EMBROIDERY STITCH BIBLE
This little hardboard book from Krause Publications is both beautiful and useful (and how many of us can make that claim?) Clearly this is a book where each detail has been thoughtfully planned to make it useful for the stitcher.
The book covers both surface and canvas stitched and puts either one or two stitches per page. The stitches are photographed clearly and there is a large clear diagram directly below. The text contains instructions for the correct working of the stitch. At the bottom of each page there is some additional information. It provides alternate names for the stitch, a listing of suggested uses and notes which contains short tips for making this stitch look its best.
All the basic stitches are covered and the book is particularly deep on surface stitches, including some specialized techniques like hemstitching and drawn thread.
Just this is enough to make it a good book, but there are lots of wonderful little touches. First inside the hardboard cover is a ring binding, so the book lays flat, but the wire won’t catch the threads. The size is small enough to make it easy to carry around and the covers are thick and sturdy.
Each stitch is numbered and they are grouped into categories. Each category, for example detached stitches, uses a different ground and thread color for the stitched examples and a different color of thread. The diagrams are done in colors to match the samples. Along the side there are pastel bars in the same color scheme. One the left page the bar says if these are stitches for canvas or fabric. The right bars tells the group of stitches.
Beyond the stitch collection, there is a long section on stitching practice. This section covers different stitching techniques (with small motifs to try as examples). design repeats and finishing. Each area is profusely illustrated and has clear explanations.
This book is one of the best overall embroidery books I’ve seen in a long time.
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