Hey <<First Name>>,
Welcome to the Embroidery News. Feedback for our new newsletters continues to come in, and the good news is it’s all good!
Congratulations on an excellent newsletter. I will look forward to these each Friday- a treat for the end of the working week!
Kate Brown, Victoria Australia.
I have loved INSPIRATIONS since I purchased my first issue (about #42). Now I have an Embroidery e-mail to look forward to as well.
Rona L. Singer, Newtown, CT USA
Love the new format – has so much more information. Thanks for being creative.
Kaye Brown, South Australia.
Thank you Kate, Rona & Kaye for your kind words. Each edition of Embroidery News is available online, so if you missed one you can read them here:
Issue 01 - Click here, Issue 02 - Click here
This week we try and keep up with Susan again, ‘What Are You Stitching’ includes a cameo from Norma’s husband (who is Norma? See Issue 02), find out why Ellaine is at home stitching, help us find our lost subscribers and discover about an Afternoon Tea with May Morris.
Remember though, Embroidery News is your voice. So speak up by emailing us at
embroiderynews@inspirationsmagazine.com.au |
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This week Susan has been at the studio and on location with the photography team for issue #88. We’ll show you some behind the scenes sneaky snaps we took in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Susan gives us this update:
‘In July I will be heading off to the US, Chicago to be precise, for the second 2015 SAGA Smock across America convention. For those not in the know, SAGA is an acronym for the Smocking Arts Guild of America but if you think that smocking is all they do you would be wrong. A SAGA convention involves a variety of needlework classes and is a great opportunity to get together with your friends, forget the daily grind and indulge yourself in stitching, shopping, eating and lots of laughing. Perfect! Next one will be held in September 2015 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and in 2016 SAGA will return to its regular, one big National Convention format in a location to be announced. Become a member and join in the fun! '
This week Fiona shares with us some of her experience from the last Mekong trip, as well as what you can expect this time around.
“We are so excited to be travelling to the Mekong again this year. It is such a perfect environment to combine travelling and stitching. Last year’s participants had such an amazing time and several were accompanied by non-stitching partners and friends as there was plenty for them to do.
As well as expert tuition from Susan O’Connor and Jenny McWhinney I will be your dedicated tour leader to look after all the day to day details, organise dinners and make sure everyone has everything they need. Meeting the people of Cambodia and Vietnam was certainly a highlight last year. They were so friendly and happy to see us wherever we went.
The other highlights of last year where the pre and post tours. The pre tour in Siem Reap gave everyone time to get over their jetlag and relax in the beauty of the gorgeous Sofitel hotel. The highlight was visiting Angkor Wat, a truly amazing experience and something everyone should have on their bucket list.
We hope you can join us and have the trip of a lifetime.”
Dates for the cruise are September 20th through to 27th 2015.
Bookings are now open and places are still available. To book click here.
Or contacting Penny Furseman:
Email: bookings@pennyfursemantravel.co.uk
Phone +44 1271 373724
For more details about the trip including itineraries and prices, check out our website by clicking here.
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The first project this week is from Ric Abercromby from Claremont Western Australia.We love how Ric added her own creativity and panache to Issue #85’s ‘Poppy’ evening bag, plus at age 84 it’s great to see our more senior members of the community showing us how it’s done!
‘I have been an avid reader of your magazine since Issue No. 1. I have made many of the projects over the years, sometimes with kits and at other times adapting the design to my needs. I was totally inspired by Susan O’Connor’s Poppies Minaudiere in Issue 85, but as glue and I are not compatible I decided to adapt the design to a clutch bag. I am really pleased with the result and at 84 years old hope to keep stitching for a few more years yet, so keep the ideas coming. Your magazine is truly wonderful.’
Denise Golding from South Australia shares :
‘This is my little field mouse I have just finished and not sure whether to frame it or make it into a cushion. It is from issue 37 of Inspirations by June Goodwin, called Rustles of Winter. The embroidery is done all in one thread . It was an interesting project which I loved doing. It is really enjoyable to see what people are doing around the world. There are some very clever ladies out there who do some beautiful work.’
