What Are You Stitching?

As much as we all love a framed embroidery, there’s only so many pieces our walls can hold! So, this week we’re sharing the stitching of the Inspirations Community who have thought outside the frame…

Ring Cushion | Biddy Eccles

‘I have never considered myself a great embroiderer, but when asked to do a ring cushion for a family member’s wedding that was to be held in Scotland, I put my best into it. I fell in love with a Celtic heart design and then saw a thistle design – in the end I decided to put the Celtic heart on the back and the thistle on the front!’

‘The brides colours were white and rose gold and because I could not find the braiding for the edge which included rose gold thread, I had to hand sew the rose gold thread into the braiding! I was very pleased with the end result.’

Biddy, we think you’ve well underestimated your ability as an embroiderer! You’ve done a beautiful job of designing and stitching the ring cushion which would have been a most welcome addition to the couple’s special day.

Sampler Book | Gina Newlyn

‘After focusing on Japanese Embroidery for eight years, I decided to kick off my Western Embroidery experience again by attending the needlework convention ‘Beating Around the Bush’ for the first time in 2018. I did a class with Jenny McWhinney and one with Hazel Blomkamp and finished both pieces. I’ve included a photo of the crazy patchwork sampler book I did with Hazel.’

‘I enjoyed the stitching and could see that the Japanese Embroidery had improved my stitching skills as I work with much more precision now.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t pull out stitches that go wrong or don’t work out!

I like to try new types of embroidery to improve my skills. The internet provides access to so many types of embroidery and embroiderers. There are many talented embroiderers in the world and how lucky are we to be able to see their work and admire it without necessarily having to travel!’

‘Keep up the great work with Inspirations magazine – it is full of wonderful ideas and projects to think about and try in the future.’

Gina, it was a pleasure to host you at Beating Around the Bush and we love the idea of a Sampler Book! Not only is it a great way to try myriad new techniques, but it becomes a fabulous resource to refer to for future projects.

Tray Cover | Kelvin Martin

‘This is my first attempt at drawn thread work and I’m not sure the photo has done it justice as it does look better in real life than in the photo!’

Kelvin, photos very rarely do our needlework justice! We love the natural tones of your stitching and think you’ve done a fabulous job of your drawn thread work. We look forward to seeing what your needle and thread attempt next.

Have you stitched something outside the frame? 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