Pastel Candies - Pretty on Point

With a selection of pretty pastels and no set plan in mind, I've been trying out a few ideas for a canvas work pincushion. Starting with pink and lavender blue, I soon settled on the centre. I remember seeing something similar in a small Good Housekeeping booklet some years ago. I like the unusual swirling effect when you turn it and look at it from an angle.

I tried out colours and stitches for the next rounds, and after stitching and unpicking some of them, I remembered to take this photograph. 

It's been a busy and happy few months with family around and I picked it up and put down with little progress. That is until last week. The pincushion is now almost finished and I'll post more once I've sorted through my photos.

I hope you have made a good stitching start to the year.

Till next time, happy stitching!

Ukrainian Embroidery

Embroidery in Ukraine has a rich history. It can be traced back over 2000 years and there are many styles and colours based on the different areas in the country while the motifs themselves are rich with symbolism. 

Marina, Katerina and Valeriya have been embroidering and selling vyshyvankas to raise funds for the Ukrainian war effort and to popularise the icon of Ukrainian culture [Pearly Jacob/Al Jazeera]

A group of embroiderers who fled Ukraine and who meet up in a coffee shop in Tbilisi, Georgia are keeping the embroidery of Ukraine alive in various ways. Some stitch brooches as well as vyshyvankas, a shirt embroidered with colourful motifs, and take various commissions.

Details of a century-old pattern from the region of Chernihiv on natural hemp cloth that 24-year-old Maryana Lyba is currently working on for a US-based client [Courtesy Maryana Lyba] Source: Aljazeera.com

Numerous other enterprises based on Ukraine's embroidery are continuing despite the difficult circumstances they find themselves in. Part of the funds raised go in some way towards the war effort. 

The original article can be read here on Aljazeera.com. I found it a fascinating read.

Happy New Year

An email from the Royal School of Needlework popped into my inbox today displaying this interesting canvas work piece by Hakyung Choo.

Canvaswork by RSN Hampton Court Palace Certificate Student Hakyung Choo

It seemed perfectly timed to wish you a Happy New Year!