Tabla de contenidos para Inspirations issue 94 en Inspirations

Have you ever entered an embroidery competition? There are certainly plenty of opportunities and they come in all shapes and sizes ranging from the needlework section at your local show or fair through to international competitions offering large cash prizes. We love competitions. They give us the opportunity to give away lots of fabulous prizes. They also give us an opportunity to see what you are up to and many talented contributors to Inspirations have come to our attention through competitions. We love looking at the entries, examining the details and discovering the clever ways that a needle and thread can be used to create something spectacular. We delight in the imagination and innovation involved and most of all we admire the attitude of ‘I love what I do and…

“I recall having an interest in drawing and making from an early age. As a child art and history books appealed to my imagination, and I frequently made drawings of the characters featured in historical paintings. When I was older I began to visit galleries and view artists work. I knew at that point I wanted to pursue a career in the visual arts. I wanted to be an artist and create artworks to exhibit in galleries, museums and public spaces. I maintained an interest in the visual arts throughout my schooling. From school I decided to enrol on an art foundation course particularly motivated by my interest in figure drawing. During the course I was able to develop my drawing skills alongside my interest in textiles and surface design.…

Thank you so much to everyone who supported our 2016 Stitch Your Heart Out needlework competition. With the magnificent full set of Au Ver à Soie, Soie d’Alger threads and a bounty of other fabulous goodies to offer as prizes, we were thrilled to receive more entries than ever before, showcasing a great love for embroidery in a wide range of techniques from around the world. AND WINNER OF DESIGN DIVAS: RAISED EMBROIDERY ZINAIDA KAZBAN (UK) sketched her enchanting design based on her own photographs of a bunny, surrounding him with magical plants and flowers. “The bunny is peeking out of the bushes as he is frightened by a viewer, but still curious about the world opening up on the other side of the frame.” Zinaida has won a full…

MY PARENTS GAVE ME TRAVELLING SHOES; in their early twenties they packed up their home in England and ventured to the bush in Zambia, Africa. From there we moved to South Africa where I grew up and completed my schooling. In my early twenties I spent a few years in England followed by a return to South Africa. My thirties brought a move to the USA where I lived in four different states and am now settled in Ohio. I love to travel and experience new cultures and I feel very fortunate to have travelled the globe teaching others my passion for folk art. I am drawn to the simplicity of folk art along with the naivety and quirkiness of many of the images. I love saturated colour and pairing…

Antique shades of silk ribbon, softly variegated thread, lush velvet and a lacy border of tiny glass beads combine to create these delightful flower brooches. Delicate roses, cleverly worked with fly stitch and French knots are held in a bouquet with a pretty pink ribbon bow. Spires of hollyhocks in shades of rose, mauve and berry rise up from a carpet of ribbon leaves and a tiny enamelled bee zooms in for a closer look on a golden trail. The back of each brooch is finished with co-ordinating silk and each one fastens with a gold pin. HOLLYHOCK BROOCH REQUIREMENTS Fabric 15cm (6") square of silk velvet Mary Jo Hiney Designs – green algae 11.5cm x 15cm wide (4 1/2" x 6") piece of antique mauve silk dupion Supplies 7.5cm…

CLASSES / TOURS AMERICAN NEEDLEPOINT GUILD Wisconsin, USA Tel: 608 443 2476 Tel INT: +1 608 443 2476 membership@needlepoint.org www.needlepoint.org INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR TEXTILE ARTS Am Bahnhof 8 Tel: 08 5519 141 480 Tel INT: +49 8 5519 141 480 hota@house-of-textile-arts.eu www.textile-arts-international.com NEEDLEWORK TOURS Victoria, Australia Tel: 1300 385 080 Tel INT: +61 3 9021 8192 enquiries@needleworktours.com.au www.needleworktours.com.au SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK AND DESIGN (SFSNAD) 360 Post Street, Suite 604 San Francisco, CA 94108 Tel: (415) 604 1104 Tel: +1 415 604 1104 info@sfsnad.org www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org THE CREWEL WORK COMPANY Cumbria, England Tel: 017 6835 3683 Tel INT: +44 (0) 1768 353 683 admin@crewelwork.com www.crewelwork.com DESIGNERS ALISON COLE EMBROIDERY Victoria, Australia Tel: 03 9747 0648 Tel INT: +61 3 9747 0648 alison@alisoncoleembroidery.com.au www.alisoncoleembroidery.com.au BLACKBERRY LANE Victoria, Australia Tel: 03 5797…

Whenever I get the opportunity to travel to a place I’ve never been to before, the first thing I research is the traditional textiles and needlecraft of the area. Spinning and weaving, natural dyes, intricate embroideries, or a specific style of fabric – the way people interact with textiles, how they wear them or use them in their homes and during their ceremonies, reveal so much about their traditions and way of life. Some people are foodies. They define a place by the ingredients or style of cooking of the area they visit. They take photos of their food, buy exotic local produce to try at home or buy cooking books and tableware depicting that specific style of food. They taste their way through their journey. Other people follow the…

