Needlework designs and delights
A brand new design, and a previous retreat exclusive! Is anyone in the mood for Christmas stitching yet? While the weather is warming up here in Australia, I felt the call for some traditional Christmas stitching this year – perhaps some yearning for the peace and comfort of simpler times. I hope these two designs…
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There I was, just stitching on a quaker, and this little critter came along and photo-bombed it! Known for their photogenic quality (and tendency to photo-bomb), Quokkas are sometimes called “the world’s happiest animal”, and I felt it was my way of just giving everyone a hug… I had this idea some years ago (I…
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Those antique birds – I just can’t stop stitching them! I wanted to introduce you to my newest feathered friend, this little one, surrounded by a magnificent wreath of flowers. I think it’s a cardinal – but perhaps the original stitcher took some license with the colouring – what do you think? I’ve been collecting…
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While I was preparing for the most recent Stitching in the Mountains Retreat, I was considering patterns that would fit our theme of scent. After some to-ing and fro-ing, I remembered my Great Aunt (Auntie Pam, we called her), who had a beautiful kumqat tree in a big, fancy pot, right by her front door.…
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An antique reproduction (Eileen Elizabeth Mason 1923) and two pin-pillows… More of my time than I care to admit is spent searching online for antique samplers. Most are out of my price range, and many use very similar motifs, similar sentiments and have tried-and-true colour palettes. It was such a treat to find this relatively…
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Pokolbin is in the Hunter Valley, a place renowned for it’s vineyards, where once a year, I travel over rolling hills to the Daisy Chain Stitcher’s Retreat. Run by the wonderful Theresa Craig (of Daisy Chain Stitchery and fabric dyer of Whoopsie Daisy Designs) and her family, this is a highlight of my year. This…
Read MoreA new design in June/July 2026 Homespun Australia magazine. It’s always a pleasure to create something for the wonderful ‘Homespun Australia’ magazine, and this collaboration especially so. Ellie Whittaker, the new editor, reached out to me to contribute to her themed edition, on a ‘sense of place’. I loved this idea, as so many of…
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Beneath the Waves Palette – XStitch the Rainbow special design It’s always humbling to see the breadth of design talent out there in your stitchy community, and the yearly XStitch the Rainbow collection is a perfect example. Run annually to coincide with the Nashville Needlework Market, XStitch the Rainbow features a different floss dyer each…
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An antique reproduction – special Etsy exclusive Working with antique samplers is such a privilege. While my collection mostly consists of the damaged, neglected and in need of saving, I have found a particular love of French samplers. Typically very floral, there’s a lightness and delicacy about them that keeps me intrigued. This sampler came…
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An antique reproduction and a drum This pattern arose out of friendship – the lovely Nicola from Number12StitchCo on Etsy asked me to create a special reproduction using her beautiful linen, for the first Toowoomba Stitcher’s Retreat in 2024. After going back-and-forth on a couple of designs (and hitting the inevitable design roadblocks) we decided…
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