Inspirations

Referred to by readers as 'the World's most beautiful embroidery magazine', Inspirations is where you find the best classic hand embroidery by leading embroiderers throughout the world. Complemented with superbly styled photography and captivating stories, each issue brings a diverse collection of timeless projects from home wares and bags to gifts and accessories. A wide variety of embroidery techniques is presented with detailed and easy to follow instructions, step-by-step tutorials and full size patterns, making each issue a valuable resource for people new to embroidery and seasoned needleworkers alike.

FROM THE EDITOR

Quilts of War • "As my book Quilts - The Fabric of War 1760-1900 was about to go to press, I gave a lecture on these quilts at a dinner for the Australian Defense Force. Many of the returned soldiers shared how these men made the quilts for mindfulness - a technique used in the military while at the war site, to take their minds off the horrendous surroundings. Soldiers find a project on which they have to concentrate, such as making a complicated quilt. This explains why most of the quilts that have been found are in mint condition. Once back from the war, the soldiers put them away as they were a reminder of events they didn’t want to deal with anymore."

Joyful Stitching • Confined to our homes during the pandemic and lockdown, the internet became our source of company, connection, and community. Many tutors replaced or supplemented their existing classes with virtual courses, thereby expanding their classrooms across borders and continents.

SHARED STORIES • FIONA CONNELL’S love of textiles and stitching started with a Barbie doll she received for Christmas as a five-year-old. Sorely disappointed with the amount of clothing she came with, Fiona turned to her maternal grandmother who happened to be an amazing seamstress. Over the remaining two weeks of the holidays, Fiona would choose a magic scrap from a bag of fabric remnants and her grandmother would conjure up a new outfit for Barbie.

BETWEEN THE COVERS

Poppies • A sure sign of warmer weather is the appearance of poppies, their fragile, blowsy petals opening out to greet the sun and add vibrant splashes of colour everywhere they bloom.

Little Flying Things • Our world is full of insects, buzzing, flapping and zooming through the air in delightful ballets, their amazing colours and intricate forms providing endless fascination.

Floral Cascade • A bright, fragrant bouquet of flowers can certainly lift the spirits of any jaded soul and this delightful floral display is overflowing with positive and happy vibes.

Chain of Hearts • The heart is a popular motif in Hardanger embroidery, being well suited to the design constraints of this geometric style of embroidery.

Fly me to the Moon • Is this wonderful embroidery a butterfly or a moth and how can you tell the difference? There is a little clue in the name but the most obvious distinctions are that a moth will rest with its wings open whereas those of a butterfly will be closed, plus the nocturnal moth has antennae that are usually leaf or feather shaped, unlike the long, bare form of the diurnal butterfly.

Heartfelt • The heart is a perennial symbol of love and affection and the first record of its use as such was in a French manuscript from 1250. Appealing in its simplicity and pleasing symmetry, it has been a favourite of needleworkers across the centuries and is used here to decorate a delightful set of stitching accessories, coupled with another beloved embroidery motif, the bullion rose.

Still Life with Loquats • Three striking elements, a tall, monochrome temple jar, dainty floral bowl filled with sprigs of loquat leaves and fruit, and a curious, long-legged cricket make up this elegant...