Dear ,
Welcome to first edition of The Embroidery News. Formerly known as the Inspirations Newsletter, we have updated and refreshed our regular email newsletter to give it a new name and new format.
The Embroidery News will bring you all kinds of interesting bits and bobs relating to Embroidery more from the around the globe for your reading and viewing pleasure, as well as providing an inside scoop as to what’s happening behind the scenes with each issue of your favourite magazine ‘Inspirations’. Plus we’ll share events and ‘what’s on’ news, showcase what others in the community are stitching, and we even have a new segment called ‘Keeping Up With Susan’ where from time to time we’ll check in with the editor of Inspirations Susan O’Connor and see what mischief she is creating in her travels.
Most importantly this is your newsletter, so we want to feature the things that are of interest to you. Please get involved and email us with your news, events, pictures, stories or even the things that get up your embroidery nose! We might just be able to suggest a remedy or point you in the right direction.
Thank you for continuing to support Inspirations & reading our newsletter, we trust you will enjoy the change to The Embroidery News. |
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Forget keeping up with the Kardashians, it’s much more interesting keeping up with Susan O’Connor! This week Susan is back in the office to work on Inspirations Issue #88 after having just returned from travelling to Salt Lake City in Utah to visit Gail Doane. Whilst there Susan was busy writing, visiting local embroidery shops and she even managed to get some embroidery done!
Gail Doane is one of our regular contributors & tutors and her beautiful designs have appeared in Australian Smocking and Embroidery and Inspirations. One of our favourite projects from Gail was the gorgeous three piece girls outfit with wonderful garden flowers called ‘Sweet Baby Jane’ featured in Inspirations Issue #71. We look forward with eager anticipation to see if whilst during her trip Susan was able to twist her arm & convince her to create something new for us in the near future.
Susan also celebrated her son Clancy graduating from Monash University in May with a Bachelor of Arts – it’s not surprising that creativity runs in the family! What you may not know is Clancy is famous for appearing in Issue 25 of Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine in the project aptly named Clancy! The project from 1993 is a ‘dapper four piece outfit for a small gentlemen’ created by Susan herself. Clancy, 22 years later is still a dapper gentlemen just larger (and hairier) but Susan loves him just as much!
Masterclass On The Mekong – Bookings Now Open!
You’ve heard about it, read about it and seen all the pictures - now you can join in on the adventure! Bookings for the Mekong 2015 trip officially open today.
Details about the trip itself including itineraries and prices are all in our brochure, which you can download from our website here!
Miche'le Armstrong from ‘By Hoki Quilts’ in Hokitika New Zealand has sent us pictures of her finished scissor sheath and fob project ‘Potpourri’ from Issue #85. Miche'le says “I totally loved making this up and am thinking about making more - the instructions were so clear and simple that it made it a dream to stitch. Congratulations on another great issue.”
Christiane Paris from Belgium has shared with us these amazing projects she has recently finished in what she calls ‘relief embroidery paintings’.
What are you stitching? Send us your photos and a brief description to
embroiderynews@inspirationsmagazine.com.au
Are you enjoying reading Issue #86? The feedback we’ve had to date has been terrific - thank you to everyone who has written to us.
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Sharon from Precious Heirlooms told us:
“I just had to write to say how much I love this issue. You have included so many new techniques for lace making. This is very exciting. I hope to see more issues like this one. It is fun to learn something new instead of just doing projects with embroidery only.” |
We’d love to hear your feedback too! Email us at
embroiderynews@inspirationsmagazine.com.au
Susan’s husband Paul O’Connor was a special guest in our Adelaide office this week. He shared some fascinating stories and photos with us from his recent trips to China & the state of Tasmania in Australia.
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The reason he was in town was to attend an Aussie Rules Football game, where his team the Western Bulldogs were thoroughly defeated by local team Port Adelaide, whom just happens to also be our Travel & Events Coordinator Fiona Fagan’s beloved team. |
Suffice to say Paul is still hearing all about the embarrassing loss!
Thanks to all of you who filled in the ‘I’m Missing Issue #86 Form’ from our last newsletter. If you are an Inspirations subscriber and still have not received Issue #86, please fill in our form here (unless you have already done so) and we’ll chase it up for you ASAP.
INSPIRATIONS KITS – Don’t forget to order your kits from Issue #86, some of them are only available in limited in quantities. Visit www.inspirationsmagazine.com.au and click on kits to order today.
Subscribers save 15% on the purchase of all Inspirations Kits simply by entering the coupon code found on your fly sheet. If you are a subscriber but don’t have a fly sheet or coupon code, email us at subs@inspirationsmagazine.com.au and we’ll email you one.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today
https://inspirationsmagazine.com.au/subscriptions/
Converting Embroidery Into Music
A Hungarian design student, Zsanett Szirmay, has created a stunning textile design project showcasing her work in converting the patterns used in historical Eastern European Embroidery into music.
How does one convert an embroidery pattern into music? Szirmay explains: “Punch cards are already used in weaving machines to program patterns in the same way that they are used in musical instruments, such as barrel organs, to produce music. It was this connection that inspired the project.”
The process is called Soundweaving where each cross-stitch is treated like a note and with the help of a composer, she hand-punched the patterns onto cards. As soon as you move them off fabric, the pixel-like embroidered patterns start to look just like notes in a music software step sequencer.
The reason the process works is because both musical composition and embroidery share some principles, Szirmay says, like prime form, inversion, retrograde and retrograde inversion. At base, it’s all math. In other words, things that look pretty will often sound pretty, too.
So next time you’re working on your embroidery projects, consider what it might sound like as a melody and start singing along to your own stitching!
For more information about the project including photos of the installation, plus a video clip of what ‘embroidery music’ sounds like, follow the link below:
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/01/17/zsanett-szirmay-soundweaving-cross-stitch-patterns-punched-card-music-box/
| QUOTE:
" Methinks it is a token of healthy & gentle characteristics,
when women of high thoughts & accomplishments love to sew;
especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts
than while so occupied. "
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne,
The Marble Faun, 1859. |
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
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Happy Stitching
The Inspirations Team. |
