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Ideas, Inspiration and Techniques
Jan Messent
Search Press
30 July 2012 (US 1 November 2012)/ ISBN-13: 9781844487417
How-To Books/Embroidery
Amazon
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
This is one of Search Press’ rare and special hardcover books,
by one of their most re-printed authors. Now the author of such
needlecraft classics such as Have
You Any Wool? And the recently re-imagined Knit
The Nativity (both reviewed on this site) turns her attention
to hand embroidered portraits.
These are all portraits of historical people, none are modern. Most
of them come from Britain’s history, from mediaeval up to
Edwardian, although there is a Japanese lady at the end. All are
dressed in their best, making them good subjects to really go to
town on; this is a book aimed at the more advanced embroiderer,
who wants a challenge and a good, meaty project to get stuck into.
It starts with a brief look at embroidered figures through the ages,
and shows many sketches of heads from the author’s sketchbooks
to inspire. There are sections on how to make a head of padded fabric,
hairstyles, features, hands, garments etc, all with copious examples
and notes on how to achieve the various looks. Of course there are
also projects to work through so you can hone your skills –
to name the main ones: Bess of Hardwick, Anne of Cleves, an Edwardian
lady all in white, and Once Upon A Time. This latter shows a pair
of portraits that look like a book and then open to reveal Cinderella
and Prince Charming. At the back is a section full of lush imagery
from the author’s own collection on how to compile your own
sourcebooks, and on ways of using them. All in all a visually stunning
book to have on your coffee table and proclaim to your visitors
that you are an embroiderer of some skill, as this is definitely
not a book aimed at or anywhere near beginners. If you have a repertoire
of stitches and techniques and want a challenge then look no further.
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