| Kogin is
a style of Japanese sashiko embroidery with a geometric appearance.
Simple and timeless, its clean lines and basic elegance is
sure to appeal to modern tastes. You can use it to adorn so
many things too, from tiny pins to pictures.
It
doesn’t take long to learn this straightforward but
attractive type of embroidery, and there are plenty of smaller
projects here that make up quickly. A lot of them are also
of practical rather than decorative use, so you can make attractive
buttons, hair ties, Christmas decorations, purses, bags and
pincushions. Like all the books I have seen that originated
in Japan this one follows a particular layout. At the front
are photographs of all the projects, followed by the instructions
and patterns. This means you get to whet your appetite by
looking at many pages of colorful photographs. There is a
short list of tools and materials, then a useful guide to
how to prepare the thread and fabric, read the charts, work
the stitches and get the tension right. The projects start
simply with the smallest projects such as pins and hair ties,
and progress through to the larger, more complex pieces. This
is not a Search Press original so there are no staged photographs,
merely simple line drawn diagrams. You don’t need to
be an experienced embroiderer to tackle kogin work but some
knowledge of making up projects and doing things like working
with button kits, purse frames and zippers is a good idea.
This is a lovely book suitable for anybody with a bit of stitching
experience.
If
you cannot find a good range of kogin embroidery materials
locally try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
Kits,
patterns, needles, thread and fabric available from Susan
Briscoe www.susanbriscoe.com/
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