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! 

Weekend Review: Mending with Love

Mending with Love / Noriko Misumi
trans. from the Japanese by Nancy Marsden
North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle, c2021.
88 p.

I read Misumi's first mending book, Joyful Mending, a while back and when I saw this one in my library I grabbed it. I enjoyed her first book and her approach to mending as a life skill. Plus Tuttle books are so nicely photographed and easy to read, I knew I'd find something interesting here. 

It's presented in five parts: 

• Intro- with her philosophy of mending and life
• Mending Socks
• Mending Stains, Holes and Frays
• Covering Stains with Stamps
• Remaking

It also includes nearly 15 pages of mending techniques at the end to help you accomplish the projects she shows throughout. 

I've read a fair number of mending books, but I did find some new approaches here. And as expected, it's lovely to look though. The projects are practical and attractive, and incorporate a variety of techniques, including more uncommon things like crochet or needle felting. There is even a section specifically on "mending the cat's mischief" ;) 

I like that she includes ways to cover or hide stains (embroidery, stamping etc) as well as just fixing obvious damage like holes or snags. It's maintaining a wardrobe (as well as household goods), not only mending in the traditional sense. And there is a cute addition at the end, with ideas for upcycling worn out things into household items -- it's brief, but includes making trivets, potholders and towels from old tshirts or wool sweaters. Handy ideas. Overall a really cute book with some fun ideas and a nice aesthetic, especially if you are a fan of Japanese sewing books in general.

Weekend Review: Modern Japanese Embroidery Stitches

 

Modern Japanese Embroidery Stitches / Noriko Tsuchihashi
Clarendon, VT: Tuttle, c2022.
112 p.

I really loved this book that I found in my library's online collection. I hadn't seen it when it was first released, so am really glad it appeared there -- it is a great book. 

The embroidery style here is a bit different than many of the stitch styles found in books over the last few years. It's motif based (with fabulous alphabets) but it has an ornate, dark & mysterious feeling too. Most of the examples are either unusual, like insects or symbols, or use dark fabric grounds or threads. I like the layout and the feel of this book. 

In her foreword, the author says she was always drawn to little things as a child, and with this book she's trying to share that connection and wonder. She says, "while [these designs] are not a precise rendering of that beauty, they recreate for me that sense of wonder, and I'm happy. I think this is what handicrafts such as embroidery are all about." 

The book is organized into motifs; each chapter simply shows gorgeous photos of projects, framed or made up into other items, with a brief into to the subject and a few words on each design. These 8 sections are followed by a section on materials, tools and a stitch guide, and all the designs and instructions are at the back of the book. She includes recommended stitches and thread colours for all the designs. In her recommendations, threads are DMC, and the ribbon embroidery ideas use Mokuba ribbon, while the beading elements use Delica. But as she says, you can use whatever you like. 

The chapters are: 

• Embroidering Patterns
• Embroidering Plants
• Embroidering Animals
• Embroidering Lucky Symbols
• Embroidering A Journey
• Embroidering Alphabets
• Embroidering on Patterns
• Finishing (pouches, brooches, bags etc)

I was particularly taken with the alphabet designs. I love a good letter! These are block letters with filling stitches and they are beautiful. She shows them in different colourways with differing backgrounds and I love them all. There is even a set of numbers to go along with this. 

I also liked the lucky symbols she included, and can think of ways to adapt some of her ideas to use any of your own favourite signs and symbols. All in all I really liked this one and found it fresh and interesting.