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The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework
Here is the ultimate reference for all styles of artistic hand stitching! No matter what design style you favor, this book gives you the tools to express yourself with needle and thread. Detailed technique instructions with clear charts and photos teach hundreds of stitches for embellishing clothes, gifts, accessories, or home decor. Simple projects let you try your hand at each method and inspire you to create your own designs. Needlework methods Learn one method or learn them all! With The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework , you will know how to choose the best needles, threads, and fabrics for any project. Get abundant stitches at your fingertips with this essential guide that you'll turn to again and again.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
22 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 26, 2016
This book is an EXCELLENT compilation of the most popular techniques in needlework. Divided in 6 sections, it features all the basics you need to know for creative embroidery, crewel embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, bead embroidery, cross-stitch and needlepoint. I am seriously considering buying this book so I can have all the main techniques in one place. The colour illustrations were really helpful, and very well explained. The only thing was that the pages were pretty packed and sometimes it was a bit confusing to decipher which image belonged to which stitch. I wasn't a fan of most of the projects (not planning on embroidering a fedora hat any time soon), but the patterns were pretty.
**The Beaded Bliss Checkbook Cover has been hunting my dreams, so a note to self, it's on p. 182.
**The Beaded Bliss Checkbook Cover has been hunting my dreams, so a note to self, it's on p. 182.
June 18, 2022
Unfortunately I can't learn needle work from a book although the images look simple enough it doesn't make sense to me. I love beading though so hopefully I find some nice places to try those and hopefully I get it.
Great and informative book, filled with lots of wonderful things. Needlepoint, cross stitching, embroidery and bead embroidery, and crewl.
Great and informative book, filled with lots of wonderful things. Needlepoint, cross stitching, embroidery and bead embroidery, and crewl.
June 16, 2022
I loved seeing so many different stitches in this book and the pictures were so easy to follow.
January 7, 2012
(Full disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from Creative Publishing International to review on my blog.)
About once a year, I decide that I'm going to take up embroidery again. This is usually triggered by seeing a super cute image on someone's blog, or the discovery of a masterpiece in the closet by my grandmother or MC's mother. Then, I try embroidering for a few hours and realize that I don't have the patience (or the eyesight) for needlework. It was in this vein that I requested a review copy of The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework from Creative Publishing International.
The book is organized into seven main sections:
ABCs of needlework,
Creative embroidery,
Crewel,
Silk ribbon embroidery,
Bead embroidery,
Cross-stitch (called "Cross-stitch basic" in the table of contents), and
Needlepoint.
There is also a resource section and a detailed stitch index in the back.
What I like about this book:
The ABCs of needlework section is extremely thorough. Not only is there a picture of each different tool, but there is a clear explanation of the major equipment. (Finally, I can understand why I might select a milliners needle!)
There are wonderful tips peppered throughout the book. (My personal favorite is this reminder: "For safety's sake, always rescue the (lost) needle." My family is notorious for losing needles, so Linda's recommendation to keep a magnet on hand is much appreciated.)
Each technique section includes detailed information about appropriate fabrics and threads to use.
In addition to the detailed illustrations you would expect from a needlework book (indicating the numbered steps of each stitch), there are many pictures of the finished stitches. While there aren't complete step-by-step photos, there are usually 2-4 progress photos of each stitch showing how the needle is inserted into the fabric. Most people I know seem to have an easier time learning techniques from photos than illustrations, so this combination will likely be helpful to new needleworkers.
The book is well organized.
What I didn't like (or what's missing):
I didn't see projects that I was interested in making. I think the book could have benefited from involving multiple designers creating the projects so that there would be a diverse range of styles. (Two other CPI books, The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet and The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting by Margaret Hubert, include a range of designers for the projects.)
While Linda's introduction is very informal and welcoming, later in the book there are times when the language seems overly formal and a bit clumsy.
