Hi <<First Name>>, Inspirations – Simplified. This year behind the scenes, we’ve been working on simplifying our branding. You may be familiar with the following names: Stitch.ology, Inspirations Magazine, Beating Around the Bush, Embroidery News, Country Bumpkin, Australian Smocking & Embroidery … and all of them are us! But who is us? We are pleased to announce that as of today we are simply called Inspirations Studios. Or Inspirations for short!  To help bring everything together in one place, this week we launched a brand-new website: inspirationsstudios.com Here you will find all our books, magazines, patterns, kits, wares, events, issues of EN, you can update your subscription details, or just enjoy the beautiful imagery. Not only are we celebrating a new website, issue #96 of Inspirations Magazine is now out and for the first time ever, we’re releasing ALL the projects from #96 as digital patterns at the same time. You can read more about all this below, plus check out the gorgeous project ‘Noël’ (pictured right) as well as all the usual EN goodies.  Enjoy!

Why a New Site?

Previously our information was spread across multiple websites.  Now all our products and services are together in one easy to find, simple to use site.

Moving forward everything we do will carry the Inspirations logo – so if you see our logo, you’ll know it’s us!

What’s New?

The first thing you’ll notice about the new website is bigger is better! Images are bigger to showcase more of the world’s most beautiful needlework. Text is bigger making it easier to read on any device.

Finding projects is also easier with improved search filters and we’ve even added ‘more from this designer’ suggestions.

All the past issues of Embroidery News are now listed in an easy to find format.

Like all good websites, it’s a continual work in progress, but we hope that when you stop by you will find ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’. Oh… and lots and lots of beautiful needlework!

> Visit our new website HERE

Sharon Henderson and Marjorie Collins – you asked and the people had their say! This week we share some needlework ‘must sees’ recommended by our community for Sharon and Marjorie’s upcoming holidays.

In EN 108, Sharon Henderson put a call out for suggestions to ‘indulge her needlework passion’ during a trip she has planned visiting Rome, Venice, Rhodes, Athens, Argostoli, Corfu and Crete. 

	Platia Agiou Markou Square – image courtesy zakynthostravelguide.com

Response from: Nan Pavlidis

‘There are many fabric shops in Athens Greece. These can all be found in a specific area of Athens. In the centre of the city. They are all around Platia Agiou Markou. There are lovely wool and embroidery shops very close by too. Ergoxeiro is one of them, in Kleitiou street very close to the fabric shops. Vangelistria street is also worth walking down which joins Platia Agiou Markou. 

Happy shopping! 
Nan Pavlidis - Kos Island, Greece

	Ag Markou Street, Athens – image courtesy athensguide.com

Response from: Georgia Katsarou

‘Dear all at Inspirations, I have some tips for when Sharon visits Athens.  She will find plenty of shops in Kalamiotou street and the area around it. These shops sell both materials for embroidery and hand embroidered pieces.

Since she loves embroidery she must definitely visit the Benaki Museum (Koubari 1 and Vas. Sofias) and the Museum of Greek Folk Art (Kidathineon 17, Plaka). These museums have shops where they sell replicas of the embroideries from their collections.

The places she is going to visit are amazing and all of them have a tradition in embroidery. I am sure that she will have lots of fun.
Best wishes, Georgia

	Benaki Museum, Athens  - image courtesy greece-is.com

Thank you, Nan and Georgia, for sharing your knowledge of all things needlework in Athens, you’ve certainly given Sharon a full itinerary!

Marjorie Collins is off on a cruise up the Danube next month and in EN110 requested ‘those in the know to point me in the direction of shops reasonably close to the ports I will be visiting.’ This prompted a remarkably generous offer from one of our advertisers, and information from an incredibly knowledgeable needlework blogger in Budapest:

Response from: House of Textile Arts, Germany

Hello everybody at Inspirations, it’s so nice that Marjorie is going on a Christmas market cruise on the Danube. When she stops in Passau it would be our pleasure to come and pick her for a personal tour of our world-famous studio ‘House Of Textile Arts’ home to our Painter’s Thread Collection. We would love to host her.

Cheers Baerbel

Wow Baerbel, that is so kind of you - such a lovely gesture! Marjorie will be so thrilled. Thank you.

Response from: Olga Anikeeva

‘Dear Marjorie, I hope you will like Budapest when you visit. While it’s true that Christmas fairs are not the place to look for embroidery supplies, the things they sell there are very interesting to look at nonetheless.

