Weekend Review: How to Embroider Texture and Pattern

 

How To Embroider Texture and Pattern / Melissa Galbraith
Mount Joy, PA: Landauer, c2023.
160 p.

It's nice to see an embroidery book that moves beyond the basics to something more unusual and challenging. This one lives up to its title -- it has many ideas for creating texture and pattern with stitch.

This was a really great read. It explores many areas that are fresh, and has a definite style of its own, one that's intriguing and colourful. I was inspired! It starts with an overview of the basics (supplies, transferring patterns and so on). Despite this, I think this book is aimed at the intermediate stitcher, one who is ready to learn new techniques and add to their repertoire.

There are 20 projects included, growing in difficulty as you go. The focus is on landscapes, using a variety of stitches, which are all outlined in a glossary. One of the ways that these stitches can create movement and variety is to pay attention to stitch direction - she shows how it can change a piece and create vibrancy. The book also explores how to use fabric prints to add to the effect of a landscape. 

But she also uses other elements to create striking pieces. There is tufting (textured stitching) and using 

organza overlays and stitching in layers to create depth and shading. I found this particularly lovely, and I haven't seen it done before. She's not just stitching an image and then shading with a piece of organza; the background has some stitching, then the organza is added and more stitching as well. It creates visual depth and is really effective. I'd have read this book just for this technique! 

She also goes into framing and finishing. This assumes that you'll be framing most pieces in a hoop, so there is guidance on finishing the back of your piece neatly. This is a useful element that isn't always found in an embroidery book. 

I would definitely recommend this to any stitcher who wants to learn some new stitches or techniques. The way that Galbraith approaches her embroidery is focused and artistic, and I think gives a wider view to what's possible for a newer stitcher. I thought the projects were well laid out and beautiful as well. Great ideas if you are a landscape lover!