Kerri Duncan is an Adelaide based freelance writer, scientist and self-confessed below average surfer with an approach to hobbies that made us think about our time with needle and thread in a whole new light.

A recent email from Kelly Fletcher pointed us in the direction of an article she wrote titled ‘The Joy of Mediocrity: We Need Hobbies, Even if We’re Bad at Them, To Free us From Perfection’.

Kerri opened the article with a confession that whilst she’s been surfing for almost 20 years now, you wouldn’t guess it if you watched her, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.

Whilst Merriam-Webster defines a hobby as ‘a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation’, Kerri had come to realise that life had taught her otherwise. From a career in laboratory and medical sciences that allows little room for error right through to the adage that ‘anything worth doing is worth doing well’, there was an inherent expectation that ‘our precious spare time should be spent honing our skills or increasing our output as anything less would be lazy.’

This, however, meant that it was possible to turn her hobbies into a productivity race that inadvertently meant Kerri’s downtime now felt like more work time. Her solution? Reserve some activities for ‘purely imperfect pleasure’. It’s not that she doesn’t want to put any effort into her recreational pursuits, it’s just that she’s come to realise that she doesn’t have to improve at something to enjoy it.

So much so in fact, that Kerri, along with a good friend, have recently agreed to try a new activity every month regardless of how well they think they’ll do at it. They’ve come to appreciate that ‘the joy is in giving it a go and relishing a fresh experience’.

We welcomed Kerri’s viewpoint and realised that whilst we’ll always strive to improve the stitches we lay, we also need to allow the time and space to simply enjoy the stitching before us. No pressure, just the uncomplicated enjoyment of losing ourselves in an activity that gives us ‘a sense of meaning and purpose, while being blissfully distracted from everyday stressors’.

Perhaps we could even commit to trying a new stitch or technique every month, committing to wholeheartedly enjoy the process even if we find ourselves below average?!

As promised last week, we’re continuing to share the eye-opening responses we’ve received to Marcia’s call for help in All Stitched Up! issue #369:

‘I enjoy embroidery and cross stitch, but recent cataract surgery has left me far sighted. I am now having trouble seeing well enough to stitch. Although I’ve bought magnifying glasses and a hands-free headband magnifier, I’m wondering what others do when they have vision problems with their stitching.’

Based on her own experience with cataract surgery, Rebecca wrote in with a little reassurance for Marcia.

‘My own cataract surgery resulted in a very low period filled with fear and despair for me. My doctor had not adequately described what vision I would and wouldn’t have after the procedure. Eventually I came to realise that she truly didn’t understand how important stitching was in my life, or how a stitcher uses her eyes.

However, a friend pointed me to a story about the research of Adrian Chopin, PhD, into dimensional or 3D vision. He found that seamstresses had the best 3D vision. While it didn’t solve my problems, it gave me vocabulary and understanding that helped ease my deep concern that I might never stitch detailed pieces again.’

Struggling with both older eyes and a touch of dementia, Judy found hardanger increasingly challenging as the accuracy of her counting and steady handedness weren’t what they used to be. Although the initial heartbreak of her inability to continue with her favourite technique brought with it a sense of sadness and grief, in time she found a solution.

Although prescription glasses helped a little, it was a simple five-stitch knitting pattern that pointed Judy in the right direction. Initially she would look at the pattern and know how to do the stitch, but when she turned to the needles in her hand, she’d draw a complete blank. She did, however, stick with the knitting before her and although she may have ripped out more rows than she completed in the blanket, she did eventually finish.

Judy attributes the never-ending rhythm of the five-stitch pattern as well as checking each completed set to have broken through both the mental and visual fog of connecting her brain to the pattern, the pattern to her hands and her hands to needle and thread.

Judy has since returned to a simple cross stitch on 32 count linen and is able to stitch for an hour at a time using a floor lamp for illumination before eye strain sets in. There is also a partially finished hardanger piece she’s going to tackle next.

But, if all else fails, not only has Judy learned to look back at her 41 years with needle and thread with a sense of pride, but she also knows there is always 14 count aida cloth!

Preferring to stitch on very small count linen, canvas and silk, Lisa found herself with a predicament, and one that many of us can relate to.

Lisa did, however, come to learn of CraftOptics, a company based in the US that manufactures a product specifically designed for those who create with their hands. Similar to what a dentist wears, CraftOptics make magnifying eyeglasses for the home hobbyist. They were everything Lisa had hoped for and have allowed her to return to a project on 36 count linen that had been shelved for years.