In my blog, I have a post dedicated to some of the embroidery stores in Budapest that I go to myself. All of them are located in downtown and aren’t difficult to find. You can read all about them HERE. Please note they close at 1pm Saturdays and don’t open Sundays.’
Sincerely
Olga Anikeeva - Budapest, Hungary

	Eva Kezimunka Store, Budapest – image courtesy Olga Anikeeva

What an incredibly comprehensive review of craft stories in Budapest Olga! For anyone travelling to your city, this is a must read, so thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Olga has created some stunning needlework pieces which you can check out on her blog HERE including a project from Inspirations issue #95.

If you would like to have a say about something, anything or everything needlework, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at news@inspirationsstdios.com

Let’s get FESTIVE!  No matter where in the world you live, Nov, Dec and Jan are among the most festive months of the year, and Inspirations #96 is here to keep you busy stitching the whole time!

Issue #96 is packed with projects for the festive season and beyond, that are fun to stitch, a pleasure to give and a joy to receive.  Choose from counted work, whitework, surface embroidery and stumpwork, and even try your hand at cartonnage with detailed instructions for making a special trinket box.

Just some of the treats to enjoy include: luscious strawberries worked with pulled thread embroidery, 4 different tree ornaments in surface or stumpwork embroidery, whitework Christmas stocking and even a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

INSPIRATIONS #96 – SINGLE ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE

Printed copies of Inspirations #96 are now available to order direct from our website for delivery to your door anywhere in the world.

> Order your copy of issue #96 HERE

INSPIRATIONS #96 – DIGITAL PATTERNS NOW AVAILABLE

For the very first time, every project from the current issue of Inspirations is now available as a digital pattern.

Enjoy the convenience of owning a PDF file exactly as it appears in the magazine of your favourite project, including all the step-by-step instructions, colour photographs and full-size* pattern sheets for you to print at home.

> PATTERN - Browse Issue #96 Digital Patterns HERE

*Some patterns require tiling and sticking together to form a full-size sheet.

INSPIRATIONS #96 –
READY-TO-STITCH KITS NOW AVAILABLE

Take the hassle out of finding everything you need to re-create the beautiful projects from issue #96, by purchasing an Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit.  Why Google when you could be stitching instead!?  

> KITS - Browse Issue #96 Ready-To-Stitch kits HERE

NOËL BY BARBARA KERSHAW

This is a story about a lady who attended Beating Around The Bush, her love for whitework and a beautiful region in Germany.

NOËL by Barbara Kershaw from Inspirations #96 is a delightful Christmas stocking worked in the traditional whitework technique of Schwalm embroidery.

Barbara’s passion for whitework has taken her out of her home town in Canada, to all over the USA, to Germany and even to Adelaide, Australia when she attended Beating Around The Bush in 2016.

	Kathleen Weston & Barbara Kershaw at BATB 2016

It was here in Adelaide she met the Inspirations editorial team, who were so impressed with her work, Barbara went from an entrant in the Stitch Your Heart Out competition, to a contributor in Inspirations Magazine, just like that!

Worked in a clever combination of counted and surface embroidery, this elegant monochrome stocking is perfect for those of us who like a more subtle approach to the festivities.

The stocking features 5 bells, which are all unique.  Each bell showcases a different pattern within the design, mixing it up between drawn thread and pulled thread, both of which are classic Schwalm techniques.

Schwalm whitework is a distinctive and traditional style of embroidery originating about two hundred years ago from the Schwalm district of the Hesse region in Germany.  Worked on high thread count, evenweave linen, the designs consist of large, simple shape motifs such as tulips, hearts, circles and birds. The motifs are bordered by coral stitch, chain stitch and sometimes other ornamental stitches and filled with a wide variety of drawn thread stitches.

With over 50 step-by-step photographs, full size pattern sheet and a complete alphabet to personalise your NOËL stocking, this is a wonderful project to try your hand at Schwalm for the first time, or further your Schwalm skills.

With NOËL already proving to be a popular project, we’re pleased to announce more of Barbara’s work is planned for upcoming issues of the magazine. So welcome to the Inspirations family Barbara, thank you for creating such beautiful needlework and we can’t wait to see what you design next.

MAKE YOUR OWN NOËL BY BARBARA KERSHAW

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

‘Noël’ by Barbara Kershaw is a superb whitework Christmas stocking with Schwalm embroidery.  Project instructions are available in Inspirations #96, or separately as a digital pattern.

> MAGAZINE – Inspirations #96 Available HERE
> PATTERN – Noël Digital Pattern Available HERE

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for ‘Noël’ includes everything you need to re-create your own Christmas stocking: fabric, interfacing, ribbon, twisted cord trim, embroidery threads and needles.

> KIT – Noël Ready-To-Stitch Kit Available HERE

LOOKING FOR MORE CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS?

