Bobbi Drysdale

‘I belong to a group of embroidery friends from Whakatane, a small town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.’

‘We have been meeting at each other’s homes every Thursday afternoon for many years, and do a wide variety of different embroidery, all of which we watch grow under our friends’ fingers.’

‘This year, one of our group, Brigitta, was blessed with two new granddaughters a few months apart. She saw the pattern for the Tilda Bunnies at the Cambridge symposium and decided that these would be a lovely gift for the little ones, so off she went!

All the clothes are able to be taken off, so they can be dressed differently. The end result is this wonderful wedding party, bride, groom and all the guests. We think she has done an amazing job.’

What a lovely tale of creativity and friendship in Whakatane, Bobbi. The bond you have built with your group over many years of shared stitching is truly special. The Tilda Bunnies Brigitta has made are so charming! It’s wonderful to see how the creative process brings so much joy and meaning, not only to the maker, and the recipients, but to your group as well.

Kathryn Walmsley

‘Last year, being the Chinese year of the dragon, I struck out on my own and designed a dragon using all my skills in wool appliqué and embroidery.’

‘I’ve embroidered and enjoyed needlework of all types since I was a child and my talented and patient grandmothers helped me to learn whatever I asked for.’

‘My dragon includes a variety of threads from several brands, hand-dyed wool, silk metallic wings shaped with wire and glass eyes. I worked hard to create the background. Many areas are padded with batting to add dimension especially the dragon.’

‘Inspirations magazine is my favourite, seeing all the incredible original projects has been a terrific encouragement to create original work of my own.’

Kathryn, what a fantastic original project you have stitched! We can see the thought that went into every detail of your dragon, from the silk metallic wings to the highly effective padding. We’re so glad you brought your creative vision to life; the result is both dynamic and whimsical.

Monika Hartig

‘This is a project I stitched from 2019, ‘La vie en rose’. I created this to hang in my bedroom.’

‘It is stitched on natural jute, 55 to 70 (21” x 27”) centimetres in size. It was enjoyable to work the flower branch with a lot of French knots.’

‘I found the snails, the heart as well as the writing in an embroidery book, so it’s not my own creation.’

Monika, La vie en rose is such a beautiful piece! The use of natural jute as the fabric base gives it a rustic and warm feel that complements the floral theme perfectly. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Have you got a stitching group? Do you stitch appliqué projects? Or have stitched on natural jute?

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