David Smith

Tickled pink tapestry kit by David Smith

I grew up on a farm in Kent, and studied Three-Dimensional Design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in the early 1970s, graduating with a First Class Honours degree. I specialised in Furniture Design, and developed a strong interest in the work of the Arts and Crafts movement. I spent most of my working life as a designer and maker of handmade furniture, both as a designer-craftsman, and, in later years, in a small company working as a designer and CAD/CAM programmer for the CNC machinery we used.

I was forced into early retirement by a long-term ailment called Meniere’s Disease. This is an incurable condition of the inner ear which, over the years causes irreversible destruction of both hearing and balance. I am now profoundly deaf.

Tapestry is a new adventure for me. Recovering from a short illness in 2019, my wife suggested I try a tapestry kit. I enjoyed it so much, painstakingly watching the design emerge from the canvas to take on its full depth and colour, I decided to write my own computer design program. I wasn’t interested in cottagey or homespun subjects, beautiful though these can be. I wanted to design my own, and coming from a long background in three-dimensional design, I wanted to reflect that in my design work, not only in the suggestions of solid objects, but also in the patterns and flow of surface and colour. I like to use light and shade, highlights and shadows, and the colour gradients that Appletons provide in many of their ranges are ideal for suggesting depth and solidity.

www.davidsmith-tapestry.co.uk
david.dwdsmith@btinternet.com

Dallas Designs

Kate is a British needlework designer who creates stitching kits for the modern maker. Having spent her formative years growing up in India, bright vivid colours are at the centre of all her designs. The simple graphic patterns are perfect for beginners.

Inspired by her time working in the TV industry as a director her newest range takes 90s film quotes and reimagines them in canvas and wool.

Her intention with all her kits is that they can be transformed into stylish accessories; whether it be as cushion covers for the home, iron on patches for clothing or even handbags.

Using high-quality materials these kits bring a little bit of colour to the everyday.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DallasDesignsUK
Socials: @dallasdesignsuk

Liz Tapper

Liz Tapper trained as an apprentice at The Royal School of Needlework, graduating with a First in 1998. Now based in Somerset, she has worked on commissions for Harrods, Lulu Guinness, Monsoon and for television, as well as for London Fashion Week and on numerous private commissions, with her work being featured on the BBC.
 
Liz designs her own range of embroidery and canvas kits, choosing her colours for crewel and canvas from the Appletons range of wools. These kits and others, along with the complete Appletons range are available from her website. She continues to work on a wide range of commissions, teaches for the Royal School of Needlework, former Embroiderers’ Guild branches and other embroidery groups, as well as running her own private classes both in person and online.  

She is a Member of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen and the Society for Embroidered Work.

www.lenhamneedlecraft.com

Anna Scott Embroidery

Anna Scott Embroidery

Anna, based in South Australia, claims that she didn’t choose to become an embroiderer – it chose her! After starting a course in garment design, one of her first modules was hand embroidery, which she very quickly adopted as her major. Now, she designs kits and teaches workshops; she is also currently producing a new book containing 12 new crewel work design, all of which were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. William Morris is obviously a large influence, but May Morris and her contemporaries are also inspirations.

Anna Scott Embroidery
PO Box 80
Kangarilla SA 5157
AUSTRALIA

Website: https://annascottembroidery.com.au/
E mail: annascottembroidery@bigpond.com

Spider Spun

Sarah Neal Simpson of Spider Spun designs heirloom needlework projects for the Instagram era. Her designs are inspired by vintage images, updated with fresh illustrations and a bright color palette. The range includes everything from Christmas stockings to pillow cushions to picture frames. Spider Spun also offers custom design commissions.

Spider Spun kits are made of only the finest materials so you will enjoy the time spent making and adore the stunning end result. A library of how-to guides and video tutorials will help everyone from beginners to needlepoint experts start stitching and answer any questions that come up along the way.

Though all of the women in her family were talented needlewomen, Sarah Neal didn’t pick it up until later in life. She began to experiment with a needle and thread and couldn't stop. She hopes to inspire the next generation of needleworkers to create heirlooms that will be passed down for generations.

Telephone: +1-704-467-4328
Website: www.spider-spun.com
E mail: info@spider-spun.com

Liz Smith
Spider Sun Tapestry Kit
Spider Sun Tapestry Kit
Spider Sun Tapestry Kit

The Stitchsmith (Liz Smith)

Focusing on contemporary design, most of her work celebrates the wonderful flora and fauna in New Zealand. Flowers and birds abound with bright colours and a modern interpretation.

