Stumpwork & Goldwork Embroidery: Our September Book of the Month

Dionne    Book of the Month, Embroidery and Crewel, What's New     goldwork, goldwork embroidery, jane nicholas, stumpwork

Jane Nicholas‘ Stumpwork & Goldwork Embroidery Inspired by Turkish, Syrian & Persian Tiles is a visual feast!  We love stocking Australian designs and designers, it is especially exciting to be able to promote someone who lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW.  Vicki is our shop stumpworker and has done a number of Jane’s classes over the years, and loved them.  Her classes have brought many visitors to the Southern Highlands and our store too.

The book is well photographed and the clear, easy to follow instructions give even the non-stumpworker like me the courage to want to attempt these designs.  My favourites are the Persian Peony Tile and the Mughal Grapevine Tile.  I have always loved purple and red together, and Persian Peony has a deep teal in it as well.  The symmetry of Mughal Grapevine is soothing, and the little grape bead clusters look so luscious and juicy.  Aahhhh, … more stuff to add to the “Bucket List”! 

Instructions are provided for each design to be used in a range of applications; including book covers, brooches and incredibly elegant pictures for your walls.  This beautiful book evokes memories of my travels to the Middle East a lifetime ago. 

This could be a beautiful coffee table book for a non-stitcher.  For the novice stitcher attempting stumpwork for the first time, this will probably be too daunting.  An experienced stitcher in other needlework disciplines would find this an enjoyable challenge.  Jane’s devotees will be delighted with her latest offering.  Available now online and in store for $50.00.

Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies: Our August Book of the Month

Dionne    Book of the Month, Embroidery and Crewel     cicely Mary Barker, di van niekerk, embroidery, Flower fairies, flower fairies in ribbon embroidery & stumpwork, stumpwork

Who doesn’t love a fairy?  We love this book!  I have never done Ribbon Embroidery, … and I am a bit scared of Stumpwork, especially with Jane Nicholas living just down the road.  When Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies™ in Ribbon Embroidery & Stumpwork arrived in store, Kerry and I were drooling.  This book is truly breathtaking.  There are five Flower Fairies™ taught; Periwinkle Fairy, Black Medick Fairies, White Clover Fairy, Stork’s Bill Fairy and the Red Clover Fairy.  We don’t stock everything you will need, some items will need to be sourced elsewhere.  We just fell in love with it and keep it in stock because it makes us happy every time we look at it.

Di Van Niekerk has made these lovely designs accessible to stitchers in a ribbon embroidery and stumpwork mixed media.  While we try hard to recommend books that have something for everyone, this may be a little a daunting for a novice or someone seriously time challenged like me, but there was absolutely no denying its place on our Book of the Month list.  We recommend at least intermediate skills in embroidery stitches before making the leap to reproducing these lovely designs.  Like every book we recommend, the instructions are easy-to-follow and have a step-by-step logic, even I would make an effort if the munchkin was a girl.  Even if you don’t stitch, this book is just lovely to look at, … and pat every now and then.  Available instore and online now for $47.00.

Blackwork: A New Approach, Our July Book of the Month

Dionne    Blackwork, Book of the Month     Blackwork, blackwork a new approach, katherine of aragon, mono designs, moorish

Our July Book of the Month

Yes, I know it was first printed in 2000.  Problem is, new blackwork or mono designs are very scarce.  We have had to up our game recently, we have looked around for more books on Blackwork and there is so little available.  It has proven popular with our customers who have endorsed our re-discovery of this book.  Why is this book regaining a following?

Brenda Day provides a comprehensive step-by-step introduction to a needle craft with Moorish origins, dating prior to the thirteenth century, re-invigorated in England by Katherine of Aragon.  Day’s instructions on traditional techniques give the novice and experienced stitcher alike a solid grounding, then moves to projects with contemporary subjects and design.  The subtle increase in density of stitches gives the contemporary stitcher the tools needed for application of shading and light.  This opens a whole new world in blackwork subjects, no longer limited to samplers, or patterns within a single design, landscapes and less obvious subject choices are now possible.

This is best shown the with the sheep grouping on page 97, the result illustrated on the back cover.  With a gentle push and demonstration of use of backstitch, couching, new colours and embellishment accessories, she sets the stitcher off on their own voyage of creativity in this traditional craft.  Brenda Day has breathed new life into an old style of needlework and given it street cred for the new millenium.  Blackwork: A New Approach is a must have addition to the creative/leisure stitchers library, available online and instore now for $34.99.

100 flowers to knit & crochet: Our June Book of the Month

Dionne    Book of the Month, Knitting and Crochet     100 flowers to knit & crochet, lesley stanfield

Yes, I know the title does not have any caps, neither does the front cover of the book.  I am going with the presentation the author and editors have given us…  I digress…

We introduced this book to our customers two months ago, and it has demanded our Book of the Month status.  This is the first chance I have had to really look at it.  It has walked out the door within days, and we have increased our stocks to meet demand.  What has really impressed us is the number of men who have bought it as a gift or found it for their partner to purchase.  Nice one guys!

I am more than a little biased, this lovely book of 100 flowers to knit and crochet was always going to be a winner for me.  More flowers that defy my ability to kill even cactii.  As with all books that we recommend, instructions are clear and concise, with yarn requirements included.  Projects are available for beginners and more advanced crafters, photography is beautiful and you have an object you can use at the end.  My personal favourites are numbers 68 Pelargoniam and 28 Lavender, they have a vibrance and delicacy that is stunning.  There are even some fruit and vegetables,  not sure where I would use them, but the funky little bunch of radishes are a hoot. 

Designer and author Lesley Stanfield has done a wonderful job, she has a rapidly growing fan base amongst our staff and customers.  100 flowers to knit & crochet is available now, online and instore for $40.00.

A-Z of Heirloom Sewing, our Book of the Month

Dionne    Book of the Month, What's New     country bumpkin, handmade, heirloom sewing, materials

Another winner from Country Bumpkin

In a world of consistantly declining sequels and deteriorating variations on a theme, Country Bumpkin maintains their first class standards with their latest offering A-Z of Heirloom Sewing.  We bought our first copies on reputation alone and are not disappointed.  Neither are our customers, those copies sold out within a week and our latest shipment is rapidly heading out the door.  The reason every good Needlecraft shop and every stitchers library should hold these books is simple.  They have the best explained and illustrated product on the market.  An absolute beginner can pick these up and create something lovely.  A more experienced stitcher can hone their skills. 

A-Z of Heirloom Sewing contains all those skills and techniques Grandma tried to teach you, and you promptly forgot.  The breathtakingly beautiful finishes of yesteryear are brought to life and shown simply and clearly with descriptions and photographs that boulster the confidence of any stitcher tackling a simple dress with an embellished collar or a new family heirloom that will be photographed from every angle and handed down for generations to come.  While most of the illustrations appear for children’s and babies clothes, many of the techniques can be used for more delicate garments such as a traditional nightgown or a wedding dress.  In a world that has focussed on mass production, Country Bumpkin’s A-Z series has been at the forefront of preserving the knowledge bank of traditional needlework techniques and shown us some nifty tricks and shortcuts to creating a traditional look with modern materials.  Available in store and online now RRP $34.95.