Jacobean Dragonfly by Colleen Goy

If Inspirations magazine was a television talk show program, we would be the envy of the broadcasting world with the calibre of artists that we get to feature.

Sometimes when you see a stunning project featured in the magazine, it's easy to focus on the beauty of the design and quality of the embroidery without even realising what a privilege it is to be enjoying the work of some of the most talented and accomplished artisans the world has to offer.

Colleen Goy is one such designer who has a huge following of her own, and we never take it for granted to have the honour of publishing her work.

Jacobean Dragonfly from Inspirations magazine issue #131 is a great example of why Colleen is revered the world over - her designs are just divine.

Jacobean embroidery has always given stitchers permission to leave realism at the door. Free of the constraints of botanical accuracy, it's a style built on lush, voluptuous fantasy flowers in whatever colours your imagination can dream up, and Colleen understands how to make the most of that freedom.

To bring her rainbow to life, she draws on the full expanse of the DMC colour range, and the result is a design that hums with energy and life.

What makes the design especially interesting is that, amid all this fantastical invention, Colleen has anchored her wreath with two touches of the real world.

The dragonfly at its centre and the pomegranates ripening around it are rendered with a naturalism that sits in playful contrast to the imaginary blooms surrounding them, a reminder that some of the best fantasy designs do such a good job of blurring the line between the real and the unreal that you can lose track of which is which.

The dragonfly hovers mid-flight, its wings shimmering with pearl and confetti gold metallic threads, while its slender abdomen is worked in raised stem stitch and dressed with tiny beads.

Around it, a circular vine unfurls into a wreath of blousy Jacobean flowers, ripening pomegranates, and acorns nestled in their cupules, each element rendered in its own distinct palette and stitch vocabulary.

It's a piece that rewards patience as much as it rewards ambition.

More than thirty different stitches make an appearance across the design, from familiar favourites like satin stitch and chain stitch through to the more decorative Palestrina stitch, Sorbello knots, and raised blanket stitch circles, alongside sixty-six shades of stranded cotton worked in careful long and short stitch shading.

For stitchers looking to expand their repertoire, or simply to lose themselves in a blend of colourful fantasy, Jacobean Dragonfly is as generous a canvas as you'll find.

A limited number of Ready-to-Stitch kits for this project are still available, each including the design pre-printed onto the fabric along with all sixty-six shades of threads used to create this stunning design.

As an added treat, you can also listen to a fascinating interview with Colleen specifically about this design on the podcast Fiber Talk.

Fiber Talk host Gary Parr talks with Colleen about Jacobean crewelwork in general and specifically her Jacobean Dragonfly design.

In the video we learn all about Colleen’s background and the people who influenced her, some history about Jacobean crewelwork, gain insights into what inspired the Jacobean Dragonfly project along with some stitching tips.

This podcast is a helpful extension of the instructions that appear in the magazine.

To listen to the podcast, click HERE.