frequently in our magazines and books, which, in itself, is just a reflection of how much our talented designers enjoy developing stunning pieces using this fabulous technique.
A master at crewel embroidery, Di Kirchner has taken a beautifully unusual step with her latest project in A Passion for Needlework 4 – The Whitehouse Daylesford. She’s turned her prodigious talent to a floral design with her piece entitled Put Your Feet Up, which is as Australian as kangaroos and beaches.
This is the second of Di’s magnificent crewel embroidered footstools that we’ve had the pleasure of bringing you – the first being Four Corners, which was published as one of our special Handpicked projects.
With Put Your Feet Up, rather than drawing on her wealth of experience in Jacobean crewel design, Di has looked out her own window and drawn inspiration from the fantastic flowers growing in the Australian countryside.
Right at the centre of this bouquet is a fiery red waratah surrounded by a beautifully symmetrical arrangement. Within it you’ll find banksia flowers, kangaroo paw, bottlebrush, gum blossoms, hakea, grevillea and the fluffiest wattle flowers you could imagine.
The rich reds and pinks are completely true to life. So often, to achieve such bold colours, a designer may stylise their flowers, but Di is lucky enough to be able to work with blooms that are already brilliant, just as nature created them.
Di has balanced each bloom perfectly to ensure that the individual colours stand out and are set off by the ones around it. She’s also succeeded in emulating the glorious textures of all of the flowers, especially the pom-pom-like wattle, the spiky bottlebrush and the plump hakea.

She’s selected precisely the right techniques to give a realistic effect. This means once you’ve mastered the process Di explains in easy-to-follow, step-by-step detail, you can get on with enjoying the satisfaction of seeing each flower emerge from the linen as you place your stitches.
By mounting Put Your Feet Up into a footstool, you’ll create a piece of heirloom furniture for your house. Of course, there will be some of you who would be far too afraid that someone might come into the living room after a day of gardening or walking in nature and put their dirty feet on to your exquisite embroidery!
We would hope that the glory of this project would make even the weariest person stop to look.
However, if you have any fear, Put Your Feet Up would look just as magnificent framed and hung on the wall where there would be no risk of a muddy shoeprint!
Bring the air of Australia into your house with Di Kirchner’s stunning floral bouquet. Put Your Feet Up will be a project to be proud of, no matter how you choose to mount it.
It will bring as much pleasure in the stitching as it will in the years of admiring it after it is complete. No muddy boots allowed!
Make Your Own Put Your Feet Up
Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Put Your Feet Up by Di Kirchner depicts vibrant Australian flowers in crewel embroidery, perfect for a footstool.
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | The White House Daylesford
 
Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Put Your Feet Up includes everything* you need to re-create these vibrant blooms: Fabrics (inc. with pre-printed design), embroidery threads and needles.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Put Your Feet Up
 
*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 Footstools?
Four Corners
Four Corners by Di Kirchner from the 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.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Four Corners
 
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Four Corners
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Four Corners
 
Winter Sunset
Winter Sunset by Hazel Blomkamp from the book A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII is a stunning footstool worked in glorious surface embroidery with gentle colours and textures.
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Winter Sunset
 
Masterpiece
Masterpiece by Hazel Blomkamp from Inspirations #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
 
What Are You Stitching?
As we were preparing our ‘Final Call’ for Inspirations issue #115 for this week’s issue of the newsletter, we realised just how many projects from past issues of the magazine have been completed by the Inspirations Community and are waiting to be shared in our What Are You Stitching? files. Although we can’t possibly fit them into a single issue of the newsletter, we’ll make a good start this week!
Amy Green
‘A few months ago, Elisabetta Sforza’s Pane di Casa was shared in All Stitched Up! and I fell in love with it! Although I’m mostly a knitter and have never made anything like it before, I immediately bought the pattern and some linen.’
‘While I really loved Elisabetta’s red poppies and blue flowers, I was making this for my son, so I revised the pattern to include his favourite blue thistle, some red berries and a small tassel in place of the bow. He bakes bread all the time, so I hope he’ll use this as intended.
I certainly learned a lot of new techniques and really love how it turned out.
I enjoyed working on it so much I’m thinking of starting another one. Thank you for the weekly inspiration!’

