Take one sewing machine, some photographs of woodlands, fabric, paints and threads and you have all the ingredients of a masterpiece.  You don’t need much to start this enjoyable form of embroidery and if, like many people, you have a swing needle sewing machine lying dormant it is a great use to put it to.

Particularly if the machine is a Bernina, proudly displayed here as this is the brand with the stamina to do this type of fun, but hard on the machine, embroidery.  Even if you don’t have one (I don’t) the average machine can be put to work at this on occasions, and yes, it is a lot of fun and produces some great results.

There are certainly some superb pictures in here; inspired by some of the stunning woodlands the author is fortunate enough to live near.  Woods in spring carpeted with bluebells, lush green woods in summer, brightly colored in autumn and glistening with frost or blanketed with snow in winter.  Work through the staged projects and you too ought to come up with something good, as the instructions are clear and well illustrated.  I like the way it shows you how to get the best out of your photographs, and how to achieve the look of massed leaves, ferns, rocks or whatever else you want to show in your woodlands.  Remembering I learned this technique from a single magazine project made me wish this succinct and user-friendly book had been available then.  Easy to use and accessible, this is a great way to learn this procedure, although I would avoid even touching the tension screw on your bobbin case if you want to use the machine for anything else.

Reviews of other titles by this author

UK Reviewer: Rachel Hyde's work can be found in Sewing World, Sew Hip, Popular Crafts and other magazines. Her craft blog is Green Thoughts