No comments about Exotic Fruits & Flowers in Needlepoint.

5 comments about Shay Pendray's Inventive Needlework: Techniques & Inspiration for Gold Work, Painted Canvas, and Shading.

1. For the serious needleworker, Shay Pendray's Inventive Needlework is a must-have book. Included are discussions on materials and on techniques, clearly drawn diagrams, and excellent color photographs. Examples of various techniques are drawn from both the author's own teaching pieces and from other pieces which have been exhibited at ANG National Seminars. I was particularly excited by the close-up photographs, which show stitching details clearly. (Many of the goldwork photographs were stitched on a black ground) Note that this book is about techniques, and is not a catalog of diagrams for specific stitches - there are many other reference books which fill that purpose.

   For needleworkers who are interested in advancing their skills, or who have wished for opportunities to examine advanced-level stitching in detail, the excellent photographs and elaborating text of this book offer a great deal of inspiration.




2. This book does offer insight into shading and goldwork techniques, but has few, if any, practice projects. The pictures are very lovely, but I was led to believe that there would be more patterns to practice on.
   
   If you are looking for a book with projects, minimally practice projects, this book is not the one to buy. No projects, thus no materials and fibers listed, no patterns.
   
   As a non professional needlework enthusiast, I need a head start on any project, because I don't have time to design a project from start to finish; books with projects offer the headstart I think most people in my position need: the hard work is done (which is why we pay for the book) and it is left to the individual needlework enthusiast to tweek it here and there to fit his or her decor/color favorites/personalization, etc. This book does not save any time or give any headstart to any project, which is the reason people pay money to the professional needleworker for their efforts. These efforts have not been made in this book.
   
   I would say a person looking for a book in goldwork or embroidery (shading, with silk or wool) would be much better off buying "A Victorian Floral Alphabet" "Redoutes Finest Flowers in Embroidery"; "The Art of Painting with a Needle"; these books make beautiful, individualized embroidery projects a possibility for those of us who don't have the time to start from scratch.
   
   This book is the equivalent to buying a pair of stamped pillow cases or a tablecloth to embroider, but when you get the pillowcases or tablecloth, they are blank, there is no design stamped on them, and the manufacturer includes instructions on how to embroider them.



3. This is "the" book for the serious needleworker. It has the most comprehensive technique instructions of any book, ever, for gold work, painted canvas, and shading; it isn't a cutesy book of simple projects. The illustrations are excellent. The color photos are to die for: closeups of step-by-step work in progress and examples of finished work will enable you to strive for excellence in your own work. This is a teaching book with important information about threads, fabrics, frames, tools, framing up, tips ... the list goes on and on. I can't recommend this book any higher.



4. For people who have watched her Needlearts show on PBS, Shay and her wonderful way with all forms of needlework needs no introduction. For those who haven't let's just say that Shay is one of the nicest and most innovative needleworkers around.
   
   This beautiful book distills much of Shay's wisdom covering Goldwork, painted canvas and shading. Each section is lavishly illustrated with detailed explanations of techniques. I'm not very familiar with Goldwork, stil I found Shay's explanations clear enough so that I would feel confident tackling a beginner's project. There is a charming one, a dove, in the book.
   
   The section on painted canvas has a good overview of threads and
   techniques. It includes detailed instructions on techniques which
   often aren't covered, stripped threads, using a laying tool, and
   properly starting and ending threads. A wonderful part of this
   section talks about choosing the right canvas. Further information
   covers how to change colors on a painted canvas as well as several
   techniques for optically mixing colors.
   
   Following this chapter about painted canvas is a chapter which goes
   into depth discussing how three different painted canvas Christmas
   stockings were stitched. Several pages are devoted to each canvas
   with a picture of the entire canvas as well as close-up pictures of
   the details. Even if these three Tapestry Tent designs aren't your
   cup of tea, you will find many ideas for using on your own canvases.
   
   The section on shading covers two different techniques to create
   realistic shading. While the techniques were developed for surface
   embroidery, a part of this section shows how they can be applied to
   canvas. In fact, the shaded canvas piece is photographed on the
   cover of the book.
   
   The book ends with a gallery of designs. Each of the pieces in the
   gallery shows Shay's consummate skill as a designer and stitcher.
   They provide much food for inspiration.
   
   While this book is not a book for beginners. Every stitcher will
   learn useful information and find plenty of inspiration in this
   wonderful book.



