Hello Everyone
Happy New Year to you all, I hope 2015 brings health, happiness and peace to you and your loved ones. With a new year come resolutions, renewal and new ideas, I have plenty so lets start by sharing some of the ideas and plans in store for 2015!
New Whitework Projects
As you know my “whitework” projects are named “Shades Of Whitework” to distinguish them from pure white on white embroidery as it is traditionally known. The designs are stitched using touches of monochrome shades of grey and black to give them a fresh contemporary feel. However, we can never be limited with colour choices and these could easily be substituted with other shades to achieve your own unique preference – I have been experimenting and will discuss this in more depth in a future post.
Despite the normal chaotic Christmas activities I did manage to sneak in a bit of stitching and have completed three new projects the first two of which will be added to the shop this month: the first is “Katarina” The Cat – with thanks to Jill Buckley of The Quilt Rat who kindly gave me permission to use the outline of her charming & elegant cat doodle. You can see more of her beautiful work here.
The second is “Chickadee”. This is the third in a series of A Complete Lesson in Whitework Embroidery – the other two are complete lessons in Needlepainting and Miniature Needlepainting.
Lessons
The Complete lessons allow you to learn the technique in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. If you are a beginner it is a good place to start and if you have some experience but want to brush up on the technique then this is also for you. If your new year’s resolution is to learn needlepainting there are two other starting points: The DVD The Long & The Short of It, and the book Needlepainting Embroidery: Fresh Ideas For Beginners.
Each lesson kit is accompanied by information on materials, stitches, hints and step by step photos. The kit includes an instruction booklet, fabric with pre-printed outlines and needles. The whitework kits also include all the threads as these are not always easy to obtain but the needlepainting kits do not include thread – there is a DMC/Anchor stranded thread list in the kit and as mentioned before it is more cost effective to purchase these at your local needlework store or online in your own Country.
UK Workshop
If your preference is to learn a skill by attending a workshop then you will be pleased to know that I will be running a workshop (or two) in London, UK, in July this year. Details, dates and venue to be confirmed. Many of you have emailed requesting the opportunity to attend a workshop in the UK, so if there is anything specific you would like to learn i.e. needlepainting, miniature or whitework let me know and I will do my best to make this possible.
New Book On Miniature Needlepainting
This is the long awaited new book which is due for release in Jan/Feb this year. It is available for pre order – you can read all about it here. Not long to go – I am still waiting for my advanced copy to be delivered in the post and getting very impatient! I plan to offer packs of pre-printed fabric to go with the projects which will be added to the shop once the book has been released.
New Fabric Packs
Embroidery fabric is now available in new pack sizes and has been given a fresh look with new packaging. I gave this some thought and realized that when one cuts pieces out of a half metre you are left with small pieces that are of no use, so have re-calculated the sizes so that you can obtain a certain number of pieces out of each pack, without wastage. I have spent the last few days exercising every muscle (and some I did not know I had!!) cutting pieces from bolts and packing them. They are now available for sale in the shop.
The first is Irish Cambric linen which is now available as a piece 75 x 75cm (30 x 30 inches) which means you can cut 4 large pieces for needlepainting or whitework embroidery. The second is Southern Belle 100% 200 count cotton which is available as a piece 60 x 110cm (23 x 43inches) – you can cut 8 small pieces for miniature embroidery. Cotton satin an old favorite is currently available in pieces 30 x 35cm but if you are looking to order it by the metre you can find it at Mace & Nairn in the UK
Bird Book
There is another new book on the horizon, I am about to start work on it and hopefully it will be released late 2016 or early 2017. Birds Of The World In Needlepainting. You asked for it so now you shall receive! If you have any special requests for bird projects please let me know and will do my best to include them.
My new saying for this year will be meantime, wherever you are in the world, remember “Embroidery forever, housework whenever!” Keep smiling and happy stitching! Trish
Happy New Year Trish !
Many thanks for your so beautiful works.
I will buy your new book on Amazon, like the others…
Armelle (from Paris)
I love the slogan. This year however is the year I dig us out of all the clutter that has accumulated the last 7 years that I have been sick. I am finally on a pain killer that is actually doing something so I am going to get off of the sofa for awhile this year. I will however still be stitching. I am so glad that you are offering quality fabrics. I will now know where to go when my stash of embroidery fabric runs out. It IS hard to find fabric for needle painting. Sometimes you just have to place your needle where there isn’t a thread to catch it. It doesn’t pay to use inferior materials when you put so much time into a project.
