Truly, inspiration comes in the most unexpected (and ordinary!) places. Kate Beardmore’s embroidery pieces are heavily inspired by nature and elemental concepts, and she get lots of them simply by going on morning walks with her adorable puppy! Ever since her first embroidery in 2016, as well as the opening of her online shop Tusk and Twine, Kate has developed a deep relationship with the slow nature of this delicate craft. Read the full interview below!

1. Tell us more about your background and what led you to choosing needlework as a craft?
I have always been pretty crafty. When I dropped out of University where I was studying graphic design, I found myself at a bit of a loss. I starting making and selling small handmade textile items on Etsy and I knew from that moment, that’s what I wanted to do. I played around with different mediums, made my first embroidery in 2016 and I’ve been embroidering ever since! I love the slow nature of embroidery; each piece takes a lot of time and patience but I’ve found I have built a deeper relationship with the craft and crave the quiet moments spent with my needle and thread.

2. What makes you a KOEL Kid?
That’s a tricky question! There are so many amazing embroidery artists out there who all have their own unique style, there really is something for everyone and I love being a part of the community who supports each other. I think what makes my embroidery different is my use of super thin black work lines adorned with plant life and florals in muted tones.

3. Share with us the creative process behind each of your projects.
I’m heavily inspired by nature and elemental concepts so I get inspired just walking my little puppa on her usual morning walk! Once I have a general idea I go into research mode and find loads of reference images (which usually inspires other embroideries afterwards) and get sketching! I sketch a rough design, mostly shapes and layout, then I sketch over the design again and again until I end up with the final design. Sometimes I put the images into Illustrator if I want to play around with the layout when I’m not happy with it the first time around, and I’m good to go! I don’t usually have a color palette in mind when I start stitching, I complete the black line work first then see what colors I’m feeling at the time – I generally stick to more muted pallets. I then finish my hoops leaving the backs open as I feel it’s important to be able to see the stitching journey, I love me a hoop butt!

4. Pick one of your favourite designs and answer these quick questions:

The inspiration behind this design is… My love of nature and an entire Pinterest board of weird and wonderful mushrooms!

The dream store in which I would like to stock this design is… My own shop! I’d love to own a cozy little café somewhere with a craft shop – coffee, cake and craft anyone?!

Which celebrity house can you picture your design at… David Attenborough’s house would be pretty awesome!

If this design made it big, I would… Be super giddy and celebrate!

If this design could talk, it would say… “Slow and steady wins the race”

5. Great things take time, so how much has changed since you first started needlework and where do you see it in the next five years?
It’s pretty insane how much things have changed since I started Tusk and Twine in 2016. I’ve had some amazing opportunities and met some incredible, likeminded creatives. I have lots of ideas for the future, a wider range of products, definitely more kits and I’d love to work on some wholesale items! I hopefully see myself running Tusk and Twine full time and living my best creative life!

Photo Credits: Kate Beardmore