Elizabeth Braun from South Yorkshire in England has sent two inspiring works to show us:
‘Using inspiration from ‘Hanako’s Dream’ in issue 47, I used fabric paints for the head, hands and feet, appliquéd the kimono and just trimmed up with a few simple outline stitches. It’s a great deal simpler than the beautiful original, but it was the first time I’d done any appliqué for a few years and I’m only a novice with fabric paints.
The other is the cute rabbit from ‘The A-Z of Stumpwork’ designed by Libby Vater. I worked it on hand-dyed fabric that I’d done myself a few years before in a class and used some organza ribbons instead of the chenille threads in the original design. I was quite pleased with the finish and, best of all, it won first prize in the embroidered item category of the Horticulture Show in Sheffield.’
You can see more of Elizabeth’s projects on Pinterest by clicking here.
Audra Kennedy from Huntsville Alabama USA send us some of her recent work with this note:
‘Dear Inspirations, when you posted this gorgeous embroidery from http://elisabettaricami.blogspot.com.au/ a few months ago on Facebook, I was totally inspired! I visited her blog and spent hours reading and looking at her work. It was so exquisite it motivated me to stitch. I had been looking for a great silk ribbon embroidery project so I dropped what I was doing and designed my own A in silk ribbon and DMC. It was so much fun to stitch and I referenced several books, including "A to Z of Ribbon Embroidery" to create my design. I am really pleased with the way it turned out and when my friend saw it she put in an order for one so I have started another one. Thanks for giving us such great resources and inspiration!’
Thanks for that Audra – we were also inspired by Elisabetta’s needlework, so much so that our editor Susan has contacted her and we’re hoping to include some of her work in Inspirations Issue #89.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS....
Last week we included an excellent project from Norma Mulligan that was at risk of never being completed if it wasn’t for the encouragement of her husband. So we asked our readers to send in pictures of their incomplete projects in the hope we might encourage you to ‘keep on stitching’.
However… no-one responded! Not one submission. This means either everyone is all up to date with their current projects, or no-one was brave enough to share their work in progress! Well for those of you suffering in silence, here is a picture of Norma’s husband you can print out and put with your unfinished project to spur you on…
What are you stitching? Send us your photos, details about yourself and a brief description to: embroiderynews@
inspirationsmagazine.com.au |
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Four times a year a special package arrives at the Inspirations & Stitchology offices… this week was one of those times.
As the release of the next issue looms near, we all eagerly await the arrival of what’s called the F&G. The ‘Fold and Gather’ is a proof of the magazine from the printer in an unbound state.
It’s the first time we can sit down & read the magazine ourselves from cover to cover in a finished state (other than the binding) in high quality print. |
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So… on Tuesday the F&G for issue #87 arrived and all we could say was WOW! It looks spectacular! Now we can give anything away, but here are a few sneak peek photos of what #87 looks like – from a safe distance of course.
Ellaine has been out of this office this week working on creating the step by step stiches for issue #88. One of the key elements that makes Inspirations so unique, is our attention to detail in creating the step by step instructions for each project.
When we receive a submission for the magazine, it’s Ellaine’s job to work with the designer to reverse engineer the process of how the project was created in the first place and break down each stage into easy to follow step by step instructions. To help illustrate each stage, we use a combination of close up photography and hand drawn diagrams.
Here you can see Ellaine re-creating one of the components of a goldwork project coming up in issue #88. This particular part of the project requires a couching technique worked over padding, and she’s just reached the point where it’s ready to do the sequence for photography. |
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So not only does Ellaine need to be a skilled stitcher and recreate elements of the projects we feature, she also needs to determine how best to communicate these many and varied techniques.
As mentioned earlier, the release of issue #87 is getting closer, which means we’re getting ready to send all our subscribers billing reminder emails. This is when we work through the process of debiting everyone’s credit cards and tracking down anyone whose subscription is no longer current. We do this to create a dispatch list which is then sent to all our mail houses around the world to ensure our valued subscribers receive their magazines on time.
If you are a subscriber to Inspirations and have not received a magazine for more than three months, it means your subscription is no longer current, but more importantly it means YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
LOST AND FOUND
We are currently on a mission to find subscribers who are unaware their subscription is no longer current. It can be as simple as an expired credit card or our contact details for you are out of date. In any event we don’t want anyone to MISS OUT!
