Weekend Review: Garden of Stitches

 

Garden of Stitches / Mary Engelbreit
Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, c2026.
160 p.

I am featuring some enjoyable new embroidery books this month, beginning with one by the fabulous Mary Engelbreit. I found this one thanks to the library system, and loved it. Of course, I've always liked Mary Engelbreit's style, which helps: this book is so her! 

It's a series of embroidery projects, floral themed for the most part. You know I was going to love the one on the cover! There are 30 projects, starting with pretty simple ones and moving forward in difficulty as you go through the book. The final patterns include her distinctive lettering, and I think it works really well in stitch. 

Each design has a pattern and a guide to the colours and stitches used for each element. There are a lot of line stitches, which are great for beginners, with not too much difficulty and a nice result. She also introduces the idea of shading some of the shapes on the embroidery with fabric markers before stitching, as seen on the cover image. This cuts down on full coverage embroidery while giving more depth to the images. It's a great idea that I think artistic people will enjoy, especially if they are new to embroidery and want to make a quick project. Also, this isn't just hoop art. There are examples of stitching onto jackets, hats, or pillows, for inspiration on how to use these designs (or parts of them) in your own way.

As noted, I got this one through the library, but I need to get myself a copy as there wasn't enough time to try some of these cool projects! It's a cheerful, colourful collection by an artist I admire for her art style and for herself too. Looking forward to owning this one.