Editorial
It seems quite appropriate that as we reveal the winners of the STITCH/Madeira 'Glimpses of the Swinging Sixties' competition (page 30 of the magazine), this issue should be packed with Flower Power.
At this time of year, most embroiderers are torn between gardening and stitching - but you can always combine the two. If the sun shines (and it's too hot to garden ...), find a shady corner and stitch one of our garden-inspired embroideries. If it rains, find a room with a view of the garden ... and stitch one of our garden-inspired embroideries.
In a Corner of the Garden (page 4) creates a wonderful, secluded nook and you can allow your creativity full rein. Along the Garden Path (page 34) offers an inviting view through a gate and, although the canvaswork is more structured, it still allows freedom to introduce elements of your own.
The exquisite goldwork and stumpwork blooms in A Beautiful Bouquet (page 16) are more reminiscent of a formal flower arrangement or the perfect specimen at a flower show and, in contrast, I love the informality of the machine-embroidered echinaceas in The Art of Flowers (page 40).
If you want to turn up the heat, The Sweetness of Oranges (page 46) is perfect; for me, it evokes memories of driving along little roads strewn with oranges near Granada in Spain and literally driving over oranges. The vibrant fruits against an azure sky, the dappled shade cast by the orange trees (welcome in the heat of the day) and the pungent smell of oranges bursting under the wheels of the car - the embroidery instantly transports me back there.
I love the simplicity of A Touch of Silk (page 26), which uses silk rods to create a delicate landscape, and I bet many of you are waiting impatiently for Part 2 of The Embroideress Sampler (page 52); I cheated as I've had access to the charts for a while! Finally, I'm in awe of Sue Hawkins' ingenuity, as her 15-sided biscornu pincushion, Let's Twist Again (page 10) is simply stunning. So many things, so little time! Now, where's my needle?
Kathy Troup
Editor
STITCH with the Embroiderers' Guild, PO Box 42B (Editor), East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9BB, UK
Contact the Editor
