Stitch

There’s something about springtime and the sights and sounds of nature which unleashes our creativity. I was reminded of this while marvelling at this wonderful piece by Nigel Cheney, a finalist in the Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery 2022, in the Textile Art Open Category. The contrastof the vibrant plumage of the hummingbirds against the monochrome background featuring the hare is so striking. You can see all the finalists at the website below and the overall winner is due to be announced at the end of January: handembroidery.com/2022-hand-lock-prize-embroidery-finalists. Registration for the 2023 Hand & Lock Prize is open until 31 March 2023. Go to handembroidery.com/the-prize/how-to-enter-the-prize for full details of the competition. Good luck to anyone who enters this year! Nigel’s beautiful birds in turn remind me of the joy-filled…

Although I’ve never had a goldfish, I’m always fascinated by their graceful movements. They look like little dancers in the water with their tails and fins moving beautifully around the wavy seaweeds. With this goldwork project you can keep a goldfish forever! YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Fabric: - Synthetic velvet, Dark blue, 25 x 25cm - Lightweight calico, 25 x 25cm - Felt, Yellow, 20 x 10cm - Backing fabric, cotton (plain or print of your choice), 25 x 25cm • Threads: - Gutermann linen sewing thread, 4013 - DMC stranded cotton, 976 & 977 - Machine sewing thread, Dark blue (for finishing the back) - Buttonhole thread, any colour (for plunging) and black (for finishing the back) • Metallic threads: - (a) Japanese thread, No 8, 10m -…

Tell us a little about your textiles background and how your would describe your work… My formal training in applied art occurred relatively recently, at the University of Hertfordshire up to 2010, and it was here that I eventually found my vocation for producing stitched portraits and figurative textile panels. This occurred right at the end of my time there, after years spent experimenting with other techniques, approaches and media. Studying there gave me the time, space, guidance and experience to find my own voice as an artist. However, the formative experiences which led eventually to this point of departure go back much further, through my time working as a nurse in the UK, leading back eventually to my childhood in Malaysia. My original interest in textiles was learned from…

Spring is a season where life starts to reawaken, the cherry blossoms, the flowers bloom, and the grass is verdant green again. This garden embroidery hoop includes all the flowers and trees that evoke Spring. From delicate cherry blossoms, to bright yellow daffodils and striking irises, to unforgettable forget-me-nots! YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Felt or linen (I used a sandstone coloured felt), 23 x 23cm • Sulky - Super Solvy Water Soluble Stabilizer Translucent, 23 x 23cm • DMC stranded embroidery thread: - 14 Pale green - 16 Lime green - 163 Grass green - 210 Pink - 211 Pale pink - 552 Lavender purple - 741 Orange - 817 Red - 824 Blue - 840 Mid brown - 841 Brown - 935 Dark olive green - 973 Yellow…

CREATIVE EMBROIDERY, MIXING THE OLD WITH THE NEW By: Christen Brown Publisher: C & T Publishing ISBN: 978-1-644031032 RRP: £17.99 2 COPIES TO GIVE AWAY Feeling thrifty? This book features a host of possibilities using only the elements you already have in your stash. You are shown how to create unique projects using items such as lace, linens, trims, ribbons, buttons and treasured pieces. The examples shown provide inspiration for your own custom designs and there’s a stitch library with over 100 stitches included so you can keep your decorative options open. FLOWERS FOR ELIZABETH By: Susan O’Connor Publisher: Inspirations Studios ISBN: 978-0-648767084 RRP: £29.99 A collection of Elizabethan inspired motifs, inspired by needlework artist Susan O’Connor’s love of Elizabethan Botanicals. Expanding on her Elizabethan blanket design, she has devised…

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