Creative Embroidery and Beyond

May 1, 2023

This portfolio of 18 small, basic embroidery projects is by self-taught textile artists Billingham, Sophie Timms, and Theresa Wensing. It includes useful sections on basic stitches and tools and also shows readers how to transfer designs and create their own patterns. The project directions are sometimes ambidextrous but often lapse into right-handed-only instructions without telling left-handers how to adjust. The illustrations guide readers to stitch from left to right, which is difficult for left-handed people as well. It would've also been nice to include a resource section so that readers could easily locate some of the less common supplies, such as Cover-A-Stitch patches, required for a few of the projects. VERDICT A quick-start intro guide to the craft of embroidery. Best suited for right-handed beginners who want to dive right into projects. Left-handed readers and those who have already mastered the basics but are interested in improving their skills are advised to look elsewhere.--Marjorie Mann

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 5, 2023
Embroidery artists Billingham, Timms, and Wensing debut with a stylish guide for beginners. They cover what materials to use (“smooth cotton that has a tight weave” is best), the necessary tools (an embroidery hoop is a must for keeping fabric taut), and how to transfer patterns onto fabric (use a water-soluble pen to trace a design from a printout). The stitch guide presents step-by-step photos demonstrating how to perform simple straight and back stitches, as well as more challenging ones, including the “woven spider web stitch” (“a raised circle of textured stitching”). Each of the authors contributes six patterns, with floral designs featuring prominently. For example, earth-tone flowers sprout from the pocket of a denim jacket in Billingham’s “Denim Pocket Garden,” and Wensing shows how to make rows of white and yellow daisies. Other standout projects include Timms’s graceful monarch butterfly and Wensing’s whimsical “Cup of Planets,” which depicts several tiny planets pouring out of a tilted mug. The pleasant designs and thorough instructions ensure novices have all they need to get started. It’s a charmer.