The New Year is a great time to clear out clutter gives one a fresh start? You are right it is not easy to obtain the right fabric for needle painting I have seen too many beautiful pieces of work ruined by using the wrong fabric! Happy New Year to you TerriSue. Trish
Your artwork is so beautiful!!! There is ‘life’ in your work, a winsome, joyous something. So lovely and inspiring.
Thank you so much Glenda:)
Hi Trish ~ Happy New Year.
I have pre-ordered your new book. I am especially looking forward to the little girl feeding the chickens.
In the post below you mentioned the cotton satin is available in UK at Mace & Nairn. I still carry the cotton satin for your US customers; you may want to mention that in your next post. I sell it by the piece or yard.
Thanks, I would appreciate the mention..
Stitching keeps our souls content, Sharon Shetley Threads in Bloom http://www.ThreadsinBloom.com thrdsnblm@comcast.net
Hi Sharon Happy NEw Year. Of Course I will put out a blog post to mention that you stock cotton satin in USA thanks for the reminder that will be great.
Trish
So pleased to hear about your new book, I see lots of lovely hours of needlework in my future. Re your book of birds, please would you include garden birds of the UK such as blue tit, blackbird and thrush, not forgetting our little cheeky English robin. Thank you for considering this and a happy New Year to you and yours.
Thanks Pru of course will definately include some of your lovely English birds:)
Hi Trish
What an abundance of goodies. Beautiful new white work kits, miniature needle painting kits and even a possible workshop in UK.
I’m lucky enough to have been given your new book for Christmas, just waiting for Amazon to receive stock and already thinking of ways to join the workshop in London.
I’ve been self teaching myself needle painting, working through the projects on the DVD and it would be lovely to be shown where I’m going wrong!!
I’ve also been trying to source the correct fabric so that is something else that you have covered in your latest post and on top of that “Embroidery forever, housework whenever” is just right by me.
Thank you so much for giving us so much pleasure.
Alex
Thank you for your kind words Alexandra and hope we get to meet in London! Trish
Thanks Shelagh your comments are delightful full of info and little stories! You have become a valued customer and friend over the years and I can vouch for how your embroidery has progressed. I will definately take your Osprey bird into consideration. Happy new year to you. Trish
I would love to see the cardinal in your bird book. It is the state bird of Ohio, USA. One of my personal goals for this year is to leap from your designs to try one of my own based on one of my photos of the cardinal. Even if I do that, I’d like to have you add this lovely red bird to your birds of the world collection.
Thanks Kathryn I can tell you now that the Cardinal has already been chosend and will definately be in the book! Trish
Lovely! I *do* like the bird embroideries, so am looking forward to seeing your next book, when it’s all ready.;) Not sure I’d be able to make the London workshops, but you never know…
All the best to you and yours, Trish!
Thanks Elizabeth I do appreciate your regular comments and do hope we will meet in London if you are able to make it. Your work is stunning by the way! Happy New Year. Trish
Happy New Year Trish and all – I can see this is going to be a really good one.
Your latest designs, Katarina and Chickadee are so beautiful.
To anyone who is considering the complete lesson kits, I can personally recommend them. The instructions are so detailed, and like Trish says, you can go at you own pace. I love the little instruction booklets that come with these kits as you can sit quietly, with everything by your side (not a computer in sight). Go on, treat yourselves, you wont be sorry – if I can do it, anyone can.
Suggestions for your new book on birds – I would love you to include the Osprey Trish as it was an Osprey that got me back into needlework after so long. The 7Y you see in my name is the actual ring number of a very special Osprey. It was a male, who, when his partner fell very ill, took it on himself to feed his two chicks – this is something that is normally outside a male Osprey’s ‘duties’. He kept them alive until the female recovered enough to start feeding feeding them again. Both chicks went on to fledge.
Sadly, two years later he failed to return – it was then I decided that he deserved to be keep his place in history in ‘silk’. Needless to say, I am nowhere near good enough to do him justice, but I’m having a good time trying.
Finally, your new slogan – I will blame it all on you Trish when people tell me my house looks like a ‘skip’.
Shelagh xx