me + my boys: [New Blog} Learn Satin Stitch Tunnels

Hey, it's Julie here,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the holidays so far! Here's what's happening this week at Clever Poppy.

In today's email:

On the Blog: Learn Satin Stitch Tunnels
Stunning member version of 'The Gardening Bee'
Incredible disco ball embroidery piece
My top listened to tracks this year on Spotify
A yummy cocktail recipe to get your mouth watering
The latest shop news
Shop Highlight: The Florist
In my world: Holiday crafting

On the Blog... Learn Satin Stitch Tunnels

If you have been wanting to try this technique but have been feeling a bit daunted, it's simpler than it looks!

Satin Stitch tunnels are one of those embroidery stitches with 'wow-factor'. This is such a fun technique which is relatively quick to do, and uses a pen to wrap your threads around to create little tunnels. These are great for adding height and dimension to your stitches. My favourite way to use this technique is with creating bun hairstyles, like in 'The Florist' pattern, featured further on.

You can find our blog article which has an easy to follow tutorial here. Happy stitching!

GO TO BLOG

What have our Makers been up to?

How stunning is this version of 'The Gardening Bee' by our lovely member Abi?

She said: "Finally finished this off for my mum just in time for Christmas! 🥰 changed some colours to better suit her, it's not perfect but I'm so happy with how it turned out!!"

I bet her mum was sooo thrilled to receive this for Christmas!

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

I don't know about you, but when I saw this gorgeous disco ball piece by embroidery artist Cristin Morgan, it certainly got me in the mood for all the New Years festivities! What a super incredible piece, I am amazed at how realistic it looks too.

It is also featured in the latest issue of Love Embroidery magazine! You can check out her instagram page here to see more of her beautiful art.

My #Spotifywrapped...

You may have seen that Spotify recently gave it's listeners their own personalised recap of what they listened to the most in 2022. Lots of people were sharing these on socials, and I found it so interesting to get an insight into people's playlists! I was also surprised to see what landed on mine, so thought I'd share it with you. Hehe my kids definitely influenced some of these, as well as a TV series I became obsessed with (can you guess?!). Here's a link to my playlist of top songs in 2022, feel free to listen along!

A yummy cocktail to try this NYE...

The other day I asked on my Instagram stories for some champagne cocktail recipes, and this 'Summer Fling' cocktail was one of the recipes shared with me. I made it for a festive gathering and I can report back, it was a total hit! So if you're looking for a delicious NY Eve tipple, you can find the recipe below. Let me know what you think!

Shop News...

4" Beech wooden hoops have just been restocked! That means our Festive Alphabet and Personalised Baubles pattern kits are now back in stock too, yay!
Our beautiful Merino Wool roving is a dream to work with for all your fibre art projects, if you are looking at trying a new craft these holidays. We have a wide range of colours to choose from, including 5 custom Clever Poppy colours.
100% linen embroidery fabric - available in 7 gorgeous colours to choose from, for a pop of colour in your next embroidery project.

Beech Wooden Display Hoops

Buy Now

The Festive Alphabet Pattern Kit

Buy Now

100% Linen Embroidery Fabric

Buy Now

Merino Fibre Roving 50g CLEVER POPPY COLOURS

Buy Now

Shop Highlight... The Florist

If you have had this pattern on your list of embroidery projects to try, then now is your sign to dive right in! I always enjoy seeing our members share their versions of this much loved pattern. Recently our member Rebecca shared her beautiful version and said: "My fave pattern to date! I loved trying new stitches and techniques! 💙💙"

The Florist is a real showpiece to display in your home, that has a 'wow factor' with the 3D effect of the thread flowers and bun hairstyle.

I would recommend this pattern for Super Confident Makers+.

Our pattern kit comes with a printed pattern guide, a piece of Vintage Blush Pink linen, a wooden display hoop and all of the thread colours you need.

The Florist Pattern Kit

Grab your kit here

Buy Now

In my world...

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. If you're anything like me, you'll be breathing a secret sigh of relief that the festivities are done, and you can concentrate on reeeeeelaxing a bit over the New Year break.

I'm writing this ahead of time at my desk, because by the time we send out this email, it will actually be our summer holiday break, woo hoo! So rather than crafting up a storm in my studio, I'll hopefully be sitting outdoors with a cold drink in my hand. And quite possibly my latest WIP on my lap - because as you know, crafting is my relaxation! I'm sure a lot of you feel the same - aren't we lucky to have a hobby that brings us such joy?

If you also like crafting over the hols, then here is one key thing I've learnt – it's great to go away prepared with some patterns to work on. But prepare yourself mentally to achieve less than you think, and be ok with that! Hehe I always take away a STACK of projects to work on…and I normally get through about a third of them. And I've now accepted that while it's fun to be ambitious and have lots of different projects ready to dive into - the holidays are all about going with the flow. So if my hands are waylaid with other activities (e.g. swimming, making yummy meals and kids games), then that's just life.

Ok have a fantastic rest of your week, and New Year's Eve! I've already warned Matt that he better not bail on me, and go to bed before midnight like he did last year (come on mate we're not that old!). Haha wish me luck. See you on the other side!

Julie x