What Are You Stitching?

The Elizabethan period is one of the most popular periods of history, not least for the life of Queen Elizabeth I herself. However, for our community, the Elizabethan period is popular for a more important reason, namely, the style of embroidery that came out of it. Featuring intricate foliage, strawberries, fauna and patterns, the style remains as popular today as it was 500 years ago.

‘Seeing the Elizabethan Sweete Bag that one of your readers sent in recently, I couldn’t resist sending you a picture of the version that I embroidered to make a case for my e-reader.’

‘There is a pocket on the back for cables and it is padded to prevent shocks. I use it every day. I love being able to use embroidered objects for practical purposes.’ 

What a fantastically practical way to use a gorgeous piece of embroidery, we love it! Anne originally wrote to us in French so we hope our translation reads true!

‘I have tried my hand at some projects from Inspirations magazine, making do with the fabric and threads available here in India. I really enjoyed stitching Reflections by Susan O’Connor from issue #69.’

You’ve done a magnificent job of this challenging project, Anu. Thank you for sharing your stitching with us, it’s a beautiful piece you have created and Susan herself will be so thrilled to see what you have achieved.

‘A few years ago, I began to learn stumpwork by following a book by Jane Nicholas. It was a wonderful way to learn new stitches and to produce beautiful pictures.’ 

‘I also like traditions, so recently I designed and embroidered the traditional floral emblem of England from the 15th century, the Tudor rose.’

We’re so pleased to hear that you’ve been inspired by both Jane’s and our publications Éva and thrilled you can get them in Hungary. This is a lovely design you have created that has been superbly stitched. We

‘I finally have the courage to share something I have stitched relating to strawberries. The Strawberry needleroll by Margaret Light from Inspirations issue #110 and the photo of Susan Osborn’s Elizabethan Sweete Bag inspired me to share this photo.’ 

‘Last year a group of us from the Nittany Valley Chapter of EGA, USA, signed on to a group correspondence course from EGA called English Summer by Cheryl Sharp. The photo is of my work.’

Good on you Roberta for finding the courage to share your work with us. Your piece has been beautifully stitched, not only do we love it, we’re also very appreciative to be able to share it with the rest of the needlework community. And who knows… your bravery might just inspire others to send in their work, so we can all celebrate each other’s achievements.  

Do you enjoy the Elizabethan style? Or do you prefer Jacobean? Perhaps a period named for an English Monarch isn’t your thing at all and you like Art Deco or even modernist designs? Whatever period you prefer, we’d love to see it. Send us a picture of your work and a bit of information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com