me + my boys: New guest pattern revealed!

EMBROIDERY

PUNCH NEEDLE

WEAVING

Hey, it's Julie here,

Woo hoo! It's the start of a new month, and that means lots of exciting news to share with you. Let's dive into it!

In this newsletter:

This month's guest pattern revealed
On the Blog: My top tips for learning Satin Stitch
Member's Pot Plant Shelfie version
Beautifully embellished embroidery piece
Some helpful advice for those wanting a change
The latest shop news
In my world: Rain, rain go away...

Introducing...

I am so thrilled to reveal with you our guest pattern for February - 'Sweet Bouquet'.

This was designed by the lovely Yulia Anderson of @matryoshadollshop. If you have seen her work, you will know her style is all about beautiful florals with soft colours, and she has done such a wonderful job of embracing that here with this bouquet.

This pattern features lots of our foundation stitch techniques, and I would recommend it for Confident Makers. It is a great opportunity to practise your Satin Stitch and French Knots!

We of course have a pattern kit for this, which includes: the printed pattern guide, fabric, threads and beech wooden display hoop.

Sweet Bouquet Pattern Kit

Grab yours here!

Buy Now

On the Blog... Tips for Satin Stitch

Satin Stitch is one of the foundation embroidery techniques, which is used in a lot of our patterns. It creates a beautiful, satiny effect (hence the name) which looks so beautiful used in an array of different designs.

According to our members, this is the most challenging stitch for beginners. Even though it seems like quite a simple stitch, it can be tricky going back and forth and laying each stitch flush with each other.

The best way to nail this technique is... you guessed it - practice! I have also written a blog article, with my best tips and tricks for this stitch - you can check it out here. Happy stitching!

GO TO BLOG

What have our Makers been up to?

We always love hearing feedback from our members, about how beneficial embroidery is to their mindset. Like this feedback from our lovely member Anne, who shared this gorgeous version of our 'Pot Plant Shelfie' pattern.

She said: "Another one completed. Loved working on this one, so relaxing. Again, I am not neat but I don't think I ever will be. I just enjoy the little place I go to in my head while I work away on the project. 🌸💚"

What's inspiring me on the creative front...

I had to share with you all this beautiful embroidery piece by the talented Charlotte Johnson, of @firelilydesign. Charlotte creates gorgeous embellished floral embroidery art, using beads and sequins to make her pieces super unique. I love how the beading work adds texture and raises it off the fabric to make it look more 3D. She also makes these gorgeous handmade brooches with her embroidery art. How clever! If you'd like to check out more of her work, you can check out her instagram page here.

Something helpful...

I recently came across this reel by @reesewitherspoon, where she shares some super helpful advice for people wanting to try something new or change paths in their life. It resonated with me so much I thought I would share! You can check it out here.

Shop News...

Sweet Bouquet Pattern Kit - this is now available to purchase in our shop. Woo hoo!
Winter Wonderland Pattern Kit - this is now back in stock, with our beautiful Kona cotton. A great stitch up for those going into the colder months!
Bulky weight Punch Needle yarn - we have a beautiful range of 10 different colours available for your punch needle projects
Elovell Display Hoops - these are fantastic for holding your fabric super tight when you're making your pieces. But hey, they're beautiful for display too, especially now that we have a range of cool colours added to the mix!

Sweet Bouquet Pattern Kit

Buy Now

Winter Wonderland Pattern Kit

Buy Now

Bulky Weight Punch Needle Yarn

Buy Now

Elovell Embroidery Hoops

Buy Now

In my world...

I was hoping that by the time you read this, our kids would be back at their first day of school. But no, the weather had different plans! You may have heard that we've experienced some pretty terrible flooding around Auckland. Our hearts go out so much to everyone who has been affected. Luckily our home is ok. But as a result, school has been postponed for a week! So instead of being back in the studio (concentrating 100% on the year's coming plans), I'm sitting writing this on my laptop in an indoor super park, while the kids go nuts playing on everything. Ah, such is life.

On the pattern front, I'm so happy that today we are finally able to share our beautiful guest pattern by Yulia. I am already so excited to see examples of it being made by our lovely members and customers. I think it could be a really great pattern for Valentine's Day (if you're quick!) or in the lead up to Mother's Day.

Ok have a wonderful rest of your week, fingers crossed for some breaks in the rain!