Needlework designs and delights
You can do it (I promise!) Actually, these aren’t nearly as hard as they look (but don’t tell anyone …) Follow these instructions, and you’ll have your first Alphabet Block in no time. And I warn you, they’re addictive! You will need: your completed stitched design sharp scissors for cutting fabric a needle: I find…
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(and a quick finishing tutorial) As designers, we were set a challenge for the Fall 2021 Needlework Expo to feature a cat. It’s amazing to see how different designers respond to this brief and create such different designs. You can see them by using #themeowthemerrier I was playing around with ideas when I remembered this…
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‘The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud’. – Buddhist proverb This is a very personal design for me. The shorthand version of this proverb has been my go to when I felt overwhelmed during these challenging times. It’s helped me stay mindful that growth is always possible and that beauty…
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No.2 in the Bushland Quaker series I’m finding Quaker-style designs are addictive. There’s something about the symmetry and the ability to combine small motifs that is really appealing. And they’re quick to stitch up too! I wanted to do a series before I even completed the first Bushland Quaker. The opportunity came faster than I…
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An antique reproduction I can’t help it. I call this the ‘Chilli Sampler’ in my head. Those rosebuds in the border? They just look like chillis to me! And yet somehow this fits. I can’t shake the impression of heat and warmth with this sampler. The palm-like trees, the bright colours – I wish I…
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There is something so calming about stitching in a single colour. Thread after thread, it builds quickly; growing simply in your hands. And redwork has a long tradition: those charming, simple abecedaires that young girls created to demonstrate their skills have an enduring charm. With this design, I again started with an antique in my…
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Hannah Hodgkison is another charming visitor: a tiny, bright and cheerful little sampler that caught my eye. Without a date or a place, we could not locate Hannah in the historical records, but spending time with her work, I can’t help but think she was a bright, cheerful little girl. Her colour palette is unusual…
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An antique reproduction Lavenia came into my life unexpectedly. I couldn’t believe I found her, sitting quietly and demurely, unnoticed and unclaimed. I understand now why antique samplers are always referred to by their stitcher’s names, as if they were a person themselves: I feel like we met that day – over distance and over…
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This past year we’ve all had to find the beauty close to home. With this in mind, I wanted to create a design that celebrates the colours, shapes and quirks of Australian flowers. I’d long wanted to design a Quaker, which I love for their simplicity and symmetry. Barely before I realised it, I had…
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A quiet Christmas. I’m not one for Santas, snowmen or flashing lights. Christmas is hot where I live, and much of the traditional iconography just doesn’t make much sense. I was asked to create some simple Christmas designs, and really enjoyed using simple Algerian Eyelet stitches to add texture to these motifs. They really are…
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Mojo Stitches 