PATEH IS A TRADITIONAL IRANIAN NEEDLEWORK STYLE, embellishing hand-dyed woollen shawls with intricately embroidered traditional patterns in wool thread. The base fabric or ariz is woven with hand-dyed Spring wool from sheep who spend the harsh Iranian winter indoors protected from the extreme weather. This produces a fabric that is soft, luxurious and warm. Natural elements like madder, pomegranate skins, henna and walnut husks are used to dye the fabrics in colours like deep red, burnt orange and soft browns. The threads, spun from the same Spring wool, are dyed in a similar way but also include indigo colours like blues, greens, purple and black. Akhtar lives in Adelaide, South Australia but was born in Rafsanjan in the Kerman province of Iran many years ago. As a married…

NORTHERN TERRITORY The 2017 Alice Springs Beanie Festival will run from June 23–26 in the grounds of the Araluen Arts Centre, 61 Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs and the theme is Weaving the Magic. There will be an extensive range of workshops plus lots of beanies for sale. Further information including all prize categories is available at www.beaniefest.org SOUTH AUSTRALIA The Quilter’s Guild of South Australia Inc. invites all quilt artists resident in Australia to participate in their Quilt Exhibition, Dare to Differ 2017 that will run from September 1–25, 2017 at Gallery M, 287 Diagonal Road, Oaklands. Quilts for this exhibition should be original and innovative, predominately fibre and composed of at least two layers stitched together. Further information is available from the convenor Suzanne Gummow, ph. (08) 8268 7005…

The cypress tree, a Zoroastrian symbol of life, depicts eternity, strength, integrity and freedom. After the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century, Zoroastrian people migrated to India and Kashmir where they continued to depict their beloved cypress tree, but now with a bent over top. This symbol became known as a boteh, meaning shrub, bush, or bent tree. This symbolised the duress and hardship of the people, but also their strength and resilience. They will bend but they will not break. The boteh design was incorporated into the Indian lexicon and became a popular design for woven shawls, also known as Kashmir shawls. The Dutch East India Company imported these shawls to Europe during the early 1800's, where the boteh design became extremely popular and Kashmir weavers began…

Stitches to Savor Sue Spargo Martingale 2015 | Hard Cover 144 pg ISBN 978-1-60468-722-4 | RRP US $34.99 Much as we love to stitch fabulous projects, learn new techniques and read about embroidery, sometimes it’s a real pleasure to have a book that simply immerses us in the visual delight of what can be created with a needle and thread. This is such a book, a veritable feast of enchanting images where one can enjoy the amazing designs and fabulous colours of Sue Spargo’s captivating folk art quilts then come back time and time again to spend hours poring over the incredible details. Sue’s quilts are joyous things, full of colour and texture, layer upon layer of fabrics and threads artfully manipulated to create a whimsical and wonderful collection that…

REQUIREMENTS Fabric 23cm x 15cm wide (9" x 6") piece of charcoal wool flannel (front cover) 10cm x 25.5cm wide (4" x 10") piece of persimmon wool flannel (pin cushion, needlecase appliqué and small orange flower) 23cm x 28cm wide (9" x 11") piece of chartreuse wool flannel (needle book) 15cm (6") square of charcoal cotton print (front overlay and flap pocket overlay) 25cm x 70cm wide (10" x 27 1/2") piece of charcoal yarn-dyed cotton (inside pockets and back cover) 15cm x 23cm wide (6" x 9") piece of charcoal linen (inside flap) 15cm x 28cm wide (6" x 11") piece of aqua/yellow spot cotton print (inside flap pocket) 46cm x 28cm wide (18" x 11") piece of turquoise chevron cotton print (inside lining and vase overlay) 46cm x…

PERFECT PETALS Page 30. Lush silk ribbon roses on a velvet ground 94-1 Kit contains: Fabric, embroidery thread, silk ribbons and needles SUBSCRIBER PRICE $69.70 REGULAR PRICE $82.00 ALL TIED UP! Page 36. Fabric tray worked in Sardinian embroidery 94-2 Kit contains: Fabric, interfacing, ribbon, embroidery threads and needles SUBSCRIBER PRICE $46.75 REGULAR PRICE $55.00 VICTORIANA Page 44. Silk ribbon brooches with beaded edging 94-3a Hollyhock kit contains: fabrics, interfacings, batting, brooch pin, bee charm, beading thread, embroidery threads, silk ribbons, beads and needles SUBSCRIBER PRICE $63.75 REGULAR PRICE $75.00 94-3b Rose bouquet kit contains: fabrics, interfacings, batting, brooch pin, beading thread, embroidery threads, silk ribbons, beads and needles SUBSCRIBER PRICE $55.25 REGULAR PRICE $65.00 FIRST MATE Page 52. Baby romper with embroidered monogram and crown 94-4 Kit contains: Fabric,…