Cathe McEnerney

‘A former student asked me to consider stitching ‘something’ for her wedding. She had in mind something special that might be shared, or passed along to the wedding guests, allowing all to add their personal wishes for the couple to the ceremony.

We settled on a ring pillow idea, and she called it a Ring Warming. Browsing your lovely magazine, I found Hazel Blomkamp's Cinnamon & Sugar pincushion and it was an immediate hit with the bride and groom to be!’

‘You can see that I tucked a small ribbon underneath the flower for tying on the rings, and yes, it worked splendidly, collecting wishes and blessings as it made its way through all those in attendance!

‘It now holds a special place of honour in their home where they can be reminded of the love sewn in with each stitch, and all the wishes of those through whose hands it was passed.

Thank you for publishing this, and thanks to Hazel for the lovely design that allowed me to be part of their special day.’

Cathe, we’re so glad to have been able to provide the design for such an occasion! This is such a beautiful and meaningful project that we’re sure the bride and groom will treasure for many years to come. The small ribbon for tying the rings was a brilliant touch! As a regular reader of this newsletter herself, Hazel will be thrilled when she’s this.

Helen Sewell Johnson

‘I am fairly new at goldwork embroidery having discovered it in a workshop with Robert Haven in 2017. It was just before the Covid pandemic; when soon after many wonderful teachers began teaching on Zoom and I was able to get what was like a bootcamp in this technique.

With my background training in folklore and painting I have enjoyed making my own designs and trying some different techniques.’

‘The first picture, ‘Red, White, and Blue’, incorporates World War II memories. I began with a lithograph made as a guest artist in Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop in New York City. I printed a photo of the lithograph on linen in the ink jet printer, then embroidered over that.’

‘My second piece is ‘Jamison’. I did a large urban mural for a performing arts center in Philadelphia in 1991 featuring an abstract image of the great dancer, Judith Jamison. Later I did a painting based on the same image.’

‘For this piece I printed a reduced copy of the painting on linen then worked the piece in or nué. I worked the yellow stripes vertically instead of horizontally using much heavier passing thread, and I padded the black section to get more pronounced texture. Before I did the basketweave border I masked the piece with light green dupioni because I was not happy with the white linen as a background.’

‘The final goldwork piece ‘Self Portrait with Nose’, shown above is based on a series of my own drawings.

As a painter I specialized in very large work. As an 89-year-old lady in a retirement centre embroidery is a wonderful creative transition for my art. Zoom classes and meetings have been a great gift, a way of connecting with experienced and talented needleworkers all over the world.’

Helen, your journey with goldwork is inspiring. Learning a new technique with the new age of online class is a wonderful achievement and the results are spectacular. All your pieces carry so much emotion and meaning, and your annotations are evidence of how you’ve explored the technique to truly make it your own. We’re so glad embroidery has enabled you to continue to create such beautiful work. Thank you for sharing!

Carolyn Bird

‘This recent project that just… well grew… like some stitching things do! It was really satisfying, even though I ended up making three boxes with masses of parts!’

‘I wonder how many times we are so delighted to finish a piece of work and then think ‘but do I really want another picture?’ So, when I recently completed the head of a Mute Swan in silk shading, I decided it would make a striking top for a box.’

‘I really enjoyed stitching this, using Pipers Silks on silk. The threads lay beautifully and had a lustrous sheen. And so, in due course another swan emerged – this time a Whooper.’

‘In discussion with my brilliant tutor Sara Dennis we decided one further box was needed to complete the set – and so the feather was born. This was particularly enjoyable, working ‘freehand’ with only a rough outline of the extent of the down, and using different thread weights to produce the airy effects.

The boxes were completed in various colours from my stash of silks. I wanted them to be vibrant but also work together as a set. I’m rather pleased with them! And at least they are not pictures – although they do have to be kept free of dust!’

It definitely sounds like your project had a mind of its own, Carolyn! The Pipers Silks on silk creates such a wonderful effect and your colour choices complement each other splendidly. Although the extra dusting may add a little time to your housework, no doubt the enjoyment you receive each time you see the boxes makes it all worthwhile!

Have you stitched a project for a ceremony? Have your perfected a new technique? Or has your project created a life of its own?!

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