What Are You Stitching?

It is said that ‘birds of a feather flock together’, inferring that people with the same tastes and interests can be found alongside each other. And so it is in this week’s issue of the newsletter. Having shared Helen M. Stevens’ ‘Crowning Glory’ as our Featured Project, we’ve now gathered up some of the birds we have in our What Are You Stitching? files so we can ensure that birds of a feather are indeed flocked together!

‘This is my finished ‘Nigel’ by Hazel Blomkamp. He was fun and interesting to stitch, although he did go into hibernation for a bit while I worked on some other things.’

‘I am looking forward to working on another of Hazel’s creatures in the not-too-distant future with hopes that my needle lace technique will have improved somewhat!’

Adrienne, we were particularly taken with Nigel’s poise and grace and we look forward to seeing which of Hazel’s creatures you put your needle and thread to next.

‘I thought I would share a textile collage bird I made through a workshop with Mandy Pattullo. Thank you for being inspiring!’ 

CaLynn, your selected fabrics, threads and stitches have brought your Hermit Thrush to life. The bird is alert and inquisitive and looks every bit as if it’s about to alight from where it stands. It was a joy to read your blog and share in your journey with needle and thread. The banner your Hermit Thrush now calls home is simply spectacular.

‘I have recently completed two embroideries from Laurence Lieblich and so appreciated the detailed tutorials she puts online. Discovering her is an opportunity for all people, no matter where they live, to be able to learn.’

‘I have always liked to embroider and thanks to Laurence I feel encouraged to keep stitching.’

Claude, your birds are instantly recognisable as Laurence Lieblich’s designs. We love that the internet has provided a place where the world feels a little smaller and has allowed you to learn and stitch as if you live in close proximity to Laurence. The results you’ve achieved speak for themselves and you should absolutely feel encouraged to keep stitching!

‘Last Fall I bought the Little Bird digital pattern from Inspirations issue #103.’

‘I am relatively new to embroidery and as I stitched, I kept thinking of other stitches that I could use. So, when I finished the initial bird, down the rabbit hole I went!

By the time I got to the last bird, I stitched the ‘The End’ bunting first to make sure it was indeed the last bird!’

‘Then what to do with the individual birds?! Although I didn’t have a plan when I first started, I drew on past bookmaking experience, pulled out the sewing machine and put the flock together as an accordion book. There were lots of mistakes along the way, lots of ripping out stitches I didn’t like, but most importantly I learned a lot.’

‘I felt the birds needed a protective ‘nest’ so I sewed up an envelope and now the project feels complete.’

Jan, ‘Same Bird, Different Stitches’ may just be the most creative stitch sampler we’ve seen to date! We love that you allowed yourself to go down a rabbit hole and simply stitch. The book not only allowed you to explore myriad techniques but will provide a fabulous reference for years to come.

Have you stitched a bird that’s longing to be part of our flock? If so, we’d love to see it! Simply email photos of what you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com