Yozakura by Margaret Lee

As a global needlework community, we’re always celebrating new and innovative ways to make the world more beautiful by adding embroidery to as many daily-use items we can find.

You could say we live by the motto, show me something you use and I’ll find a way to add embroidery to it!

One designer who is always on the lookout for opportunities to add embroidery to every-day practical items, is Margaret Lee.

From evening bags, coin purses, folio covers, jewellery boxes, purses, hand towels to an iPad cover, the list of practical items Margaret has embellished with her needle and thread is impressive.

This week we’re adding yet another innovation to Margaret’s list of how to make every-day items more beautiful with her piece Yozakura from The Handpicked Collection 3.

Before we reveal its purpose, let’s first explore the design Margaret has stitched, which is spectacular.

Famed for its remarkable cherry blossoms, each spring Japan's cherry trees burst into delicate pink and white blooms attracting locals and tourists alike to gather for the annual viewing called Hanami, or flower-viewing party.

At night, when lanterns illuminate the trees, it creates a magical atmosphere as petals from the trees float down gently against the dark sky, a spectacle known as Yozakura.

Margaret has captured a moment of this fleeting beauty using Japanese-style bead embroidery on a background of inky-blue cotton to recreate gorgeous, dimensional cherry blossoms and swirls of radiant light.

Yozakura is such a captivating design that whatever application you choose for this motif, it’s going to bring charm and delight.

In this instance, Margaret has decided to address a common problem we all face as we progress in years – how to stylishly store our collection of daily pills!

Be it vitamins, medication or maybe a sneaky jellybean or two, Margaret has cleverly designed Yozakura as a pill box case!

What a clever way to add joy to your daily routine – pill time now becomes another opportunity to enjoy more beautiful embroidery.

The finished pouch measures 7.5cm x 10.5cm wide x 3cm deep (3" x 4 ⅛" x 1 ¼") and closes at the top with concealed magnets making it the perfect size to store small pieces of jewellery or other treasures if you prefer.

In typical Margaret Lee style, the Ready-to-Stitch kit even comes with a bespoke compartmentalised pill box that fits into the pouch perfectly, which again you can re-purpose to store mints etc. if you prefer.

However you decide to put Yozakura to practical use, this project is going to be a talking point both for its appeal and clever application of embroidery.

The world of embroidery truly knows no bounds…

Make Your Own Yozakura

Our Handpicked Ready-to-Stitch kit contains all the materials you need to recreate this project yourself, including the instructions.

If you prefer to source the materials yourself, this project is part of our Handpicked Collection 3, with instructions included in the printed book and available separately as a printed or digital pattern.