What Are You Stitching?

Inspired by Renette Kumm’s Sunbird in All Stitched Up! Issue #156, this week we enjoy the fine feathered friends that have been created with the needles and threads of our Inspirations Community.

Jan May | Australia

After seeing Jan’s first attempts at needle painting in Issue #121 of our newsletter. she recently updated us on her progress…

Jan, you’ve taken to needle painting like a duck to water! There is a new level of detail and intricacy in your stitching and your progress with needle and thread is clearly evident.

Jenny Robson | UK

‘I recently completed a series of embroideries featuring British birds and butterflies for a solo exhibition. Although I had exhibited before, this was a new venture for me, combining my love of colour and texture with some traditional embroidery techniques to realise my designs.’

‘The birds and butterflies were worked as ‘slips’ or detached stumpwork pieces and then applied to the background. This allowed me to experiment with mixed media and pieced fabric backgrounds.’

‘The inspiration for my collection started when I experimented with an idea from the Embroiderers’ Guild magazine for a partridge in a pear tree. I decided to make a three-dimensional partridge, stitched with silk threads and try to capture the pattern and colouring of a partridge that had visited our garden. Each side was worked on fine cotton supported with interfacing and the wings were created using stumpwork techniques. Many hours later I had a tiny bird which just fitted in my hand!’

‘This was the start of a year’s work which resulted in a collection of 18 birds and butterflies. The ideas are still flowing so it looks as though there is plenty of work ahead!’

Jenny, what a fabulous year you spent with needle and thread! Your pieces are creative yet realistic and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Kelvin Martin | UK

‘I am a very active member of three embroidery groups here in Cornwall and would be at my embroidery frame every minute of the day if mundane things like cooking and cleaning didn’t get in the way! This is a little Bee Eater from Trish Burr’s long and short stitch book.’

Kelvin, one of favourite stitching quotes is from Mary Kurtz who declared that, ‘The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary’, so don’t let cooking and cleaning stand in the way of your needle and thread!

Marlene Russo | Australia

‘This is an item I did for the Mareeba Rodeo Exhibition and was pleased to receive 1st Prize. I love Inspirations Magazine and my collection is over flowing! The projects are so beautifully illustrated, and I don’t have enough time to do all my favourites.’

Marlene, what a whimsical and fun piece you’ve stitched! It was well deserving of its 1st Prize.

Monika Balschun | Switzerland

‘I’ve just finished this Kingfisher by Trish Burr. I embroidered the bird during the studio days at The House of Textile Arts in Germany. As it was my first work in threadpainting my tutor Bärbel Ingeborg Zimber supported me.’

‘I am always waiting for the next issue of Inspirations and I look forward to your newsletter every week.  I especially like seeing what other embroiderers are working on.’

Monika, your stitching is just beautiful, and you’ve done a fabulous job of recreating Trish Burr’s design. It’s a pleasure to hear from someone who’s worked with Bärbel from The House of Textile Arts who is one of Inspirations’ loyal advertisers.

Have you stitched a fine feathered friend? We’d love to see it! Email photos of your bird to news@inspirationsstudios.com along with a few details about your stitching journey to date.