Liz’s work has been featured in several magazines and books and she also teaches needlework classes from her home in Auckland, New Zealand.

Designs are printed onto the canvas for easy stitching - all kits come with Appletons tapestry wool, needle, quality Zweigart 12hpi canvas, full colour instructions and illustrations.

Liz sells her designs through her website and through independent needlework stores.

Website: http://www.thestitchsmith.co.nz/

www.instagram.com/thestitchsmithneedlepoint

Liz Smith
Liz Smith
Liz Smith
Liz Smith

Eppie Thompson

Eppie Thompson of The Fabled Thread designs tapestry and embroidery kits with storytelling at their core. Their tapestry kits enable you to create big, bold and beautiful cushions or joyful Christmas stockings inspired by the Just So stories by Rudyard Kipling.

The luxury tapestry kits combine high-quality materials and beautiful colour combinations, resulting in an heirloom piece to be enjoyed for years to come.

Self-confessed interiors obsessive Eppie Thompson first began playing around with a needle and thread while working in finance in London. The meditative process became an essential wellbeing tool, the perfect antidote to the stress of her day-to-day. She started The Fabled Thread to provide a contemporary twist on traditional needlepoint, with an aim to inspire others to take up sewing too!

Mindful Threads Company

Mindful Threads Company creates contemporary, positive affirmation needlepoint kits. Each unique design centres on a positive affirmation, that encourages mindfulness both through the art of sewing and after completion of the design.

Positive affirmations are quite simply, positive phrases or statements that you repeat to yourself in order to promote positive change. They help change old, unhelpful beliefs and negative thinking, and can provide many benefits including motivation, hope, increased self-confidence and greater-worth. Mindful Threads Company was started in November 2020, during the pandemic, as a way to support mental health during this difficult time.

Each design is colour-printed on Zweigart 12hpi canvas, making the kits perfect for beginners as well as those more experienced. Each kits contains plenty of Appletons Wool to complete the design, two needles, a reusable cotton canvas bag to keep all of your kit in one place, as well as easy-to-follow instructions. There are also videos available over on the Mindful Threads Company YouTube channel for further help and advice.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/MindfulThreadsStore

Emily Peacock
Emily Peacock

Hannah Bass

Hannah creates urban, contemporary needlepoint kits of city maps from around the globe which can be used for cushions or framed and are perfect for beginners as well as experienced stitchers.

Hannah has rediscovered the old fashioned principle of making something herself that is high quality, hand crafted and to be loved for many years. She took a leap of faith a year ago, after 10 years as an interior designer, to pursue her dream of supporting the ‘handmade’ movement. She wanted to design something to stitch that she could proudly show off in her own home.

Her 40 x 40cm graphic style designs, with blocks of colour are perfect for beginners & experienced stitchers alike. Having the design printed on to the canvas helps take any strain away. Kits contain plenty of Appleton’s tapestry wool, Zweigart 12hpi quality colour printed canvas, 3 tapestry needles & full colour illustration of the design with easy to follow stitch instructions.

Website: www.hannahbass.com

Appleton’s wools & kits are utterly fabulous. Service is amazing. Will be ordering again very soon!
Hannah Bass

Emily Peacock

Emily Peacock

Emily is a British needlework designer who works mainly in wool and canvas. Her kits are sold through her website emilypeacock.com, in Liberty of London and in small independent shops around the world. Emily has worked with Fine Cell Work, Rob Ryan and appeared on C4’s cult TV series ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’. She has run workshops at the V&A, Charleston House, National Trust and various locations around the UK. Her first book, ‘Adventures in Needlework’, was written in collaboration with Jessica Aldred and published in 2011

Website: emilypeacock.com

I have used Appleton wools in my designs since 2007. I use both the crewel and tapestry weight and have sold thousands of kits around the World using their wonderful products. Although I tend to veer towards their brightest colours in my designs, the quality of dye never looks cheap. With such a huge range of shades, I never tire of discovering wonderful combinations in their ever-growing palette of colours. The team at Appleton wools hold a genuine passion for their brand and are always keen to collaborate with designers, businesses and institutions to showcase this wonderful British product further. They are always a delight to work with and their service and customer loyalty is hard to beat.
Emily Peacock
Emily Peacock
Emily Peacock
Emily Peacock