Jenny Hart - Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching

Text copyright 2009 by Sublime Stitching LLC.

Illustrations copyright 2009 by Sublime Stitching LLC.

Photographs copyright 2009 by Aime Herring.

Photographs copyright () 2009 by Kenneth B. Gall.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-8118-7900-2
The Library of Congress has cataloged the previous edition as follows:

Hart, Jenny, 1972

Embroidered effects : projects and patterns to inspire your stitching / by Jenny Hart.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-0-8118-6701-6

1. Embroidery. 2. EmbroideryPatterns. I. Title.

TT770.H28 2009

746.441041dc22

2008044780

Embroidery and illustrations by Jenny Hart.
Designed by Design Army
Sublime Stitching is a registered trademark of Sublime Stitching LLC

Chronicle Books LLC
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San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

EMBROIDERY IS ENDLESSLY INSPIRING. When I began my exploration of embroidery less than ten years ago, I was constantly craving something new to make with my hands and mind working in tandem (staring at a computer screen and typing doesnt count). I had always loved the look of embroidery, but didnt think I could possibly sit still long enough to do it. I was foolish enough to not try it for many years, thinking it was probably too difficult, too boring, too tedious, and, well, just not my thing.

But then I began noticing it more and more everywhere. And then I wanted to see it everywhere it wasnt. When I began stitching for the first time I felt my entire world slow down, which was a very good thing. For anyone who already knows the joy of needleworking, this is hardly a revelation. But it really was a surprise to me, especially after expecting the opposite experience of frustration or tedium. You see, I put off learning to embroider for a long time, only admiring it for years with an oh-I-could-never-do-that mentality. But I needed something new to work with my hands. Gosh, what could that possibly be?

Embroidery seemed to be slipping away into the past. And each time Id come across it, on vintage linens or my grandmothers tea towels, it felt like finding an old photo of a former beauty, glorious in a heyday from long ago, who was today forgotten and aged from neglect.

My eyes started seeking out hand-worked decorative stitching wherever possible. I had never really done much needlework in my life and had never taken an interest in it before. But over several years I began admiring it. Never trying it, just loving it. Bright colors stitched on white cottons, sometimes with an endearingly awkward hand, looked like lost orphans that I wanted to take home with me (and often have, far too many times!). It seems as though most who begin a successful romance with stitching remain in love with it for the rest of their lives. My affection for it hasnt waned .. .

GETTING STARTED AND USING THIS BOOK

BEFORE I LEARNED TO EMBROIDER, the biggest obstacle for me was simply learning how. I didnt sew, or really know anyone who did needlework. Turning to books was intimidating: the best embroidery books are those that have been reprinted for decades and contain hundreds of diagrams of complex, must-be-worked-this-way stitches. But because these books were written for a previous generation who grew up sewing (and can make heads or tails of a diagram faster than I can), the basics are sometimes quickly skimmed over, or not included at all. Thats why I like to cover the starting points for those who may be trying embroidery for the first time, even if youre not. Embroidery is a vast subject that expands into realms that I wont even be able to venture into here. My goal is to get you past the basics and into your own inspiration by providing a wide array of tools and techniques that will keep you stitching well beyond the projects in this book. Youll find the basic stitches reviewed along with variations, combinations, and alternate applications. Books on embroidery can be intimidating, so rather than bombard you with a gazillion stitches, I wanted to give you a little bit of everything all in one book. From front to back, the tools, fabrics, techniques, stitches, and tips should bring you comfortably to the 21 projects designed to inspire you.

Embroidery Today

EMBROIDERY NEVER DIES: it just keeps coming back better and more beautiful than before. And its been enjoying a glorious revival in popularity. Even for this millennia-old needlecraft, new innovations, methods, and ideas continue to arise. Because of embroiderys illustrative possibilities its easy to keep it fresh and contemporary with current and popular motifs. But that hadnt happened for a good long time, as embroidery designs slipped into endless re-workings of old-timey designs and country-cutesy motifs. Not since the Victorian rage of crazy quilting or the revival of textile arts and crafts in the 70s has American embroidery enjoyed popular new approaches like it does today. You have new options for patterns, and improved tools and resources abound. Embroiderys been shaken up a bit, and advanced into the 21st century. Hmm. I wonder what its next incarnation will be .. .