Overall, I found the book to be an excellent resource which clearly explains the differences between the different types of needlework, identifies the appropriate tools for different tasks, describes different techniques for image transfer, and presents a detailed stitch guide with both illustrations and photos. The projects are fairly classic/standard, and don't display a range of styles. I think this book would be quite helpful for a needlework newbie who is looking for a resource and technique book to grow with. While at certain points, the text is not as graceful as I would like it to be, the pictures and the illustrations do most of the talking anyway. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
About once a year, I decide that I'm going to take up embroidery again. This is usually triggered by seeing a super cute image on someone's blog, or the discovery of a masterpiece in the closet by my grandmother or MC's mother. Then, I try embroidering for a few hours and realize that I don't have the patience (or the eyesight) for needlework. It was in this vein that I requested a review copy of The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework from Creative Publishing International.
The book is organized into seven main sections:
ABCs of needlework,
Creative embroidery,
Crewel,
Silk ribbon embroidery,
Bead embroidery,
Cross-stitch (called "Cross-stitch basic" in the table of contents), and
Needlepoint.
There is also a resource section and a detailed stitch index in the back.
What I like about this book:
The ABCs of needlework section is extremely thorough. Not only is there a picture of each different tool, but there is a clear explanation of the major equipment. (Finally, I can understand why I might select a milliners needle!)
There are wonderful tips peppered throughout the book. (My personal favorite is this reminder: "For safety's sake, always rescue the (lost) needle." My family is notorious for losing needles, so Linda's recommendation to keep a magnet on hand is much appreciated.)
Each technique section includes detailed information about appropriate fabrics and threads to use.
In addition to the detailed illustrations you would expect from a needlework book (indicating the numbered steps of each stitch), there are many pictures of the finished stitches. While there aren't complete step-by-step photos, there are usually 2-4 progress photos of each stitch showing how the needle is inserted into the fabric. Most people I know seem to have an easier time learning techniques from photos than illustrations, so this combination will likely be helpful to new needleworkers.
The book is well organized.
What I didn't like (or what's missing):
I didn't see projects that I was interested in making. I think the book could have benefited from involving multiple designers creating the projects so that there would be a diverse range of styles. (Two other CPI books, The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet and The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting by Margaret Hubert, include a range of designers for the projects.)
While Linda's introduction is very informal and welcoming, later in the book there are times when the language seems overly formal and a bit clumsy.
Overall, I found the book to be an excellent resource which clearly explains the differences between the different types of needlework, identifies the appropriate tools for different tasks, describes different techniques for image transfer, and presents a detailed stitch guide with both illustrations and photos. The projects are fairly classic/standard, and don't display a range of styles. I think this book would be quite helpful for a needlework newbie who is looking for a resource and technique book to grow with. While at certain points, the text is not as graceful as I would like it to be, the pictures and the illustrations do most of the talking anyway. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
April 29, 2012
I cannot sew. No, seriously. Even my whip stitch is bad, and that's basically the easiest thing you can do.
But this book desperately makes me want to try my hand at embroidery, and cross stitch. Seeing the steps, seeing how truly simple they are, but how complex it looks.
Wah. I hate being craftily impaired.
But this book desperately makes me want to try my hand at embroidery, and cross stitch. Seeing the steps, seeing how truly simple they are, but how complex it looks.
Wah. I hate being craftily impaired.
July 31, 2014
Excellent photos and clear instructions can teach the absolute novice to work needlework! My only criticism is that the few projects that are in the book I do not find very appealing. Pick this book up to work for a project you already have in mind.
August 11, 2016
Reference to types and stitches.
August 28, 2014
Very helpful for the TOTAL beginner.
February 1, 2016
great visuals
September 30, 2016
* detailed and easy-to-follow instructions * there's a little bit of everything here - embroidery basics, ribbon embroidery, and even sections on sequins and beads!
January 27, 2017
Very helpful book. There were notions mentioned that I had never even thought of before that definitely made needlework easier for me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews