What Are You Stitching?

As we unpacked the idea of debuts in the opening paragraphs of this week’s All Stitched Up!, we thought we’d take the opportunity to debut the work of some stitchers who are yet to be featured in ‘What Are You Stitching?’. We just hope our memories have served us correctly and this is indeed their debut, but either way, we know you’ll enjoy the work from their needles and threads none the less!

‘Engraved copperplates and woodcuts show scenes of the past in one colour only. This led to my idea to remake these templates in colour.’

‘The slowness of the embroidery has the advantage that the focus often finds details which were overseen for a very long time.’

‘This is an engraving from Hendrick Goltzius – At the Matchmaker – from about 1600 AD. I found the line of sight of the three people remarkable and my colored implementation highlights this.’

‘The finished size of the piece measures 60cm x 80cm (23.5” x 31.5”). The project took me 5 years to complete, using two embroidery threads in split style stitch.’

Fred, your use of colour has truly brought the engraving ‘At the Matchmaker’ to life! Five years is a long time to invest in a single piece, but the results you’ve achieved have made the time and talent you poured into it well worth it.

‘With very sore fingers from stitching the spine, I am very excited to have just finished the book ‘Monet, Hugo et les Poissons d’or’ from Inspirations #100! I had always loved Jenny McWhinney’s Monet stories I had seen in my mother’s magazines but had been quite daunted by the work in them especially as I had done very little embroidery. Over the last few years though, I have made quite a few embroidered items and feel I have learned a great deal since those early days. When I saw Monet and Hugo I fell in love and was so pleased to find that Jenny had a kit for the book.’

‘My husband talked me into buying it, but when the kit arrived, I was a little daunted! There was such a lot to think about and I admit that I put it in the cupboard for a while, but in the New Year I took it out and got started.’

‘I was so pleased with the first page that I just kept going! It has also been a great stress reliever from the worry of my sister undergoing a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. A few days ago, I went back to look at the original Monet stories and thought that maybe I could make them after all!’

Kathryn, you could absolutely make them all – your pages are picture perfect rendition of Jenny’s originals! We love that stitching became your stress reliver through a difficult season and are pleased to hear that your sister is now doing so well. We look forward to seeing the next installment of Monet from the work of your needles and threads.

‘I was very excited to see the cover of Inspirations issue #101 as it reminded me of an event in 2011, when my local Embroiderers’ Guild of America chapter, El Segundo Blue, taught Sollerösöm at our annual fundraiser. We stitched the project from Phyllis Maurer’s book ‘Sollerösöm Pin and Needle Box’. The stitchers chose their overdyed threads on the day of the event from a selection that was available, and the kit included a round, unfinished wooden box on which to mount the needlework. As you can see, I painted my box blue to go with my choice of thread. We had great fun with this project, so thank you for a trip down Memory Lane!’

Val, we love that Christine P Bishop’s Sollerösöm was able to take you on a trip down Memory Lane and it was a pleasure to see another piece created using this technique, we appreciate you sharing it with us.

If you’re yet to make your debut in our newsletter, surely now must be your time?! We’d love you to email photos of what you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com