Weekend Review: Seasonal Flower Embroidery

Seasonal Flower Embroidery / Kazuko Aoki
trans. from the Japanese by Alison Markham Powell
Boulder, CO: Roost Books, c2022.
112 p.

 I recently bought this lovely little book - I really enjoy Japanese aesthetics, and this embroidery book was delightful. One of a series of books by author Kazuko Aoki, this one features florals, inspired by a local Tokyo flower shop. It is quirky, though, with a few new ideas in it that delight me. She stitches a variety of blooms over 25 projects, and some in a more traditional, expected context, like hoop art or embellishment on clothing or housewares. But there was one project in particular that appealed. She embroiders a flower, then cuts it out of the fabric and glues a wire on the back to make it a stand alone piece — even covering the bottom of the wire with 2 paper circles cut from old books (as seen on the cover). I loved this! I really want to try it out, it's so beautiful! 

She also creates patches and pins, purses, gift tags, totes and more. I was really taken with the way she moves embroidery off the fabric and into 3D settings with her pins and display florals. But each of the motifs are beautiful. The book is laid out nicely, organized by the four seasons, with three kinds of flowers represented in each season. The patterns are clear, well explained, and illustrated with beautiful large photos. Then there are the projects - each of these also has robust instructions and large example photos which are pleasingly displayed. It's a treat to look at, even if you don't make anything! 

This is a great book, and it makes me want to pick up all of her other books now — she has a lovely style and I enjoyed the creative use of embroidery in unique projects. Definitely work searching this one out if you can!