Inspirations

FULL BLOOM Welcome to the first issue of Inspirations for 2023 and I hope it is a fabulous one, full of satisfying stitching and finished projects. Later this year we reach the milestone of 30 years of Inspirations with issue #120 and I would love you to join us in celebrating three decades of beautiful embroidery. Are you a dedicated counted thread stitcher or an obsessive surface embroiderer, a raised embroidery fanatic or passionate about whitework? Do you focus on one technique, striving for absolute perfection with every stitch, or do you dip your toes (or fingers!) into as many different styles of embroidery as you can, adding new skills to your stitching repertoire every chance you get? One of the magical things about embroidery is that it can be so many different…

When you are growing up in a household of six children, getting alone time with your mother, a working woman, is no easy feat. As a young girl, Sharon Peoples found that spending time with her mother while she was sewing gave her that special attention. Back then she was the only one of her siblings interested in embroidery. “I just made traditional things like tittle doilies, but I loved it.” Then one day Sharon's older cousins came to visit. They had just returned from a teaching job in Mexico and were dressed in jeans covered in colourful Mexican embroidery. “That was the end of traditional doilies - I was intrigued!” Sharon embraced contemporary stitching and started making embroidered clothing for her sister, an art student. Although Sharon loved contemporary embroidery, it…

SHARON PEOPLES AND CAROL COOKE asked a selection of Australian embroidery artists to create work exploring their interpretation and relationship with the colour wheel. “We only approached Australian artists as we wanted to focus on local colour and how the environment shapes and influences an artist’s perception of colour.” The project kicked off in 2021 when people stiLL felt grey in the throes and aftermath of COVID and Sharon and Carol felt the need for something more colourful, more exuberant to lift the collective spirit. Not everybody they approached was enthusiastic. As accomplished artists, some felt that the colour wheel was a throwback to their student days, that they were past that point in their artistic development. Others enjoyed the opportunity to play and experiment, some even discovered new opportunities and developments…

“I always pick something that is meaningful to me and is related to happy memories, but also something that other people would easily connect with. Nature – flowers and animals – relating to family and memories, places we visited together. These memories are always joyful.” – AIMEE – For AIMEE ESTCOURT, primary school teacher and busy mum of two boys, embroidery is her happy place. She finds it therapeutic, and it is where she relaxes and unwinds at the end of the day. Aimee grew up in a creative family and completed a degree in fine art before she changed career paths to become a teacher. “When I was younger, I made teddy bears. As I refined the skill, I started adding small embroidered features to the bears. That is where my…

IMPROV•EMBROIDERY A place of mindfulness, exploration and creative escape Carol Cooke | Self-published 2021 | Soft cover 122 pgs ISBN 9780646837383 | RRP$50.00 | www.cookeart.com Carol Cooke came to embroidery later in life after a successful business career. First as a hobby, later as fine art. In this book, she shares what she has learned about embroidery and about herself. She discusses stitching as a form of meditation, a form of journalism, and a form of memory exploration. But also as a form of celebrating small things, finding joy, and of letting go. The book is divided into five sections Explore. Here Carol shares her wisdom and advice on both the practical and creative preparation needed to create with needle and thread. She discusses ideas like inspiration, letting go, and creative freedom, as well as…

“I prefer to wander where the needle takes me.” When carol COOKE embroiders she concentrates on the process rather than the outcome, taking note of the small things around her and placing her stitches with mindfulness and contemplation. Carol’s wandering has taken her on many different paths before it led her to embroidery and her life as an artist. She started her career as a nurse before she transitioned to being a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. This eventually led to becoming a sales and marketing manager for a company she coowned and operated with her husband. It was only when they sold the business that she decided to do the next thing on her life list - go to university. As a mature student, Carol completed a double degree from the…