Inspirations Issue 111

from the editor

THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN has become a strange place over the last eighteen months. Borders, both state and international, have been closed, communities have been locked down, face masks have become commonplace and hand sanitiser a regular item on shopping lists. Many have suffered loss; of jobs, income and even lives as a viral pandemic ravages the globe and we have been wrenched, unceremoniously, from the complacency of our everyday lives. While there has been much to despair over, the sudden inability to travel unfettered, the need to stay at home in relative isolation and the limit on social activities have had a positive side. We have all had to slow down, take stock of who and what in our lives is really important and find ways of filling…

layer upon layer

Even though Marina was a creative child who loved to paint and sew interesting dresses for her dolls, she never did any embroidery. Yet, when it came time to choose a career, she chose to study at what is now known as the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts and immediately knew she wanted to study embroidery and nothing else. After graduation, Marina realised her embroidery skills were not in demand and decided to pursue a career in graphic design instead. “For many years I worked as a designer and art director for fashion magazines. But over time I realised that the work did not bring me any real satisfaction. Between me and creativity there was always a customer who dictated what I should do! Then, one day…

my faded laundry

For Carol-lyn Jackson, words and threads are her way of expressing emotion and feelings about life, love, loss, memories, belonging, and home. Growing up as the oldest of four siblings, raised by a single mother struggling to get by, Carol-lyn remembers moving around a lot. “Always in the same city, but from house to house. Everything always seemed very unsettled.” Regular Saturday outings to the library and attending church and Sunday school were rare moments of joy and stability. “These experiences inform the use of words and symbols in my work today. I use words about searching and longing for home. The symbol of the cross represents a time when I felt at home somewhere – a sense of belonging. No one else in my family was creative. The only creative…

between the covers

Tudor Fashion Eleri Lynn | Yale University Press 2017 | Hardback 208pg ISBN 978-0-300-22827-4 | RRP $72.95 The incredible fashions depicted in portraits of the Tudor royals and nobles hold a fascination for the needleworker, thanks to the details visible in the paintings. Captured in delicate brush strokes, we can see details of opulent embroidery worked over skirts, sleeves and bodices, astonishing collars, cuffs and ruffs with exquisite lace, and a profusion of precious gems worn not only as necklaces and rings, but stitched to the fabric in abundance. In Tudor Fashions, Eleri Lynn explores how the Tudors dressed and the role of fashion in the Tudor court. The display of wealth and status to legitimise power was the driving force of the extravagantly expensive royal fashions, utilising a language of conspicuous consumption…

the alanakar project

“Being involved in the UNESCO Vital Traditions conference and workshops in Vietnam in 2001 opened my eyes to how I could use my weaving knowledge to assist others and be involved with artisans. It coincided with my travels to India and meeting various artisan groups, and led to invitations to teaching workshops in India, Pakistan, and Tibet.” LIZ WILLIAMSON Liz Williamson is an Australian weaver and academic. Her weaving journey and career started in the late ’70s. A few short classes led to a part-time course with master-weaver Gerlinde Binning, then to a Textile Design degree at RMIT in 1983. Liz established her studio in Sydney and later began teaching part-time in Canberra before accepting a position at the College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW to establish textiles on the Paddington…

revival

Designed to hold your needlework equipment, this superb hexagonal box would also be the ideal place for other precious keepsakes. Covered in a dark cotton print with gold highlights, the box is topped with a beautiful crewelwork design featuring a pomegranate, grapes and berry sprays, stitched with crewel wool and enhanced with metallic threads and glass beads. Echoing the lid design, a needle box is topped with a berry spray and a scissor sheath with a bunch of purple and burgundy grapes. before you begin We recommend that you read the complete article and instructions in the pattern download See the pattern download for the embroidery designs All embroidery is worked with ONE strand of thread unless specified requirements Fabric 60cm x 40cm wide (24" x 16") piece of ivory linen twill 70cm x 112cm wide (27½" x 44")…