Inspirations Magazine Issue #130 | Out Now!

SPOILER ALERT

If you do not wish to see the projects from the new issue of Inspirations magazine #130 before your copy arrives, please skip this next article!

To help set the tone for our latest release of Inspirations magazine, we're going to start with a quote from our esteemed Editor-in-Chief, Susan O'Connor.

Susan makes this great point when reflecting on how embroidery has changed over the years:

‘Techniques have evolved, becoming very sophisticated and often highly complex, and the amount of time, skill and effort required to complete a piece is certainly something to be celebrated.

We also have a greater appreciation for recognising personal accomplishment, taking pride in creating something beautiful and giving joy by sharing our passion for stitching with others.’

It is from this viewpoint that we're thrilled to draw back the curtain to reveal the all-new Inspirations magazine issue #130, themed Picture Perfect.

Picture Perfect beautifully sums up how we seek to display all our stitched wonders. As embroiderers we pour our time, talent and treasure into creating magnificent pieces of stitched art and once completed, or even sometimes during completion, we want to celebrate our success with stitchers and non-stitchers alike.

Quite often this even takes the form of gifting one of our stitched masterpieces to someone dear to us.

As we explore the projects on offer in this latest issue, it's our hope you'll find one, two or even more that you can re-create to proudly show off your embroidery to others - or maybe even find that perfect design to stitch and give away to a worthy recipient.

Here are our brand-new Picture Perfect projects, now on display:

Anemones by Colleen Goy - Three gorgeous threadpainted anemones in a pretty trio of colours. Soft, beautiful and utterly frameable.

Mucha's Heart by Louise Waddington - A stunning goldwork and stumpwork design inspired by the stylish world of artist Alphonse Mucha. Art Nouveau meets needle and thread, and the result is spectacular.

Butterfly Blues by Deborah Love - A sweet lavender sachet embellished with Deerfield embroidery. Delightful to stitch, delightful to give.

Darwin Woollybutt & Blue-banded Bee by Denise Mackey - A beautiful stumpwork study of an Australian eucalypt and its tiny native bee companion. A love letter to the bush, worked in thread.

Hardanger Stars by Kim Beamish - Needlework accessories featuring a variety of star motifs in Hardanger embroidery. Crisp, cool and completely lovely.

Heloise by Tanya Bentham - Meet Heloise, a young medieval woman beautifully rendered in Opus Anglicanum. She's the first in a pair of panels - which means you'll already be looking forward to Inspiration issue #131.

Cleopatra Butterfly on Ivy by Martina Frank - A butterfly at rest on an ivy plant, brought to life with stumpwork. Quietly stunning.

A Token of Friendship by Lesley Wilkins - A folding book of cross-stitched panels featuring intricate Quaker motifs. The name says it all - this one was made to be given away.

In addition to all these beautiful projects, you’ll also find the following feature articles:

Dreamweaver - We welcome back Cheryl Bridgart, an artist who uses her sewing machine the way others use a paintbrush. Her technique - freehand machine embroidery worked entirely without pen or pencil - has earned her a place in the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Spectacular Suzanis - A rich and colourful journey into the embroidered textile tradition of Central Asia, where for centuries women have gathered together to stitch extraordinary works of art.

Fly Me to the Moon - Did you know that embroidery has a place among the stars? The Lunar Codex Project is one of the most remarkable stories we've ever had the pleasure of sharing.

And finally, in Loose Threads our resident writer Ansie van der Walt takes us on a fascinating journey back to the very beginning of our materials - asking where the cotton, silk and linen in our stash actually comes from before it reaches us.

Picture Perfect in every sense, Inspirations magazine issue #130 is now available to purchase using the link below.