What Are You Stitching?

Like many art forms, sometimes the ‘strokes’ we paint with needle and thread are broad, but this week we’re highlighting the work of the Inspirations Community that’s anything but broad. This week’s projects are all about the delicate and the detailed.

Brenda Hull

‘My parents bought us up with the rule that everyone is treated the same. If I made a wedding sampler for a niece, then they all had to have one at their time of the celebration. These last 10 years have been filled with such gifts. Earlier this year I finished the last of these larger gifts – for the time being anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I love making for family and friends, but eight birth samplers and eight stockings for their second Christmas in four years can be a bit too much of a good thing!’

‘I had started to want something different, more challenging and your magazine endorsed that feeling, so I decided I wanted to try something just created by me. Three things fell into place – time, inspiration from Sophie Digard scarves and what to with all those left-over threads and car boot kits that I will never make.

I started to crochet little flowers to see if I could. Kit lengths of thread limited the flowers size and how they looked. I made more flowers than I needed so that the project would be flexible.

There was no drawing or planning to the design, I worked randomly, just picking up threads, sowing a leaf or stem in a chosen stitch.

Starting and finishing are the hard bits for me, but the rest was simply fun! The result is a very soft cotton scarf that is for me by me.’

Brenda, we love that you took some time out to stitch for yourself! The result is colourful and dainty and would enhance any outfit it’s paired with.

Karen Fraser

‘I purchased Julie Kniedl’s book Botanica from you folks and I love it! I have been so inspired by Julie’s wonderful work and have completed three of her creations and plan to do more.’

‘What a truly creative artist she was and what a loss to the embroidery world now that she is no longer with us. I have completed these projects over the years, have just finished Camellia and have plans to order more kits.’

One of the things that sets Julie’s work apart is the incredible detail she stitches into her most realistic of creations and Karen, you’ve done an amazing job of including the same detail in your stitching! We can’t wait to see what you create next with your needles and threads.

Karen Matze

‘Hazel Blomkamp’s Clive the Chameleon from Inspirations issue #100 was my muse for the piece below. I used Hazel’s pattern and modified it to suit the materials I had on hand. I started this piece as a skill builder and could not stop working on it!’

‘I extended the branch and put the flowers on the chameleon’s back instead of over the beautiful free form embroidery. I now love free form embroidery and will definitely do more of it! Many thanks to Hazel for sharing this pattern in your magazine.’

Karen, Hazel’s projects never lack in their detail or intricacy and you’ve done a fabulous job recreating Clive to suit the materials you had on hand and your own design preference! The time and talent you’ve poured into the project makes it a true labour of love.

Robyn Tate

‘I was pleased to see Papillon by Rosemary Frezza from Inspirations issue #26 featured in your newsletter some time ago. I’m attaching my version which I finished in 2014. I loved working on it, my favourite being the Monarch. My friend’s favourite is the Ulysses and I recently stitched a single Ulysses for her birthday.’

‘After attending Beating Around the Bush last year and doing classes with Jo Butcher, Margaret Lee and Christine P. Bishop, I’m feeling madly motivated! I still need to finish Masterpiece, by Hazel Blomkamp and Loveday by Nicola Jarvis but there are plenty of hours in the day. I can’t wait for Beating Around the Bush 2020!’

Robyn, it was a pleasure to host you at Beating Around the Bush last year and we love that you felt madly motivated afterwards! The details you’ve included in your butterflies make it hard to tell the stitched from the real.

Have you stitched something that’s delicate or detailed? We’d absolutely 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@inspirationssstudios.com