Inspirations, issue 74

If you're in the mood for a feast of embroidery, grab a copy of the latest issue of Australian embroidery magazine Inspirations. 

Yes, it features my tea cosy, which uses the same embroidered appliqué techniques as my Celtic Stems and Celtic Leaves patterns. And it never ceases to amaze me how a project develops from this:

To this:

But my tea cosy is just one of an array of great projects in different styles and techniques, from Elisabetta Holzer Spinelli's vibrant biscornu pincushion to Marie-Pierre Théus' stitch-filled linen carry bag to Louise Spriggs' gorgeous contemporary cushion to fellow South African embroiderer Annamaria Kelly's lush silk ribbon work. 

The editorial team commissioned stitchery from needlewomen around the world and the result is an issue rich in diversity, so with something for everyone. And a host of unusual stitches as well – Italian pearl and Ferrara stitch in particular have piqued my interest. And of course it's all beautifully laid out, with thoughtfully styled photography. Real eye candy for stitchers.

Great pins!

So I've been a bit distracted lately, messing about on Pinterest (and neglecting my blog). A friend invited me to join and although initially I was slightly stumped as to what exactly I would be pinning on my boards, I quickly realised it'd be a great way to centralise all the images of impressive needlework I've flagged online over time.

It was a bit of a time consuming process, but well worth it. I've created boards for all the work I like on Hand Embroidery Network and my favourite Flickr images of needlework, as well as general Embroidery and Crochet boards for all the delectable work I've stumbled across elsewhere online. I couldn't pin a lot of my favourites from Flickr, because of individual members' file sharing settings, but there's enough there to get the synapses firing.

And then while pinning away, it suddenly hit me that I could create a virtual version of this. Appraising your work en masse is invaluable from a design point of view, because it allows you to see at a glance what you've already done, where there are gaps in your range that need filling and which of the ideas scrawled in your sketchbook to focus on next.

In addition to this, a board is a great way to share needlework ideas and inspiration. Or collaborate across oceans. Or curate a digital decorative art exhibition featuring your favourite needle artists.

The alternative, of course, is to simply sit back and be a passive observer of the greatness of which humans are capable when it comes to the decorative arts. Preferably with a cup of tea and additional suitable sustenance – you'll be there a while.