TIF - admiration for another

Looking at my simplified bacteria, the embroidery style of Winsome Douglass came to mind. I've always admired her work, although I don't know much about her. She wrote a book 'Discovering Embroidery' in 1956 and she was very much involved in the Needlework Development Scheme during the 1950s, with her work featuring in their publication 'And So to Embroider', published in 1960. Winsome Douglass also wrote a book 'Toys for Your Delight' published by Mills & Boon in 1957. To my mind, Winsome Douglass was the doyen of 'traditional' decorative stitches and often she used those stitches to embellish 3D articles that she made. Her work appeals to me partly because of the neatness of her stitches and also because I so much enjoy working in 3D. Her designs seem to me to have elements of both Wessex Work and Dorset Feather Stitchey, along with a good helping of fun and whimsey.

Here's an illustration of her work from the aforementioned 'And So to Embroider'



Winsome Douglass was also featured in 'Embroidery Studio' published by the Embroiderers Guild. This piece is in the Guild Collection:



Footnotes:

Needlework Development Scheme - Founded in Glasgow in 1934, the aim of the Scheme was to collect examples of contemporary embroidery from throughout the world for use as a national teaching resource. The collection was split up when the organisation disbanded in 1961, and is now dispersed throughout Britain. Some of the textiles can be seen here

'And So to Embroider' University of London Press 1960 SBN 340 08521 5

'Embroidery Studio' David & Charles 1993 ISBN 0 7153 9905 5 - 'The Ultimate Workshop - Design, technique and inspiration'. A stunning book, well worth a look if you haven't seen it. Pieces from the Embroiderers Guild collection were given to contemporary embroiderers to study and use as inspiration to produce a new piece of work.