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

The Red Dress

The Calico Garment INITIATIVE • As The Red Dress reached the end of the making stage in 2023, the Calico Garment Initiative was born to offer groups, exhibition venues, museums, and galleries the opportunity to make their own collaborative garment within their communities.

Stitching History • The Worshipful Company of Broderers is a craft guild within the Kingdom of Lochac, a regional branch of the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

BETWEEN THE COVERS

Swan Lake • Combining surface embroidery, stumpwork and goldwork techniques, a majestic white swan floats effortlessly across the water on this delightful hanging ornament.

Advent Calendar • Counting down the days until Christmas will be much more fun with this fabulous calendar, featuring some friendly faces from the animal world appropriately attired in bright red Santa hats with snowy white trim.

Christmas Glow • Nothing adds a warm and gentle glow as effectively as a group of golden candles, surrounded here with pine boughs and sprigs of holly, all tied together with a silk ribbon bow.

A White Christmas • Red and green are certainly the most evocative Christmas colours, conjuring thoughts of fir trees, holly and Rudolph's red nose, but white also plays a part with scenes of winter landscapes in the Northern Hemisphere, the dove of peace and the snowy strands of Santa's beard.

Very Merry Cherries • Juicy red cherries are a much-anticipated part of festive celebrations, their glossy, ruby skins adding a delicious richness to the table. Why not enjoy them all year round with this fun and fabulous brooch, worked in needlelace using lustrous stranded silk threads.

All that Glitters • Add an extra sparkle to your Christmas décor with this trio of ornaments, stitched onto cotton velveteen and wool felt and decorated with glittering thread and twinkling beads.

A Bush Bouquet • Come and celebrate a bush Christmas with the sun shining, smooth Lilly Pilly berries and pretty pink wax flowers dotting the landscape, and the fragrance of eucalyptus in the air.

Inspirations

Like Magic