Book Review

OOK REVIEW

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Reviewed By Gemma Bridges

Condensed version from Book Threads N0 2 on our web site

A Passion for Needlework At Blakiston Creamery Inspirations Studios £33.99

In their recent book ‘A Passion for Needlework’, Australian publisher Inspirations, have presented collections of designs in a beautiful coffee table book format for readers to treasure. This is the third book in the series, Blakiston Creamery, named for the South Australian former dairy-processing facility where the photos for the book were taken. After many years of neglect, the building has been lovingly converted into a country retreat, and the beautiful setting provides a stunning backdrop against which the designs can shine. There are 12 featured projects by designers from Canada, Australia, and the UK. Each is shown in multiple photos taken in the creamery and its surroundings.

The artists showcased are Cynthia Jackson’s Tudor Garland and Susan O’Connor’s Mirror Image,the latter presented as a frame for a small looking glass. Christine P. Bishop’s Tulipan is a crisp, delicate piece of traditional Hedebo, or Danish Lace, shown as both a table mat and a feature on a cushion cover, while Christine Burton’s Limonera Pear, the book’s cover star, puts a modern spin on blackwork, using variegated coloured threads and glass beads to decorate a threedimensional linen pear pincushion, topped with a metal thread leaf and a felted stalk. The natural world is further represented by a trio of floral studies. Dogwood and Lacewing is one of Jane Nicholas’ instantly recognisable stumpwork designs, featuring lifelike insects and delicate shaded flowers, while Margaret Light’s Nigella and Honesty blends wool and silk threads in a colourful and striking display. Insects return in Helen M. Stevens’

Woodland Floor, where filament silk worked on a black background makes the stitched plants and wildlife glow. Accompanying these is one for fans of William Morris; anyone familiar with his work will instantly recognise the cheeky thrushes in Brenda Sortwell’s Morris Magic, beautifully depicted in a crewelwork design inspired by his classic Strawberry Thief motif.

For those looking for a project to use, rather than simply display, Carolyn Pearce’s Perfect Pansies is a collection of needlework accessories worked in cotton, silk and metallics on silk dupion, including a needlebook, scissor case, tape measure and pincushion. Ana Mallah’s Sweet Succulents is a set of keepsake pots, each topped with a wired succulent stitched in shades of stranded cotton. Margaret Lee’s Sen’nohana, or ‘A Thousand Flowers’, uses

Japanese-style bead embroidery and thousands of glass beads to decorate a dramatic hard shell evening bag. While it’s hard to pick a favourite project, it is impossible to ignore Georgina Bellamy’s threedimensional turtle, Jewel of the Sea. Constructed from layers of felt and covered in sparkling chips and metal thread embroidery, the palm-sized

creature is a showstopper, and described by Georgina herself as a “true work of passion.” These are all accompanied by clear working instructions. Directions for the construction of the three-dimensional pieces are included on the lift out pattern sheets.

The book is a wonderful collector’s piece; the photos are attractive enough to interest stitchers and non-stitchers alike,