Bella Dama by Ana Mallah

When you first come across the project Bella Dama on page 47 of Inspirations issue #120, it’s not immediately clear what the term Bella Dama is referring to.

Anyone who has had the great pleasure of meeting Ana Mallah, the designer of this gorgeous piece, would be persuaded to believe Bella Dama is referring to her.

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Then, those familiar with the term Bella Dama being associated with the scabiosa flower, will assume this is where the name derived.

For the purposes of this article, we’re going to use that ambiguity to our favour and introduce the project like this:

We present for your stitching pleasure a delightful, lifelike, three-dimensional replica of a scabiosa flower with a name befitting both the flower and the designer: Bella Dama, Italian for Beautiful Lady.

Scabiosa is a member of the honeysuckle family and is often called a pincushion flower thanks to a central disc surrounded by petals that resemble pins or needles. These flowers bloom in various colours, including shades of blue, pink, and white, and their graceful appearance makes them a favourite choice for flower gardens and bouquets.

In Ana’s embroidered homage to this floral beauty, we love the way she has cleverly clustered Miyuki seed beads together to replicate the pincushion centres.

If you have seen any of Ana’s three dimensional floral projects, such as Hydrangea, you’ll recognise her trademark petals that are created as detached elements and assembled to form the prettiest of flowers.

In Bella Dama there are over 50 petals in total with a mixture of sizes ranging from small to medium and large with some taking on the shape of a gorgeous heart.

As with all of Ana’s designs there are small nuances she has incorporated that really elevate the final piece.

Here you will find the clever use of a Gütermann sewing thread added as a shadow line next to each stem to add further depth and dimension.

Also, if you look closely at the two large flower heads, you can see ribbon embroidery has been used to feather the effect of the petals radiating from the pincushion centres.

All in all, this is another triumphant design from Ana who continues to enthral us with her never-ending creativity and technical excellence.

Thank you, Bella Dama, for giving us Bella Dama!

Make Your Own Bella Dama

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Bella Dama by Ana Mallah is a cottage garden beauty with pretty, stumpwork petals creating dimension.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Bella Dama includes everything* you need to re-create this beautiful study: Fabrics (unprinted), wool felt, wire, embroidery threads, ribbon, beads and needles.

*Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to the magazine/digital pattern.