Now and again I buy a magazine, not any magazine but something inspiring like Selvedge, Embroidery, Ceramics Review or Crafts. In the July/August edition of Crafts there's a wee photo on page 8 that caught my attention – and although I carried on reading the rest of the magazine – that image has been haunting me. Jon Eric Riis, First Ancestor Pearl and Tapestry Coat, 35 in. x 66 in. x 4 in., 2015 So why do I keep thinking about it? Mainly because I've been drawing a lot of f

This cat will take you to her website... in Japanese but Google will translate! Kimika Hara is the most wonderful and inspired embroiderer, her pieces are full of wit and amazing texture. She uses so many techniques in one piece, the cat above is painted, appliqued, patched, corded, embroidered with a loose satin stitch and... she's used sequins, beads and buttons to embellish and it just works. Click on this amazing landscape to go to her stunning Flickr feed... Gorgeous! Sh

I can't tell you how much I adore this! I saw Karen Nicol's work at an exhibition in Ruthin Craft centre last year and just fell in love with it. Not only is she a superb draughtswoman but... boy can she sew. Her work is so much more than embroidery - it's art! #moirarae #moiraraecarter #moiracarter #moiracarter #art #artist #embroidery #inspiration #embellish #karennichol

Rosie James is a textile Artist... I love the fact that not only does she draw but she sews what she draws and leaves evidence of the fact it is sewn... by this I mean she leaves the ends of the thread in view, shows the process. Such a Fabulous Idea! #moirarae #moiraraecarter #moiracarter #moiracarter #art #artist #embroidery #inspiration #embellish #rosiejames

... it comes from a myriad of places and fires up the Muse to create all manner of wonderful stuff. So where does mine come from? Chance comments in conversation with a good friend, a great image at an exhibition, a wonderful piece of music - all of these and more. The most recent on my radar: a glorious conversation about seafood and a shared love of crab, which has resulted in a challenge to create a crab based design - watch this space - and an exhibition at Ruthin Craft C