Brigid Mills

‘I thought you may be interested to see one of the beautiful designs from an Inspirations publication re-worked in Appleton wools and enlarged to form a cushion. I was drawn to David Smyth’s Garden from a book in the local library here in NZ.

I've only ever completed crewelwork kits from The Crewelwork Company, so it was an adventure to trace the design onto linen twill and colour match the silks specified to Appleton wools at my local craft store (it took ages but was so satisfying!).’

‘I love the colours and the variation of the featured plants. I’ve only recently taken up needlework again, so while I was tempted to add some Elizabethan caterpillars and butterflies, I was a bit nervous to fiddle with the original design. Maybe these elements could be featured in a future design?!’

What an excellent way to re-imagine this gorgeous design, Brigid. Both your stitching and your colour matching are terrific, and you now have a beautifully vibrant piece to add to your home. The time and hard work you invested into this project certainly paid off; keep up the terrific work.

Cathy Lysnes

‘After a 10-month long course provided by The Crewel Work Company and taught by the fabulous Kate Barlow, I finally finished my Lady and the Lute. From June 9th to October 15th 2025, I spent 419.25 hours stitching this reproduction of a mid-1600s casket panel.’

‘I wanted to try this project because of the materials used and the stitches taught. The Dupioni silk was mounted on a slate frame which was a new tool to me. Of the 26 shades of Devere 10 strand silk provided, only 1 or 2 strands were ever used in the stitching. I used a laying tool for every stitch to ensure that the strands were laying flat side by side. In doing so, I was trying to optimise the shine factor of the silk.’

‘There were 3 shades of Pipers silk gimp and 9 shades of Pipers silk purl used to fill in the outer floral motifs. Kate taught the Cut Pile stitch and the Twisted Moss stitch which were stitches popular in the 1600s but fell out of favour over the years.

The Cut Pile stitch was used in the background in the cartouche as well as in the 5 petal flowers on the outside of the cartouche. The loops are cut to produce a velvet look after they are glued on the back. I left the background loops uncut as I felt they looked like furrowed fields.’

‘The 5 petal flowers have the pile cut to represent velvet while the gimp imitates the pile before cutting.

Depending on how the light hits the stitching, the silk takes on a different shimmer each time.Depending on how the light hits the stitching, the silk takes on a different shimmer each time.

I love the sparkle the silk gives off in different light as shown in these photos.’

Cathy, this is a remarkable piece, and hearing about your process and design choices is fascinating. The quality of your stitching is superb and the finished piece really is eye-catching with each of your techniques adding to the visual interest. We can’t wait to see what you create next.

Maddie Loizou

‘I'd like to share my Rana frog that I completed recently from the Inspirations Ready-to-Stitch kit. I really enjoyed making my little Rana as I usually stick to flat hoop works, so this was something new!

I opted to make mine into a brooch so I can wear her out and about.

Frogs are my favourite animal, so I am very excited to debut her into the world.’

‘This is only my second time doing goldwork, and there is definitely a lot of room for improvement, but I had a very good time and wanted to commend you all on how easy to follow and well put together the kit and instructions were. Thank you!’

What a terrific achievement Maddie, your Rana is adorable. While you may be new to goldwork, your stitching is impressive; we’re so pleased to hear our instructions were able to help you complete such a great quality of work. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Have you taken a design and re-worked it to create something new? Have you finished a labour of love? Or have you recently started learning a new technique?

Whatever you are stitching, we’d love to see it! Email photos of what you’ve created with needle and thread along with a few details about your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com