The Embroidery Book: Visual Resource of Color & Design

Christen Brown teaches embroidery, quilting, ribbonwork, mixed media, and beadwork in her best-selling books. With a degree in fashion design, her work has been shown in galleries and fashion shows all over the world. She lives in Escondido, California. christenbrown.com --This text refers to the paperback edition. Brown's (Embroidered & Embellished) book provides an overview of embroidery stitches and techniques as well as inspiration for embroidery projects. The focus is on her designs, which use colorful fabrics and (often vintage) trims and buttons as a complement to elaborate embroidery. She dissects several of her pieces, summarizing the color palette, decorative elements, and stitches used, and supplying insight into her artistic process. A stitch dictionary, which includes a variety of decorative and specialty stitches (including silk ribbon and bead embroidery), wraps up the title. VERDICT Stitchers who prefer a simple style may be overwhelmed by Brown's approach, which combines numerous techniques, materials, embellishments, and fabrics on a single piece, but crazy quilters and xadstitchers who enjoy maximalist approaches will be inspired. ( Library Journal, 11/1/2016 )A new volume by C+T Publishing, and it is a beauty!! The Embroidery Book, by Christen Brown, has the subtitle, Visual resource of color and design, and that's what makes it a treat far different from many embroidery guides. The guide comes first so that you can figure out immediately what stitches you want to learn. There are 149 stitches covered, with step-by-step instructions and so many lush lush lush examples that you will just be aching to expand your repertoire!I would say that this book would be best for those who want to take the stitches that you know, learn more, and design projects for yourself. It is not an exhaustive guide, but it has lovely sections that cover a brief history, materials and tools, color theory, design basics, specific design compositions and color schemes that work, and different embroidery applications (including straight seam, crazy quilt, applique, trims, borders, etc). If you do not have a good embroidery reference work, this may be exactly what you've been looking for! ( beading-arts.com, 11/2/16 )A superb reference of 149 embroidery stitches for all types of surface decoration. This comprehensive guide includes materials, colour, design, creations, applications, the reference stitch guide, basics and resources. It is a visual guide to stitch. It is illustrated throughout with numerous examples of fine embroidery that show what can be achieved. I love the white on white piece. The stitch guide has clear illustrations showing how to make each stitch. Colourful, practical and inspiring. ( yarnsandfabrics.co.uk, 11/29/2016 )For a traditional approach of slow stitching to create luxurious seams and lavish embellishments, look no further. This title is a spectacular encyclopedia of embroidery, sharing valuable techniques passed down through the generations from mother to daughter. A highlight is the visual guide section, with labelled samplers of all 149 stitches and where to find instructions―you'll wonder how you ever worked without it. Buy this book to learn what embroidery can do for you! ( Sew Magazine, March 2017 )This is an unusual and rather charming book. It describes itself as a Visual Resource of Colour & Design. It takes readers through the basics of fabrics, stabilizers and embellishments, all colourfully depicted with well-illustrated examples.Colour theory is covered with the inclusion of a colour board of fabric, threads and beads explaining hues, tints, shades and values. Design and construction are also covered - the book has a ‘vintage' feel and this is very evident in this section. Design basics are well explained but bigger pics would have been better here – as in other parts of the book – although larger versions are shown elsewhere. A very good idea is the Colourful Creations section where an embroidery is shown together with a chart showing the components and colours. Many techniques are explained and there is a huge section on stitches and how to form them.This book has an old-fashioned approach to colour and stitch that works well although I think that rather too much has been crammed into it to do justice to the delightful work. ( Workshop on the Web, September 2017 ) --This text refers to the paperback edition.