DOUBLE DELIGHT – INSPIRATIONS #92

‘Double Delight’ by Jennifer Kennedy is a pair of delightful Christmas stockings created using pulled thread embroidery.

> DOUBLE DELIGHT – Ready-To-Stitch Kit Available HERE
> MAGAZINE – Inspirations #92 Available HERE

GLAD TIDINGS – INSPIRATIONS #72

‘Glad Tidings’ by Anna Scott is a fabulous wool embroidered stocking to hang on your mantlepiece this Christmas.

> PATTERN – Glad Tidings Digital Pattern Available HERE

SNOWFLAKE – INSPIRATIONS #67

‘Snowflake’ by Helan Pearce is a superb stocking and pair of decorative bells.

> PATTERN – Snowflake Digital Pattern Available HERE

Following on from the simplicity of Noël’s monochromatic palette, this week’s WAYS celebrates the beauty of white on white…

CHRISTIANE PARIS | BELGIUM

‘I was the oldest of eight children and my parents had a little factory where they made clothes for local shops. I didn’t go to school for very long as it was expected that I work in the family business.

I worked at the clothes factory until I was 50 and that is where I learned to sew. I used that skill and always made all of the clothes for my five children.’

‘My mother-in-law showed me Richelieu Embroidery and that is where I started my embroidery journey. I read lots of books and try many different techniques. I now pass my love of stitching onto others through teaching.’

Christiane, through careful and methodical stitching you have created pieces that are both elegant and striking. We love that you are passing your skills onto others, as that is what will keep traditional techniques, as well as the love of needle and thread alive through coming generations. In fact we hear from a most enthusiastic student of yours next!

PASCALE MICHAUX | BELGIUM

‘I live in Belgium, am 56 years old and have been practicing embroidery since I was six years old. I started by stitching big half cross stitches with wool that were taught to me by my grandmother. I loved it so much that I never stopped embroidering!’

‘However, I always did the same kind of embroidery such as cross stitch or traditional embroidery, mostly stitched on tablecloths or baby sheets, and never really progressed. But when I met Christiane Paris that all changed!

We became friends and she agreed to teach me all the things I wanted to learn! When my patchwork friends saw what I was learning, they joined me and we became a group of embroidery friends. Whatever technique we ask about, Mrs Paris either knows how to do it, otherwise she learns and then two weeks later, teaches us!’

Pascale, your work is detailed and meticulous, you’ve obviously been taught well! Firstly, from your grandmother who instilled a love for all things needle and thread related and then by Christiane who has broadened your range of techniques and skills.

DAWN BAGNETTO | US

‘What an amazing journey it has been to stitch ‘All Tied Up!’ from Inspirations #94. Before reading that issue, I had never heard of the Sardinian Knot Stitch. Like many of us in the Embroidery News Community, I have been stitching for decades and tried many techniques and when I saw this project I knew I just had to give it a try as well!’

‘How fun this was!  After many false starts, giving up, starting over, and learning that I had a vast vocabulary of yet unused words of utter frustration, I finally understood the technique and away I went.  Since this technique was so different from anything I had tried in the past, I decided to put basting lines in at strategic points in the foundation rows so I would have some reference points to make sure everything was lined up.’

‘Even with years of experience with counted thread work, nothing had prepared me for the delicate stitches. At first it was very difficult for me to find the place for my next stitch, but eventually my brain accepted the difference between this and cross stitch/needlepoint. How satisfying to conquer a new and exotic technique! Thanks to the ladies of Gioja Ralui for this wonderful project and a special thanks to Inspirations for sharing it with us.’

Dawn, it was your disciplined, patient and persistent approach that has allowed you to master the Sardinian Knot Stitch. Yours is a good lesson for all of us when we’re attempting something new with our needle and threads – if at first you don’t succeed try, try, try again!

If Dawn’s success has inspired you to give Sardinian Knot Stitch a go, you can make your own All Tied Up! with our Ready-to-Stitch Kits still available for purchase.

> KIT – All Tied Up! Ready-to-Stitch Kit Available HERE
> PATTERN - All Tied Up! Digital Pattern Available HERE

LISA

‘I have been embroidering for just over a year and am currently working on a monogram to be either framed or incorporated into a ring cushion for my son and his lovely finance's wedding.

I've loved working on all my projects and look forward to each new issue of Inspirations, excited to find inspiration for my next embroidery challenge.’

Lisa, the time and talent you’ve poured into the monogram will ensure it’s a much-valued addition to your son’s wedding, and to think you’ve only been stitching for a year! We look forward to what’s created next from your needle and thread.

Now to someone else who’s been busy stitching for a wedding…

MARIA | AUSTRALIA

‘My love for embroidery started from when I was young as my mother loved needlework. She used to make beautiful gifts to give away. I also learned how to sew, knit, cross stitch and embroider at school.

