What Are You Stitching?

Although nature is undoubtedly beautiful, and almost all natural features make fantastic needlework subjects, there is an elegance in architecture that can sometimes be underrated. Here is a selection of embroidered buildings that demonstrate just how lovely man-made subjects can be.

Desiree Coetzee

‘I fell in love with this ‘garden shed’ painting by Barbara Mock years ago. It seems to be a very popular choice for embroidery as well. I decided to create my own version of this beautiful scene.’

‘This is my journey so far. Still a lot of embroidery ahead.’

You’ve put together a wonderful combination of embroidery stitches and textures on this project Desiree, which have really helped bring the printed fabric to life – we love it!

Ann Rowley

‘I treated myself to the kit for the project Castle Keep by Victoria Laine from Inspirations magazine issue #108 as a 90th birthday present.

Could I still do something like this? It turns out I could!

The only bit that was beyond me was the acetate covering for the tiny windows on the outer towers; I would have needed a second pair of hands for this!’

‘I worked under a magnifying light, which was an enormous help, and I loved every minute of it.’

What a magnificent result, Ann! You’ve done such a great job of this complicated project. You should be very proud.

Serap Whitmer

‘When I was in my early 20s, I bought a box of cards by some famous Turkish painters. I really liked one of them. It had bright colours, lots of flowers and old, beautiful Istanbul villas that reminded me of doll houses.’

L – Original card, R – Serap’s 3D version

‘Years later, we built our house but there was a wall in the kitchenette that needed a painting. We found a talented painter to replicate the card, however, the original painter’s name wasn’t readable.

Neither the painter nor the painting came up in an internet search, and all I remembered was a female painter who was born at the end of Ottoman Empire.’

L – Replicated painting,  R-Serap’s Pink Villa

‘Finally, I discovered the painter was Fatma Eye. I find her style lovely, unique and magical. It reminds me of American Folk-Art paintings but the ratios and perspectives of her paintings are a little off, which makes them charming.’

‘In 2020, I decided I wanted to make a 3-dimensional version of the painting and so I started in October with the Pink Villa (Pembe Köşk).’

‘In my version, I added extras including the water (Bosporus), two fishermen in a boat with a fish net, and two cats. Every step was experimental, like doing a puzzle. I enjoyed working on it immensely.’

What an incredible story and a wonderful work of art, Serap. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Do you like the lines and angles of architecture? Does your heart sing when you see a historic building or character-filled house? Does it make your fingers itch to stitch? Or do you prefer natural subjects?

Whatever it is you like to stitch, we’d like to see it. Send us a picture of your work and a bit of information about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com