Finally, Janice, an expert in the field, wrote in with some words of advice we can all heed when it comes to our time with needle and thread.

‘As a retired Optometrist I have learned a great deal about getting the correct spectacles for the task you are trying to see.

Marcia needs to see her local optometrist and have a full eye assessment. She then needs a pair of custom-made glasses with a +4.00 addition for embroidery. They will be much stronger than she has worn before but will make it quite easy to see stitching that is 25cm (10”) from her as that’s how close most of us do our embroidery. In fact, she should visit the optometrist with her embroidery so they can test it out. The other thing she will need is a closely situated lamp to light up her work. She also needs to be shown how to use the head mounted magnifier with the correct spectacles. All this can be shown to her by the optometrist.’

Marcia, Janice also went onto to mention that if your surgery was not a great success, you may have developed low vision and could see a specialist optometrist at a Low Vision Clinic who may be able to assist.

Over the last couple of weeks, the emails we’ve shared have provided a wealth of information not just for Marica but will be something each of us can refer back to when we experience the inevitable changes in eyesight we’re bound to experience as the years pass us by.

If you love the Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle that graces the cover of Inspirations issue #118 as much as we do, we've got the perfect addition to your reading list.

The designer of that gorgeous cover project, Victoria Matthewson, is also the author of ‘Needlepainted Plants and Pollinators’, a book published by Search Press featuring nine beautifully stitched plant and pollinator projects.

With each piece worked with filament silk, every intricate aspect of the subject matter at hand is superbly captured in great detail.

What is the important message Victoria conveys through the projects specifically selected for this book?

Check out our full review of the Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle design below or read our full review of Victoria's book on page 15 of issue #118 to discover more.

Then, when you’re ready, come on back here and click the link below to purchase your own copy of this stunning publication.

A little over a year ago, we introduced you to our exciting new book series ‘The Design Collective’ with the first volume, which focused on the humble pincushion, creating quite the stir.

The concept is simple – we pick a theme and ask 12 of the world’s most talented artisans to design a project based on their own interpretation of the theme. No rules, no guidelines, just pure unrestricted creativity.

Now we can’t say too much, but the second volume of The Design Collective is currently in production and scheduled for release this October, so stay tuned for clues as to what new assignment our designers have been given.

In the meantime, if you don’t have a copy of The Design Collective 1 | Pincushions, now is the time to get one, plus we even have a huge range of Ready-to-Stitch kits from the book still available.

As we’ll be clearing our shelves to make room for the new mystery themed kits coming soon, today is the perfect time to purchase any pincushion kits you may have had your eye on. Click HERE to browse our range of kits and click below to purchase your copy of the book.

Our mission to release all the projects from Inspirations magazine as digital patterns continues this week with the release of the final two projects from issue #64. Titled ‘Grannies, Babies and Afternoon Tea’, issue #64 featured a range of projects centred around little ones… these adorable designs are irresistible.

Shauna Waters' Irish Lace is an intricate evening bag featuring a gorgeous design comprised of florals, leaves and an exquisite dragonfly on each side. Irish crochet is utilised to resemble lace on this graceful and timeless project.

Sweet Pea by Julie Graue features satin ribbons, soft pink roses and puffed sleeves to create a wonderful, embroidered baby romper. Bullion roses and tiny pink rosebuds embellish this piece, the perfect gift for a little one in your life.

Corinne Lapierre is a talented UK designer who creates the most adorable felt kits. Our love affair continues as we’re thrilled to bring you not one, but two Corinne announcements this week.

First up, our new delivery of Corinne Lapierre’s spectacular 12 Days of Christmas kits have arrived, and they now include her popular book with instructions which was previously sold separately.

These kits won’t last, so if you have someone in mind who would love this as a Christmas present, or you’re looking for a project to stitch that will take your Christmas tree decorations to a whole new cuteness level, click below and purchase today.

Secondly, Corinne’s irresistible Lavender Houses were so popular they were previously sold out – until now! We’ve received our new stock order and are thrilled to have them available once again.

Our full range of Corinne Lapierre kits can be found HERE.

Get ready for the next SNAD (San Francisco School of Needlework and Design) Stitch at Home Challenge.

Designed to encourage stitchers to step outside their comfort zone, this one is titled Radical Botanical.

