Inspirations Inspirations Issue 104

season’s greetings is a phrase traditionally related to Christmas and the associated holidays and the festive season is certainly one worth acknowledging and celebrating, especially as it provides wonderful opportunities to work embroidery to decorate our homes and give as gifts to those we love. But are there any other seasons that we can and should be celebrating with embroidery? The most obvious ones would be those that are determined by the weather and hours of daylight–spring, summer, autumn and winter. For those of us lucky enough to live where there are definite changes, positive and not so positive, the gentle evolution of one season into another provides endless inspiration for stitching–the bold colours and elegant shapes of spring bulbs, the lush foliage and flowers of early summer, the changing leaves…

Today georgina bellamy’s frogs sparkle and are much shinier than those she hunted in her neighbourhood pond, but they still hold the same fascination and still keep her busy for hours. Although Georgina comes from a creative family who instilled in her a love of creating things by hand, her interest in stitching only came later in her life. Her job at a dry cleaner was to prepare clothes for the tailor. That meant unpicking seams and taking clothes apart. Out of pure boredom, Georgina took some leftover fabric home one day and made a jacket for her young son. That one random decision set her life on a course she would never have imagined. “My son’s embroidered jacket got many compliments and I decided to go for a short course in…

Even as a child jessie deane asked for craft kits, model aeroplanes, Lego, and Meccano sets–anything that meant she had to use her hands to make something, attracted her. Which explains why she was fascinated by the needlepoint kits stitched by the older women in her family. They chose to depict birds, flowers, cats and other traditionally feminine designs–the only things available at the time. These did not interest Jessie and prompted her to create her own designs. Today, as a textile artist based in Yarraville, in Melbourne’s west, Jessie is still fascinated by objects that are constructed and built. Her art practice is heavily influenced by her obsession with capturing the surrounding decaying industrial landscapes. This juxtaposition and what it means to use a traditionally feminine medium to create a…

Embroidered Textiles Sheila Paine | Thames & Hudson 2008 Softcover 240pg | ISBN 9780500288580 | RRP $39.99 From the magnificent cover right through to the last page, this book is richly illustrated, showing embroidered garments in a museum setting, embroidered textiles in everyday cultural settings, in historical black and white images, and in detailed close-up shots. Embroidered Textiles, published in 2008, is an updated and expanded version of a book that first appeared in 1990 as Embroidered Textiles: Traditional Patterns from five Continents. The book begins with a short introduction to embroidery techniques and traditions, followed by the bulk of the content divided into four parts: 1 Guide to identification: This section looks at the different regions and cultures across the world and gives some context to the styles of embroidery from each region. 2 The…

jill ffrench is like a weaver bird. Those industrious little birds who build their nests strand by strand, knot by knot, until they have a unique creation that only they could make. They work without a plan, a kit, a teacher or a guidebook, yet they create an organic, sensuous, sculptural work of art that is just the right size, the right shape and in the right position to attract the right mate. Jill remembers how, even as an 8-year-old, she spent hours sewing toys next to her mum who was an avid sewer, too. “I was not interested in buying the hottest toy on the market – I wanted to make one for myself, add my own ideas and revel in the basic challenge of turning a flat 2D shape…

Worked with gleaming filament silks onto a background of black fabric, flowers, berries and foliage often associated with the festive season marry easily with the spectacular plumage and natural surround of this magnificent bird. before you begin We recommend that you read the complete article See the pattern download for the embroidery design All embroidery is worked with THREE strands of thread unless specified requirements Fabric 45cm x 35cm wide (18" x 14") piece of black polycotton Supplies Frame or stretcher bars to fit fabric Lacing thread (frame) Thumb tacks (stretcher bars) Stylus or spent ballpoint pen Tracing paper White or yellow dressmaker’s carbon Sharp HB pencil Needles No. 8 crewel No. 10 crewel Threads, Sequin & Beads Anchor stranded cotton A = 2 white B = 399 lt steel grey C = 1031 ultra lt antique blue D = 1045 vy lt chestnut DMC fil métalissé metallic E = 284 gold F = 285 silver Kreinik…