Summer reading: Embroidery Magazine

The past week has been unseasonably hot for Sweden - around 30 C / 90 F and super sunny. It's fantastic! But it does sap your energy a bit, so I've been trying to slow down and take it easy. Lucky for me, I received a treat in the mail which kept me busy for a while!

I love summer reading! I recently bought a couple of back issues of Embroidery Magazine, published by the Embroiderers' Guild in the UK. I have been thinking a lot about embroidery lately, and I thought some reading could help jump-start my creativity. And this is not your grandma's embroidery either, every page is a work of art!

I especially loved this piece about artist Louise Gardiner, who makes impossibly intricate thread paintings using both hand and machine embroidery. The article totally made me want to dig out the free-motion foot for my own machine and get going!

Along with the magazines I'm spending a lot of time browsing and reading e-books on our tablet. I'm half-way through Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard - a great read if you are a history buff like me - and then I'll be starting on I am Malala which I am reading for my women's rights book club.

My head is shock full of inspiration! What are you reading these days?