What Are You Stitching?

Watercolours and embroidery. A combination that for some may be a little intimidating, but not so for the stitchers in this week’s ‘What Are You Stitching?’. Find out how watercolour was used to match fabric and see some wonderful Jo Butcher designs on painted backgrounds right here, right now…

Bridget O’Brien

‘When I saw Balthazar on the front of Inspiration issue #116 I knew I had to make it right away. I had some of the elements on hand but also had serendipity and good friends.’

‘I found a very small bit of red kid leather in a huge bin of other pieces at my local fabric store (cost 46 cents). My husband had gold watercolour paint that I used to give the leather it’s metallic look. Also, my friend Anne gave me the red Delica beads for the elytra as I didn’t have the red purl.’

Bridget, we love your resourcefulness in recreating a superb Christmas beetle. Well done!

Edna Mumford

‘I am a member of the Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild, Guelph, Ontario Canada. Here is my Jo Butcher project entitled Sea View.’

‘I enjoyed this design very much and thought it appropriate to mount it on some washed-out effect boards.’

A perfectly fitting way to display your wonderful stitching, we’re sure you will enjoy the ‘Sea View’ for many years to come. Thank you so much for sharing, Enda!

Mary Visciglio

‘I just finished Summer Days. I didn’t follow all of Jo Butcher’s directions, as while I started with good intentions, I ventured out on my own and ended up doing my own thing.’

**This is a lovely piece, Mary. Your interpretation of Jo Butcher’s design is just beautiful.

Have you made your own fabric to match a project before? Do you enjoy stitching on painted backgrounds? Have you mounted a project on boards or other interesting surfaces before?

Whatever you are stitching, we’d love to see it! Email photos of what you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com**