5. this is the first I have heard that Shay is a published author. the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars, is that I haven't seen the inside of the book. I haven't read this book, but I will buy it, even if there were no reviews. Shay has had a show on needlework arts in the tampa bay, fla Area for years. Just to watch a few minutes of her show convinces you beyond a reasonable level, that this lady KNOWS HER STUFF. I would buy this book, especially, because she does ALOT of goldwork on her show-a technique that I didnt know was taught in modern times. I think she studied at the Royal School of needart in England, so......It is an ancient, ancient kind of detailed needlework. Keep up the good work, shay!!!

3 comments about The Secrets of Needlepoint.

1. Dominique Siegler-Lathrop lives in Paris, France where she owns and operates her shop "Tapisseries de la Bucherie". Her speciality is tapestries made with hand-dyed wools and many of her designs are historically accurate. In The Secrets Of Needlepoint, she draws upon her many years of experience to provide the needlecrafter with her own proven method for making beautifully executed needlepoint tapestries on both monofil and penelope canvas. Readers are treated to 99 different stitches that are diagramed and illustrated; basic and advanced principles of design; handy tips and techniques; and sound advice for selecting equipment and supplies. The Secrets Of Needlepoint is an impressive and very highly recommended contribution to any personal or professional needlecraft instructional reference book collection.



2. As someone who loves all different types of needleart forms, this book completely changed my way of thinking about needlepoint. Her illustrations are concise and easy to understand. She also has a fantastic website!



3. The Secrets of NeedlepointThe stitches are very clear and prescise. I can refer to this book without hesitation. Another book to add and keep in any needlework collection!

1 comments about Needlepoint Stitches: 52 Stitches Explained and Illustrated.

1. 
   
   The book is well done--good examples and good directions to follow.

4 comments about Elian McCreadys Needlepoint.

1. I am very pleased with this book. The designs are very beautiful and colorful. I have purchased books in the past that did not inspire me to begin a project like this book.



2. This is a wonderful book, but be careful. It is the same book as the hardcover that Amazon is listing as a great book to get WITH this one. They have the same title, but the cover changed with the paperback.



3. I have books by Graham Rust, Candace Bahouth, Kaffe Fassett, Beth Russell among other notable designers in needlepoint and this is the only one that I want to do every design in the book. The charts are easy to read, with symbols in addition to being colored. I wouldn't recommend it for a true beginner, but it is a fantastic book.



4. For those who want designs for flowers this book has many wonderful ideas to follow, I am sure that I will be using it often.

5 comments about The Needlepoint Book: A Complete Update of the Classic Guide.

1. I have loved needlepoint now for over thirty years. Probably one of the greatest things my mother gave me was a beginners needlepoint class when I was eight years old. I basket-weaved away for many, many years. Then, I discovered this book. It took my love for needlepoint to new levels of creativity. There are so many easy to follow directions for stiches that I had never seen before. This book brought out a new and creative aspect to my stiches. From the brand new beginner to the heartend veteran, this book is a must have! I have several other guides in my needlepoint library, yet I always come back to this one.



2. I own both the first and second editions of this book. Of all the beautiful needlepoint books in my collection, this is the one I go back to over and over. There is information for the beginner as well as advanced stitcher. In eighteen years, I've never picked it up that it didn't learn something new or valuable.



3. If you want to learn on your own, this is the book you need. I bought the paper back, took it to the copy place to cut the spine and spiral bind it with clear plastic covers. Now it stays open to the page I'm working from. Her directions are clear for every sitch and they are organized approporiately by type. Charts tell what each stitch is great and poor for. Easy to use without reading; but all beginers and re-starters should thoroughly read the begining to learn the other how-tos of needlepoint. Great for working patterns (painted canvas) or on your own designs. It may be the only book you need.



4. This book was advertised as a classic guide for all levels. I can only speak as a beginner, but the material I needed was covered well. Recommend this book without reservation.



5. This was an excellent book on needlework when it first came out. Now it has been revised and updated and it is even better. She has included different and modern techniques as well as many excellent patterns of pictures to follow.

5 comments about Treasury of Crazyquilt Stitches: A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional Hand Embroidery Inspired by Antique Crazyquilts.

1. I agree with the last review that said you really need to be experienced in a few of the stitches, but once you have mastered the main stitches you can go anywhere with this book. Maybe a review of how to do the basic stitches would help those who are inexperienced, but I found that everything shown was simple once you broke it down into those individual basic stitches. I'd encourage anyone to buy a basic book first and learn before venturing into this one, but it is fantastic for those of us who need ideas and designs for our simple or ornate crazy quilt tops. Thank you Carole Samples!



