Tulip Time by Anna Scott

‘Wouldn’t it be fun to take all the known embroidery stitches in the whole wide world and work them into one project?’

This was an idea that Mary Corbet floated with tongue in cheek earlier this month while she was responding to a question someone asked her about the virtues and practicalities of learning all the vast number of embroidery stitches that are in existence. You can read her article HERE.

It’s a fascinating topic when you consider that there are literally hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of stitches available, and how one goes about choosing which stitches to use in any given project differs greatly from designer to designer.

On one hand we celebrate the skill of a designer to create incredibly intricate and complex pieces with only a handful of stitches.

Then we are equally impressed when a designer uses myriad stitches to create results that are layered and textured in ways not possible with a more austere approach.

The project Tulip Time by Anna Scott from The Handpicked Collection 4 is a delightful duo of pincushion and scissor sheath that, despite their modest size, pack a whole lot of technique and a bounty of stitches in a small amount of real estate.

In fact, you might be surprised to learn that between the pincushion measuring in at 10cm (4”) square and the scissor sheath at 13.5cm x 7.5cm (5 1/8” x 3”) Anna has found room and good reason to incorporate 17 different stitches.

Decorated with tulips and lilies in shades of rose pink, turquoise and peacock blue, these delightful accessories are worked onto ivory linen with crewel wools and edged with a line of knotted pearl stitch with the pincushion secured at the centre with an ivory button.

When Anna sent in her project for publishing, she included the following notes that she shares with her classes when teaching this gorgeous design:

‘Tulip Time is perfect if you are familiar with basic embroidery stitches and are looking for a small project with lots of variety. While a few of these stitches are already included in the instructions for you, you might find it helpful to have a stitch directory at hand – I always do.

The folksy design for these needlework accessories was inspired by an antique Hungarian platter.

I loved the fanciful flowers, which I thought would be perfect for crewel embroidery. The original design was painted in dark, muted shades of blue, red and copper but I enjoyed stitching my version in bright cheerful colours using a variety of my favourite crewel work stitches to create texture.’

With so much to love about Tulip Time, from the colour scheme and fun motifs that give it a whimsical feel, through to the clever use of numerous stitches to enhance each element, this is truly satisfying project to work on.

Ready-to-Stitch kits are now available to purchase and come with the design pre-printed on the fabric so no transfer required. All the threads and materials you need, down to the cute button in the centre of the pincushion, are also included as is a printed pattern booklet for the instructions.

If you are yet to visit Anna’s website or follow her on social media, now would be a good time to start! You can enjoy more of Anna’s projects on her website [HERE]https://www.annascottembroidery.com.au/) and connect with her on Instagram HERE.