Amy, swapping your knitting needles for an embroidery needle has indeed served you well! Not only have you done an incredible job of recreating Pane di Casa, but you’ve truly made it your own by revising the design with your son in mind. Never a more personal or beautiful bag will your son’s bread be stored in!
Henrietta Gotts
‘When I saw June Godwin's ‘Rustle of Winter’ available as a digital pattern, I was immediately intrigued. I have always wanted to render embroideries based on watercolours and this one fitted the bill. I painted a slightly wrinkled muslin ground fabric and gathered all the threads after converting them to DMC. I slightly modified some of the colours based on what I had in my stash. I also made the mouse slightly smaller and rounder and I think he is adorable! I'm happy with how this piece turned out.’
Henrietta, you have right to be pleased with how this piece turned out. You’ve done a beautiful job of stitching Rustle of Winter, and we’re with you, the mouse is simply adorable!
Josette Belanger
‘I am a fan of your beautiful magazine which has inspired me for several years now. Over the last few months, I stitched ‘Sakura’ by Margaret Lee.’
‘I made it with the beads I had to hand, taking some liberties with the original colours. I love his technique! Thanks to Inspirations and Mrs Lee.’
Josette, the liberties you took with Margaret’s original colour palette make your purse one of a kind! We love that you enjoyed the beading so much and look forward to seeing what you create next.
Lucie Duguay
‘I’ve finally finished ‘Mountain Oak’ and am quite happy with the result seeing as it’s my first attempt at crewelwork.’
‘I had to change the design of one of the hillocks as after a few attempts, I couldn’t achieve the weaving as published. I think it still looks good and am ready for the next project!’
Lucie, we would never have guessed this was your first attempt at crewelwork! We love that you adapted the original design of the hillock to suit your needle and thread and that Anna Scott’s design has inspired you onto further projects.

Have you created something from the pages of Inspirations magazine that you’re yet to share with us? Not only do we love to see what you create with needle and thread, but know the designers also love to see their work recreated by the Inspirations Community.
Whether you’ve created a project that’s picture perfect to the original or have adapted it to make it truly your own, we’d really 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
 
Subscribe to Inspirations Magazine
Not a Subscriber? Join Today!
Become part of the Inspirations family by subscribing to the magazine... we'd love to have you join us!
 
You May Have Missed
New Book | Crewel Animal Portraits
Hazel Blomkamp has now released another fabulous book that, this time, gives prominence to the tiger, lion, zebra, giraffe, monkey and leopard.
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ by Trish Burr is a wonderful botanical illustration magically brought to life with needle and thread.
 
PRINTED BOOK
A Passion for Needlework | The White House Daylesford
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’
 
Simple Pleasures
Simple Pleasures by Maree Moscato from Inspirations #19 is a beautiful table runner featuring a tulip, daffodil, bluebells and violets.
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Simple Pleasures
 
Redouté’s Tulips
Redouté's Tulips by Trish Burr from Inspirations #100 features magnificent threadpainted tulips based on a botanical watercolour.
 
PRINTED PATTERN
Redouté's Tulips
 
 
DIGITAL PATTERN
Redouté's Tulips
 
Purity
Purity by Margaret Lee is a single lotus bloom, symbolising purity, harmony and renewal, stitched using the Random Stitch Embroidery technique.
 
PRINTED BOOK
The Art of Chinese Embroidery 2
 
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Purity
 
Redouté’s Sweet Peas
Redouté’s Sweet Peas by Trish Burr is a scene of captivating, sweet peas reproduced from a 17th century painting by PJ Redouté.
 
READY-TO-STITCH KIT
Redouté’s Sweet Peas
 
This Week on Social
 
Verena Boehm asks "why would I ever work on solid fabric and deprive us all of images like this?" Why indeed!
 
Incredible embroidered landscape stitched by Julia Omarova.
 
Quote
‘Making things easy is hard.’

~ Ted Nelson ~

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

Unsubscribe
/ Forward to a Friend / Shop Online

You are receiving this email because you signed up online, at a craft show, subscribed to our magazine, or purchased something from our online store. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, we'll be sorry to see you go, but click HERE and we'll remove your email address from this list. Thank you.