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| The Embroidered Closet / Alexandra Stratkotter NY: Abrams, c2022. 160 p. |
This is another book I picked up in my recent Book Outlet splurge. I love embroidering, and this book is all about using stitching to embellish your wardrobe. I really enjoyed this one!
I didn't realize until I received it that it was written by a fellow Canadian. How nice to see that! This is a delightful read -- nothing earth-shattering, as it's basically about using stitching to beautify and update your wardrobe, but it's nicely laid out. The photos are beautiful, the instructions are fairly clear for all the stitches, and there are some beautiful motifs. I liked her colour palette and choices, even if they aren't always my own.
The only that doesn't work -- just for me personally -- is the use of wool crewel threads. They look lovely on a sweater but there's something about the texture of wool threads that's like nails on a chalkboard for me -- I literally can't use them! If you don't have this strange reaction to wool threads then go for it :)
Many of the motifs shared here are nature themed, from florals to bugs, houseplants to suns and stars. She even has some lettering options, and tips on how to use cursive style lettering effectively. There are examples of stitching on collars, lapels and necklines, even pant legs and jacket backs. There are projects for accessories like caps, bags, or shoes -- and even a very unusual choice to stitch onto a bralette! The different bases that she stitches on require different threads and stabilizers, and she does go into choices for each.
This is an inspiration book, and it's beautifully put together. The photos are really lovely, and there are enough closeup images of the stitching to satisfy a reader. There are colour and stitch guides for each project that are easy to follow, and there is a wide variety of ideas about what to stitch on. I found a couple of the monochrome examples particularly nice. If you're thinking about adding more embellishment to your clothing via stitch, this would be a fun book to investigate. Enjoyable!
Maybe a thicker pearl cotton would work instead of wool crewel yarn - and it would be moth-proof, too.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, and I do have quite a bit of perle!
DeleteI guess everything old is new again...my first embroidery project was to embroider a Sagittarius on the thigh of my bell bottom jeans! Thanks for the review, this book looks great.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it. Fun ideas, great images, and inspirational. Fun that you've embroidered jeans - I remember using a lot of the 'liquid embroidery' pens in the 70s but can't recall my first embroidered clothing project.
DeleteThank you, This was a very timely book recommendation for me. I was looking for inspiration and instructions for embroidering flowers on the collar and cuffs of a wool plaid robe, using wool yarns leftover from some old needlepoint pillow kits.
ReplyDeletePerfect! I hope that your robe turns out beautifully :)
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