Inspirations Inspirations issue 101

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.St Augustine IT IS SAID THAT TRAVEL BROADENS THE MIND as it not only opens us up to new people, new places, new cultures and new experiences but allows us to look at our own beliefs and traditions in a different light. In its own way, embroidery does exactly the same thing, opening us up to new designs, new stitches, new techniques and a whole world of stitching traditions. So, when travel and embroidery are combined, the results are simply mind-blowing! This issue of Inspirations celebrates Beating Around the Bush 2018, our 10th International Needlework Convention, an occasion that certainly brought travel and embroidery together as tutors and students flew in from interstate and around the world to…

“I just love the story that a building can tell you. I am particularly fascinated by old houses where I’m imagining what the walls must have seen and heard.” Elin met Charles Henry two years ago in Paris where she was studying politics, economics and philosophy and he was working as a fashion photographer. Elin was already a hobby embroiderer when they met, and it was a few weeks later when she was teaching another friend how to stitch that Charles decided to give it a try. “Since the first day he put a needle through the fabric he was hooked. Charles quickly realised how meditative embroidery is and how it helped him deal with stress.” It was also Charles who convinced Elin that what she was doing was good and that…

“I often sit for hours at the computer and go through wildlife photography, not necessarily searching for a specific species, when a photo will pop up and I get goose-bumps all over. That is when I know–you’re next! The animals find me. I get a certain feeling, almost like when you hold your breath, and this is how I know which animal to do next.” JANINE Choosing an animal is an instinctive and emotional decision but to get from there to the finished product involves many hours and lots of work. “The next step is to manipulate the photo into line art, so I can trace it onto fabric. I use medium weight calico. Once traced with a pencil, I fill the outlines with batik fabrics to create a detailed fabric…

IN 1957, THE EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD NSW was established to promote the practice of needlework and embroidery. Now, 60 years later, the Guild continues to promote the art of embroidery with the opening of our new purpose built gallery, Gallery76. The Guild’s crumbling headquarters were afflicted with concrete cancer, rising damp and unsafe stairs. Exhibitions of work by guild members were held in the main room which doubled as the classroom space. Then, in 2008, Kevin Leverton - in memory of his wife Laura and her mother Christina Barton, both long term, dedicated and much loved members - offered the Guild a generous donation to buy or build a space suitable for exhibiting embroidery under conditions that Laura and Kevin believed were more appropriate than those currently available. This was the start of…

One of the best ways to display your embroidery is by putting it in a frame and hanging it on a wall where everyone can see it. Given the hours taken to finish a piece of stitching, the framing choice certainly needs some time and considerable thought. Once it is up there on the wall, the frame becomes an integral part of the design and needs to work in harmony with the embroidery. Here are some helpful hints: > Use a mount (mat) – or two. The mount provides an additional frame around the embroidery and helps lead the eye to the stitching. It also provides an extra decorative element and, most importantly, holds the glass away from the stitching. The glass should NEVER touch the stitching! If necessary, ask your framer…

TRU VUE® glass is manufactured in the US, is available in Australia and offers are a range of fantastic products. Museum Glass® is their premier product as it provides 99% UV protection and is optically coated to create a virtually invisible finish. This conservation grade glass has a smooth surface that is free of distortion and ripples. If you don’t need conservation grade and you have a spot away from intense light you may like to try UltraVue® UV70 glass. This blocks 70% of UV light and shares the virtually invisible, anti-reflective surface at a lower price point. These high-tech products certainly cost more than ordinary framing glass but the advantages that they offer far outweigh the difference in cost and they are well worth their price. If you are considering having a…