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Needle Weaving Techniques For Hand Embroidery
Hazel Blomkamp

Search Press
25 September 2017/ ISBN 9781782215172
How-To Books/Embroidery

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

 

If you have seen needle weaving and fancied a go at it but wondered how it was done, this is the book for you. This book is easy to work from because it has a spiral spine and stays obligingly flat while you get to grips with the projects. I say projects but the forty patterns in here are the needle weaving equivalent of embroidery stitches and you will need an application for them. If you are a total beginner to the rich and involving world of embroidery, this would not be a good place to start, but if you are more experienced and want to fill spaces with interesting textures there are plenty in here. All are variations of the same simple weaving technique which uses a needle instead of a shuttle, and are not hard to master.

The book opens with a page of tips and basic information, how to get started and read the patterns. Have a go first at single weaving with one thread, progress to double and then a combination of the two before trying out some more involved patterns. There are checks and stripes in the main part to start, but then you can progress to some more complex and larger patterns. One of these includes musical notes, while others have a texture to them, and there are also some flat braids to make for edgings. I remember making one of these for a hair band when I was a child so they can be quite versatile. Each pattern is shown in color with warp and weft threads differing for easy reading; written instructions are kept to a minimum and can easily be worked out. They use a simple code (eg 02, U1 = go over the first two stitches, go under the next one) and have a table showing how many threads you need of each color and how many rows until you repeat the pattern. Each pattern also shows a couple of small inset photographs of how the pattern can be used. A useful book that got to the point quickly and soon had me weaving away like a pro!

Reviews of other titles by Hazel Blomkamp

Needle Weaving Techniques For Hand Embroidery
Needle Lace Techniques For Hand Embroidery

Crewel Intentions (Fresh Ideas for Jacobean Embroidery)
Crewel Twists (Fresh Ideas for Jacobean Embroidery)
Crewel Creatures



If you cannot find a good range of embroidery materials locally visit www.searchpress.com for a list of suppliers.

UK Reviewer: Rachel Hyde's work can be found in The Bead Magazine, Making Jewellery and www.craftsuprint.com/rachel-a-hyde/
Reviewed 2017
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