Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Embroidered Flora and Fauna
Three-Dimensional Textural Embroidery

by Lesley Turpin-Delport and Nikki Delport-Wepener



      Here is a book with real "wow" factor, undoubtedly my favorite craft title of 2008, unless something pretty amazing comes along between now and the end of the year.  If you think embroidery is a bit prissy and traditional for you, yet you yearn to get really creative with fibers and a needle, then you need this book, you really do.  Not just the usual threads either, but anything you can couch down or stitch with—from fluffy wools to metallic threads, bouclé yarns to fine silks.  This is surely embroidery with the lid off.

Grab some cloth—anything will do—and some yarns and get inspired by nature.  Take some photos, and you are ready to go.  This is all about applying yarn to a surface and making at least part of it three-dimensional in a variety of ways.  It is not aimed at beginners—much of it looks rather advanced—but this is perhaps looking at the book from the wrong end.  As long as you know some embroidery stitches and have an encyclopaedia with some more to hand (you won’t learn many in here), then you can happily discard many rules and have a lot of fun.  I particularly love the way the book is divided into colors, and each section begins with a double page of inspiring photos of all sorts of things that color.  As for what you need, it depends on what you want to make, so settle down for a roller coaster ride of not only freestyle embroidery but appliqué, beadwork, ribbon embroidery, stumpwork and more.  Very highly recommended.

If you cannot find a good range of embroidery materials used in this book locally try SearchPress.com for a list of suppliers.

The Book

Search Press
September 2008
Paperback
184448341X /9781844483419
How-To Books / Embroidery
More at Amazon.com US || UK
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2008
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© 2008 MyShelf.com