Cotton Floss Tour & Giveaway(s)!

Yippee! It's Cotton Floss day here at Poppyprint! Welcome to Natalie Lymer's book tour!

When I read on her blog that Natalie was looking forward to her FIRST book coming out soon, I immediately got so excited to see what endearing little animals, elfin girls or faeries she would include in her new designs. Cotton Floss is indeed full to the brim with adorable stitchery designs that everyone can complete - all you need to know is neatly written in Natalie's trademark gentle way.

With just a few simple embroidery stitches and a cohesive colour palette of reds, blues, brown, greens and neutrals, her sweet elfin folk will come to life from your needle and floss. For anyone who enjoys stitching for themselves, and for others, Cotton Floss is a gift-giving delight - I want to make every single project! In fact, I've already completed two sweet softies; read on to find out where they are headed....could it be to your house?

There are two practical things about Cotton Floss that I immediately loved. First, the book is bound magazine-style with staples. This means it actually lies open and flat on your table, so tracing out the embroidery patterns is a breeze and you don't have to destroy your gorgeous book to do it! Secondly, I learned Natalie's trick for emphasizing design elements in her stitcheries: instead of using a whopping 6 strands of floss and a corresponding huge-eyed needle that would leave a big hole in your work, Natalie simply stitches a second row of backstitch adjacent to the first. Double row of stitching = Genius!

I've been reading Natalie's blog and stitching her designs for a couple of years now, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to ask her some questions for the tour!

Poppyprint: What came first for you, embroidery or patchwork? Most of your stand alone patterns involve both to beautiful effect, do you enjoy both equally?

Natalie: The patchwork came first, it wasn’t until a few years later I discovered embroidery. I do enjoy both but love that I can take my embroidery anywhere and stitch on the couch in the evenings, I also find embroidery has a way of relaxing and calming the mind – perfect after a busy day.

Poppyprint: In your introduction to Cotton Floss, you share that the word 'enchanted' was your backdrop for the book's design elements. Do you always work this way - establishing an inspirational word to guide you in your designs?

Natalie: It depends on the design, sometimes just one word can be too restricting other times it just fits perfectly. Working on a bigger project like Cotton Floss I found one word helped me focus on the design process.

Poppyprint: Your stitchery projects involve the most charming and unique characters from faeries to mice. I'd love to know more about where they come from; are they images from your childhood? Have you been drawing them for years, or created them especially to suit your stitchery stories?

Natalie: I create the characters especially to suit my stitchery stories, this is the process I love the most. It’s just my imagination, the pencil and blank paper. I often spend the evening focusing on one character, drawing and re-drawing until they are just right. While I am sketching I wonder what the little elfin girls are thinking or who they are talking to – this almost always leads to more sketching and so the story begins.

Poppyprint: You are in good company in Australia with several very talented stitchery designers. What do you think it is about Oz that fuels all of this beautiful handwork?

Natalie: We do have some amazing designers here in Australia and we all have our own unique style which I love. I have no idea what it is about Oz that fuels the creativity....maybe it’s in the water :)

Poppyprint: Your blog post describing the photography shoot (of projects for the book) with your daughter and mother was very sweet. Tell us more about these very special women in your life and their influence on your work.

Natalie: I am very blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my mother and daughter, we are like peas in a pod – best friends. The birth of my daughter has shone a new light on my sketching like I am looking at things with new eyes - if that makes sense, I find so many of my ideas are influenced by her and the things we experience together.

Poppyprint: What is next on the horizon for Natalie Lymer? Might we be 'enchanted' by a Cinderberry Stitches fabric line soon?

Natalie: I am always working on something new, at the moment I am sketching new embroidery designs which I can’t yet reveal but I sure hope you love! I am also currently working with the amazing team at Lecien on my first line of fabric called ‘Woodland’ being launched at 2011 Fall Quilt Market – so today I find myself surrounded with fabric strike off’s a process which still amazes me.

I knew it! I just knew it (well, I wished for it, actually). I can't wait to see Woodland and meet Natalie's new characters printed on cotton!

Stella, Henry and family, from Cotton Floss

Stella and Henry were instant favourites with me the minute I opened Cotton Floss. I've stitched up a sweet pair just for one of you! That's right, not only do you have an opportunity to win a signed copy of Cotton Floss, but a second reader will also win my versions (below) of Stella and Henry ('specially made for you using some Poppyprinted Essex linen!).

Please leave one comment and be sure I can contact you via email. I'll choose two winners (first for the book, second for Stella and Henry) using the random number generator on Sunday, June 19th at 9:00 p.m. PST. {ETA: comments are now closed for the giveaway}

Don't forget to follow along the tour for more opportunities to win a copy of Cotton Floss and be inspired by Natalie's creative vision. Here's the list of super fabulous gals hosting Natalie this week:

Stop 1 - Monica - Happy Zombie

Stop 2 - Amanda - Amanda Brooke

14^th Pam - Pam Kitty Morning

15^th Sarah - The Last Piece

16^th Krista - Poppyprint

17^th Bari - Bari J

18^th Shari - Doohickey Design Studio

19^th Paige - Paige Hill

Natalie, thank you for sharing your sweet book and for visiting with us here at Poppyprint! Congratulations and much success to you!

~Krista xx