ASK YOUR FRIENDS
Often people find out their subscription is no longer current when they see their friends with a new issue of the magazine. Those of you who are current subscribers, please ask your friends if their subscription is current, or for the super generous among you renew their subscription for them!
RENEW TODAY
Renewing your subscription is easy.
> Option 1 - RENEW ONLINE
Simply fill in our secure online form with your updated details. It’s so easy and quick, you’ll be done in 5 mins! Click Here
> Option 2 – RENEW BY PHONE
Renew your subscription over the phone by calling us within Australia on 08 8293 8600 or from outside Australia +61 8 8293 8600. You can call us anytime, if the office is unattended, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Otherwise please email us at subs@inspirationsmagazine.com.au
UNSURE IF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS CURRENT?
If you have not received issue #86 or are unsure about your current subscription status, please fill in this form here and we’ll get back to you ASAP
Afternoon Tea with May Morris
William Morris (1834-1896) was a leading member of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He is best known for his pattern designs, particularly on fabrics and wallpapers. His vision in linking art to industry by applying the values of fine art to the production of commercial design was a key stage in the evolution of design as we know it today.
Morris started his own firm in 1861 to produce a range of original domestic furnishings including embroidery, tableware and furniture, stained glass and tiles. Wallpapers were soon added to the list because Morris was unable to find any he liked well enough to use in his own home.
In fact Morris entered the craft industry as a result of the success he and his wife had spending two years furnishing and decorating their own newly built home. Morris did much of the work himself, with help from his artist friends. From there he went on to become one of the greatest pattern designers in modern history.
Michele Hill from Adelaide, Australia is an expert in all things William Morris. After winning airfares to Europe in a raffle prize, in 1997 she had her first William Morris ‘experience’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. After her ‘enlightenment’ abroad, she returned only to discover her home town of Adelaide has one of the largest collections of Morris Furnishings outside of the UK. |
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Fast forward to today and as a result of operating under the mantra of ‘keeping the genius of Morris alive’ Michele been involved in ranges of fabrics, running sell out William Morris tours in the UK and publishing two books with a third just released this month.
For her latest book Afternoon Tea with May Morris”, Michele has applied an interesting twist in her Morris journey and explored the designs of William’s daughter – May Morris. Michele explains:
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‘The book came about when I had the wonderful opportunity of viewing some of May Morris’ original drawings at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK in 2014. I have long admired May’s embroidered works, but when I saw those original drawings in Oxford I immediately felt a familiarity as I came to realise that I had seen many of them as finished versions of embroideries at home and overseas.
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I am also a great lover of formal afternoon teas so this theme gave birth to projects and recipes that might be required on such an occasion. From preparation to consumption – I hope you enjoy stitching and baking your own May Morris adaptations with a bit of May Morris history thrown in!’
“Afternoon Tea with May Morris” was officially launched at the delightful seaside town of Port Elliot, South Australia with great fanfare, where Anna Scott (Embroidery Designer & former editor of Inspirations) was guest speaker and everyone who attended helped raise over $1,000 in donations for the Australian Cancer Council.
You can follow Michele on her Blog: HERE
Copies of her new book can be purchased from her website: HERE |
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| QUOTE:
" All my scattering moments
are
taken up with my needle."
~ Ellen Birdseye Wheaton, 1851 |
What: Calm During the Storm
Where: Wartime & Embroidery @ The Museum of East Anglican Life, Suffolk UK
When: to 28 June
Details: Click Here
What: Exquisite Threads English Embroidery 1600s to 1900s
Where: The National Gallery of Victoria International (168 St Kilda Road) Australia
When: to 12 July
Details: Click Here
What: Elaborate Embroidery; Fabrics for Menswear Before 1815
Where: The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York USA
When: to 19 July
Details: Click Here
What: Embroidered Memories
Where: The Gold Coast Arts Centre, Surfers Paradise Australia
When: 13 June to 5 July
Details: Click Here
UPDATED INFO: Click Here
What: The Exhibition of Magna Carta (An Embroidery) by Cornelia Parker
Where: British Library, London UK
When: to 24 Jul
Details: Click Here
What: Slipstitch Exhibition
Where: Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria Australia
When: 4 Jul to 30 Aug
Details: Click Here
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Happy Stitching
The Embroidery News Team |
ISSUE 3 | JUNE 26, 2015
