Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2026 i The Creative Thread

Embroidery is a way to stitch your voice into the world, one beautiful, rebellious thread at a time The Embroiderers’ Guild was established in 1906 when 16 determined former students of the Royal School of Needlework collaborated to create a society dedicated to raising the standards of embroidery, sharing knowledge and amplifying the craft. This group became the Embroiderers’ Guild, with Louisa Pesel as their first President. The mission - to champion embroidery's singular creativity and celebrate it as an intentional and important art form. Today this purpose continues. The Guild instructs, inspires and promotes embroidery by fostering an environment where excellence and creative expression flourish, whilst teaching the public the history of textile art and how it's threaded into our culture. With a commitment to education and community the…

Zara Merrick's work blooms with vibrant flowers and characterful creatures, hearts and ribbons, clover and starburst. Shining through colour and texture, a reflection of her training in jewellery design at Central St. Martins, her pieces are instantly recognisable and sought after, with a long waiting list for commissions as well as selling at Liberty and in the US through John Derian. After working for a jewellery company on London's Kings Road Zara fell in love with the exhuberance and alchemy of textile art, and now hand sews daily to create her intricate, storied pieces. Tell us about your move from jewellery to embroidery I was always reliant on other people, for the jewellery processes, and I didn't really want that. And I missed colour. I did paint, and I did…

Welcome to the first issue of The Creative Thread. When I began shaping this new Embroiderers’ Guild members’ magazine, I kept returning to a simple idea: the talented and rebellious women who started the Guild and how today's community continues their ethos. Collaborating, challenging yourself and championing textile art remains at the heart of the Guild, and in this magazine you'll find a balance of content, from exclusive projects to artist insights; creative inspiration to reviews. Since it's spring we explore how our natural world can spark new ideas for embroidery. Sometimes just looking more closely at what's around us can transform the approach to stitching. Alongside this, we hear from practicing artists who reveal how their skills and ideas develop, highlight pieces from the Guild's extensive Collection and, in…

Lauren is a Yorkshire-based embroidery artist who first picked up a needle in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the calm of the craft. What began as personalised pet portraits has evolved into designing modern embroidery patterns that encourage people of all levels to create something beautiful. See more from Lauren on her website and shop and on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. TOP TIPS » Let your stitch direction follow the form of the swallow's body and wings. Sometimes it helps to make a few guiding lines across the area first to help you know which direction to embroider, especially when the stitch direction may gradually change within the same area. » Blend gradually. When working long and short stitch, overlap some of your stitches slightly more than feels…

EMILLIE'S ADVICE FOR USING NATURE AS INSPIRATION Start with what you love. ‘What makes you smile? What do you want to be reminded of? Recently I've been feeding the ducks by the canal and it makes me so happy, so I really want to capture a duck in embroidery sometime soon.’ Use photography to capture inspiration. Take photos of anything you notice that impacts you: a dramatic sky, a bird or pattern on a leaf. You may use them later, or they may simply influence colour and composition. Seek out beauty. ‘I look for refuge in the beauty of nature and I try to seek those moments out as much as I can. I notice what's changing along the canal or admire the garden displays people create by their front…

Normally I start working at about half ten, eleven, at my kitchen table. And if I don't start till later in the day, it's fine. I'll work from 7.30pm till midnight – on the sofa. I've got a task light there and either the TV will be on or I listen to audio books. And I love The Archers. I never used to look after my nails. They were always a mess, and I couldn't wear nail varnish because it just chips off with the needle. But when I was going to my show in New York, my friends said, “we're getting your nails done, they look terrible.” So I had gel and it was a revelation. I can now push the needle through with a fingernail, because it's rock…

Muriel Best's Californians conjures that bright and breezy feeling of the American west coast. Gifted to the Guild Collection by her son, Anthony Best, the design features figures and lettering on a cream cotton ground using fly and straight stitch and seeding, in a full colour range of machine threads, stranded cottons and fine perle threads. At first, the prevailing tone is one of casual relaxation. The stitching is simple and used lightly, giving a sketched feel reminiscent of a coloured pencil drawing. By leaving plenty of white space Muriel creates a further sense of lightness. There's no black, neither line work or shading and this enhances the airy atmosphere. Heavier stitch application and the use of pattern on the clothing work draw the eye to the main focal points…

» Think of a place you would like to represent in stitch: what does that location mean to you, how does it make you feel? Can you distil those feelings into a few words? What stitch types, threads and colours work best to encapsulate those words? » Try creating a moodboard (a real one or on Pinterest) or sketchbook and see where it leads you. » Explore a less is more approach - how can you make backgrounds and white spaces work harder for you? What happens when you leave areas lightly stitched or unstitched? » Try using text in your design, discover how different fonts, scale, colour and placement impact the mood of your work and affect the balance of your composition. See our Inspired to Create Courses Taster…

At Discover Bucks Museum, the journey to the Embroiderers’ Guild gallery takes you through layers of time — a mammoth tusk, fossils, archaeology, the famous Lenborough Hoard, portraits and pieces from working lives — before reaching a room dedicated to the smallest of stitches. By the time I step inside, I'm already primed to think about Britain's history and culture not as grand events but the accumulation of countless human actions. Which is, of course, exactly what embroidery is. The Sew Dainty exhibition, drawn from the extensive Embroiderers’ Guild Collection, celebrates miniature work: tiny stitches, sewn objects and diminutive detail that reward close attention. Visitors can get up-close and admire the painstaking precision needed to create these 61 exquisite pieces. Glass cases invite you to lean in, drawers open to…

1 TO BEGIN Select an easy fabric to stitch into, firm weaves such as calico are unsuitable. A frame works better for this stitch. When using a wide range of threads chenille needles are the most useful. Samples using one colour in various thicknesses and qualities will highlight the texture. 2 STITCH DIAGRAM It's helpful to draw a guideline with a marking pencil or tacking. For the final stitch you need to work a holding stich in the last corner to complete the ladder. 3 STARTING OFF Begin with an ‘away knot’ - stitch away from the start point; when finished snip off the knot and weave the thread into the back for neatness. A thicker thread such as tapestry or knitting wool is good for practicing. Try not to…

Cerys Reece is a portrait artist specialising in hand embroidery, transforming thread into vivid, expressive works of art. Looking ahead, she plans to expand this practice into fashion and wearable art, merging portraiture, texture and bold colour into garments and statement pieces. Cerys recently graduated in Fashion Design and Accessories at the Jimmy Choo Academy, focussing heavily on textile design throughout her degree. How do you feel when you first look at Alyssa's work? My first impression is that I'm immediately drawn in. The details stand out, and I find myself looking closely at how the stitches shape the design. The texture adds depth, and I was amazed by how she explores so many different media and uses a variety of techniques. I can see how each piece reflects her willingness…