Aiming to celebrate the incredible and diverse world of plants, stitchers can use any embroidery technique, or a combination of techniques, to create a piece that symbolises their interpretation of Radical Botanical.

Open to stitchers of every experience level, the Stitch at Home Challenge encourages you to take inspiration from the world around you.

To find out more, including details on how to enter, visit the SNAD website HERE.

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

Do you agree with the following statement:

The magic of embroidery is all in the details.

Now before you answer, perhaps let us explain further… whenever we show a finished piece of embroidered art to a non-stitcher, it has been our observation that typically the first thing they do is squint their eyes and get as close to the piece as possible.

Once they see the fibres of the threads and affirm to themselves that, yes, unbelievably, this art has indeed been created using a needle and thread, they are mystified at what is almost an optical illusion.

How can anything be created in such small-scale detail?

Yet for those of us in the needlework fraternity, this is our day-to-day endeavour - dealing with details.

The project Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle by Victoria Matthewson from Inspirations issue #118 is a masterclass in details.

Worked in Pipers Silks, you might often expect to combine several strands together when stitching, however in this project Victoria creates the vast majority of this design with a single strand of silk floss thread.

Why is this significant? It allows for an incredible amount of fine detail to be achieved, something you might usually see in Chinese Embroidery or other super-fine techniques where the end results are so life-like, they are often mistaken for a painting.

Silk floss is also very pleasurable to stitch with as the strands are strong and lustrous, providing a beautiful finish that shimmers in the light. Sometimes we refer to this shimmer as being akin to a lenticular effect, as when you shift your viewing perspective the project comes alive and dances with the movement of light.

The beetle itself has been shaded in a very specific manner to appear three-dimensional with darker hues used around the edges then lighter shades graded towards the centre. The Meadow Buttercup flower on the other hand has been shaded consistent with a light source coming from the west at a 45-degree angle creating hyper-realistic shadows and highlights across the leaves, the petals and even the stem.

Did you notice the French knots in the centre of the buttercup flowers? Such a lovely touch.

So why should you consider stitching a buttercup flower and a thick-legged beetle? There are many reasons, but for today we’ll leave you with just one… and it’s a good one:

This project also appears in Victoria’s new book Needlepainted Plants and Pollinators, published by Search Press, which we mentioned earlier in this newsletter, where she specifically highlights pollinating insects that are in danger of being lost due to the use of pesticides.

So it’s nice to have a beautiful piece of embroidery for us to enjoy stitching that also carries with it an important environmental message we can all help raise awareness of.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle by Victoria Matthewson is a superb silk embroidery study of a beetle and blossom.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle includes everything* you need to re-create this magnificent specimen: Fabrics (unprinted), embroidery threads and needle.

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

A treasure for embroiderers and lovers of Japanese culture alike, with projects featuring a charming array of motifs including butterflies and other insects, Japanese plants and flowers.

Balthazar by Tania Cohen from Inspirations issue #116 is an irresistible goldwork Christmas beetle brooch with superb details.

Expand your knit and crochet repertoire with this delightful menagerie of miniature bugs and beasts: from creepy crawlies and weird wrigglers to beautiful butterflies and splendid metallic dragonflies.

Having been inspired by Victoria Matthewson’s Buttercup & Thick-legged Flower Beetle, we went to our What Are You Stitching? files and found stitchers who have created their own nature studies.

This is a beautifully stitched project, Karen. We love all the extra details you’ve added that provide so much for us take in and look at. Amazing how many insects you’ve included all in the one piece!

Monika, you’ve really captured the dense wildness of the jungle in your piece beautifully. It must have been incredibly enjoyable to create whilst also learning new techniques.

‘I used silks, cotton threads and pearls. The stitches I used were long and short stitch, satin stitch, French knots, over twisting technique, couching, blanket stitch, turkey stitch, straight stitch and many others.’

This is a glorious project, using so many stitches! You should be doubly proud of your immaculate stitching, Stephanie. If you’d like to see more of Stephanie’s work, you can check out her Instagram page HERE.

Have you stitched a still life project? Do you stitch with unusual materials? Have you found inspiration for a project on Instagram?

Whatever you are stitching, we’d love to see it! 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!

Our incredible team has once again poured their heart and soul into Inspirations #118, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve curated especially for you.

Arbor Vitae by Tania Cohen is a spectacular interpretation of the traditional Tree of Life, bursting with stylised, indigenous flora from several Australian states.

~ Aldo Leopold ~

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