We're sticking with the abstract designs for now, an concentrating on some textural stitches for March's Needle Nerd kit. This design was inspired by some brooch designs I sketched up almost 3 years ago now, when we first entered Covid Lockdown! You can read more about my lockdown sketchbook here.
But as usual, I decided to add a little Irish twist when turning this into a kit design. We've added a bit of Ogham writing. Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet. Each letter is represented by a series of strokes along one central line. This makes it perfect for hand embroidery!
Dating back to the 4th century, it is the earliest form of writing to be found in Ireland. Ogham is sometimes referred to as the 'tree alphabet'. It is read from bottom to top - as the tree grows. My sample says 'grá' which means 'love' in Irish.
Most surviving examples are found carved into standing stones. In this kit, you will be given an Ogham alphabet so that you can decide what to write with your needle and thread! But don't worry if you're having writer's block - I've listed some ideas for you below.
I started designing and stitching this kit during the month of February - right around Valentine's Day. But you might have already guessed that considering the colour palette! Can you believe I almost didn't include the gold though? I knew I wanted those reds and pinks, and if you're a regular here, you know I often coordinate my nails to the kit. So I went to my nail artist, Stacey, to get nails to match. Genius that she is, Stacey added a little gold to the mix and inspired me to do the same!
This kit covers 5 different stitches, with an emphasis on creating texture and pattern. We've got seed stitch, stem stitch, trellis, turkey rug and couching. Which one are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments!
All kits are available to Needle Nerd subscribers first, but you can pre-order this kit in the shop now!