Lately I have gotten involved in lace making and I found out that I enjoy doing it because I can create my own patterns and techniques. These are some of my pieces which I have made for my daughter’s wedding.’

Maria, what timeless accessories you’ve created for your daughter’s wedding! I’m sure they’ll be a much-treasured addition to her special day.

Have you stitched a monochromatic masterpiece? We’d love to see it. Email us photos of what you’ve created and a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com.

NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JOIN TODAY…

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

SUBSCRIBE TO INSPIRATIONS MAGAZINE

PRINT | For a print subscription fill in our secure online form with your details HERE.

DIGITAL | Digital subscriptions can be purchase through Zinio direct HERE or through the Inspirations APP which can be downloaded via the iTunes and Google Play stores, by searching ‘Inspirations Magazine’.

CALL US - If you have any questions regarding an Inspirations subscription or just want to have a chat, we’d love to hear from you.  You can call us from anywhere in the world on +61 8 8293 8600 anytime and if we’re not in, leave a message and we’ll get back to you.  For anyone within Australia, call us on 08 8293 8600.

Otherwise email us anytime at subs@inspirationsstudios.com

MAKE YOUR OWN MINIATURE SAMPLER BY MICHELE HILL

Michele Hill’s best-selling book ‘William Morris In Appliqué' features six magnificent projects including quilts, wall hangings, a cushion, and more than 40 individual appliqué designs.

> BOOK - William Morris In Appliqué Available HERE

LOOKING FOR MORE APPLIQUÉ?

ARTICHOKE – INSPIRATIONS #67

‘Artichoke’ by Michele Hill is a stunning Morris-inspired cushion.

> PATTERN – Artichoke Digital Pattern Available HERE

MAGIC MOMENTS – INSPIRATIONS #85

‘Magic Moments’ by Heather Scott is a gorgeous wool and cashmere throw with colourful paisleys.

> PATTERN – Magic Moments Digital Pattern Available HERE

TIME FOR TEA – INSPIRATIONS #74

‘Time for Tea’ by Kelly Fletcher – This fresh, contemporary tea cosy makes the most of simple appliqué and an exciting variety of stitches.

> MAGAZINE – Inspirations #74 Available HERE
> PATTERN – Time for Tea Digital Pattern Available HERE

What: East Kent Artists’ Open Houses
Where: East Kent | Various Locations
When: to 29 Oct | Sat & Sun Only
Details: Click HERE

What: Quaker Stories in Stitching | An Exhibition of Embroidered Panels
Where: The Friend’s Meeting House | Pennington Terrace North Adelaide, South Australia
When: to 29 Oct
Details: Robin Sinclair | 0418 908 163

What: Textile Exhibition by Steyning So & Sews
Where: Shoreham Art Gallery | 27 Brunswick Road Shoreham-by-Sea, UK
When: to 29 Oct
Details: Click HERE

What: The Batavia Tapestry Exhibition
Where: The Australian National Maritime Museum | 2 Murray Street Darling Harbour, NSW
When: to 29 Oct
Details: Click HERE

What: The Port Pirie Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild of SA | Annual Exhibition
Where: Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery | 3 Mary Ellie Street Port Pirie, South Australia
When: to 5 Nov
Details:  Click HERE

What: The House of Dior | Seventy Years of Haute Couture
Where: National Gallery of Victoria | 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne, Victoria
When: to 7 Nov
Details: Click HERE

What: Jeanie Baker’s Circle Exhibition
Where: Tasmania Museum & Art Gallery | Hobart, Tasmania
When: to 26 Nov
Details: Click HERE

What: May Morris | Art & Life
Where: William Morris Gallery | Lloyd Park, Forest Road Walthamstow, London
When: to 28 Jan
Details: Click HERE

What: The Elegance of Embroidery Exhibition | The Mornington Peninsular Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild Victoria
Where: Peninsular Community Theatre | Cnr Nepean Highway & Wilsons Road Mornington, Victoria
When: 28 & 29 Oct
Details: Click HERE

What: Wollongong Group Embroiderers’ Guild NSW | Exhibition of Embroideries
Where: Ribbonwood Centre | Princes Highway Dapto, New South Wales
When: 10 & 11 Nov
Details: Click HERE

What: The Embroiderers’ Guild of Queensland | Christmas Craft Fair
Where: 149 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley, Queensland
When: 26 Nov | 8:00 to 12:00
Details: Click HERE

Send us details about events, exhibitions and celebrations happening in your place of stitch and we’ll include them in Embroidery News. Contact us at
news@inspirationsstudios.com

Happy Stitching
The Embroidery News Team