Satisfying Stitches: Learn Simple Embroidery Techniques and Embrace the Joys of Stitching by Hand by Hope Brasfield

 
Satisfying Stitches by Hand by Hope Brasfield

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Quarry Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking to learn embroidery, this is the book for you! Here you will learn the basics: what supplies you’ll need, how to transfer a pattern onto fabric, how to prepare your floss, starting and finishing techniques, and a selection of stitches. There is also a chapter on mindfulness and how to set yourself up for crafting success that you can read or skip, but I highly recommend the section on setting yourself up for success. I feel like there’s this misconception that we can only have one project going at one time and that everything must be perfect when that simply isn’t true. I think that this part of the first chapter will help anyone who feels an internal or external pressure to make these things happen escape that. It will really help them come to their own conclusions about what they want to gain from embroidery.

As far as the rest of the book, it is an excellent guide. There are in-depth stitching graphs, an explanation on the supplies you’ll need and what is optional, and the starting and finishing tips are excellent. This is the first time I’ve seen anyone mention backing a finished project with cardboard, and I think I’m going to try that out on one of my embroidery or cross stitching projects one of these days. I’m an experienced cross stitcher, but I’m still somewhat of a newbie embroiderer, and the tips and tricks outlined in this book are excellent. I’ve never seen some of the stitches that are in this book and I understood exactly how to do those stitches from reading the instructions and looking at the graphs.

This book also features 18 patterns ranging from simple to a little more complex. They’re separated by the following themes: florals, houseplants, fruit, skies, animals, and mushrooms. There are three patterns for each theme, and they range from levels 1 to 3 in complexity but all look fairly simple depending on what you’re ready to take on at the time of reading this book. Each pattern also has a list of stitches and stitches along with a color theme that one can stick to or do their own thing with. All in all, this is a great book!