2. Any needleworker - making a crazy quilt or not - will be amazed at this wonderful book. Ms. Samples has clearly invested a lot of time into her research and has presented us with not only solid historical documentation but also with a platform for delving off into new uses and combinations for these glorious stitches. As for the complaints that the book has no specific stitching instructions, that is true, but a beginner embroiderer with a stitch encyclopedia should have little trouble since the stitches are grouped and labelled by their most prominent basic stitch, i.e., "blanket stitch," "feathered chain," etc. The only suggestion for improvement I have is that the text portions be printed in a different font.

   I highly recommend this book to any needle artist. Just have your needle and floss nearby once you start looking at it!




3. I love this book. I took out about 10 books from the library and settled on (and bought) this one because the collection is so complete (it's over the top actually). Granted, there are not detailed instructions for each stitch (if there were, it'd have to limit the number of stitches). Also, it is easy to lose yourself in the book -- definitely mark a stitch once you've found it because finding a particular stitch again is challenging. There are so many gorgeous stitches that I did not see anywhere else. If you go through the trouble of making a crazy quilt, you'll want the unique stitches in here.



4. This book is one of the best on the market for Crazy Quilt stitches. It shows not only the traditional stitches but how to combine different stitches to come up with a new design. It is outstanding, I can't say enough praise about it. It is a must have if you crazy quilt.



5. This is more of a reference book Mostly with drawings on brown paper making the stitches hard to see and no actuall instructions to guide you if you have never done them before. There are Many more books better for first timers Such as "The Magic of Crazy Quilting" by J Marsha Michler. It has nice black & white Drawings and color photos showing the stitches. THEN maybe this book will be helpfull...if you can get past the brown colored paper and black drawings. CHECK THIS ONE OUT OF THE LIBRARY FIRST! There is a book called "The Embroidery Stitch Bible" by Betty Barnden. It is a Nice 250 page Full Color Spirial Bound Book Just Loaded With Stitches For All Types Of Projects. A worthwhile investment if you do other things besides just quilting.

No comments about Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy.

4 comments about 101 Needlepoint Stitches and How to Use Them: Fully Illustrated with Photographs and Diagrams (Dover Needlework).

1. This is a great and easy to use book by the extremely knowledgable needleworker, Hope Hanley. This softcover book provides detailed information for the beginning and advanced needlepointer on a wide variety of stitches. Of special interest is a four page reference section where stitches are listed according to their use as a background, filling, detail, quick to stitch, slow to stitch and best canvas. If you are looking for a great, inexpensive and user friendly guide to needlepoint, this is it! I highly recommend this book to the new needlepointer and the experienced stitcher as well.



2. I bought this book for a reference, and it is great. The examples are clear, and include suggestions for best use. I like to suggestions about materials, canvas, and needles.



3. This book does an excellent job of explaining stitches. For the first time, I undersand how to do a basketweave stitch. That alone is worth the price of the book!! The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because the examples of the completed stitches are in black and white. This and the chucky yarn makes it difficult to see the finished stitch.



4. Good book for beginners. Covers lots of stitches....wish it had more on finishing projects.

5 comments about Serge With Confidence.

1. . . .but don't and am embarrassed to ask: Nancy Zieman explains in Serge With Confidence. No longer do I feel locked in a duel between the serger and the just-simply-serge-it projects. Utilitarian turns to decorative and creativity with competence becomes reality with Nancy Zieman's clear and pertinent directions and timely hints. This book is wonderful for this seasoned sewer and wanna' be serger whiz.



2. This book has made me more confident in using my machine and given me many ideas. I highly recommend it.



3. This book is very informative. Nancy gives info on specific machines. For instance Pfaff is very creative with decorative threads and a number of cover stitches. Other machine are mentioned. Having recently purchased an Evolve, the section on the specialty feet is very useful to me. There is a lot of info and many useful tips. The projects suggested are very well
   explained.



4. Love Nancy, she is the best. Book has great insite and is easy to understand.



5. Excellent resource for beginners and the more experienced sergers as well. Colored photos and good explanations make this book a winner. There is detailed description of how a serger works as well as close views of different stitches and how they can be used. There are several project suggestions with instructions and photos. A glossary in the back will assist with any unknown terminology.