Colourful Fun Embroidery

October 5, 2020
Hello! Hooray! blogger Albans offers 24 cheerful projects in this delightful embroidery how-to. Albans writes that she believes in dedicating time to nurturing creativity; thus, projects are arranged according to the time it takes to produce them. Most are doable in a few hours and are collected in the “Crafternoons” chapter. Among them are “Happy Clothes Labels” that read “You Look Lovely Today,” speech bubble pincushions captioned “Ouch!” and rainbow necklaces. Slightly harder “Medium Makes” include a “blue skies” design that incorporates blue and white felt for the sky and clouds; banners with motivational mottos; and a felt letter tucked inside a felt envelope and stitched onto a circular piece of colorful fabric placed inside an embroidery hoop. The more involved “Pick Me Up Projects” feature three-dimensional, satin-stitched tumbling blocks, a patchwork bag with affirmations embroidered on it, and a 12” quilting-hoop clock. Crafters will find plenty of encouragement and lots of opportunities to be creative while working their way through Albans’s spirited resource.

November 1, 2020
Fulfilling a tall order for embroidery that generates glee, UK crafter-author Albans tries her hardest to infuse some lightness of embroidery into daily life with bright colors, perky sayings, and displayable projects. Her two dozen projects range from brooches and necklaces to banners and patchwork, each indicating the time needed to finish. Every design supports a beginning needleworker--with a very precise list of materials (e.g., exact DMC thread colors); step-by-step, well-captioned color photographs; and notes about customization (""make it yours""), ranging from thread selection to changing quotes. All use one or more of four stitches--straight, back, satin, and French knots, which are all explained in an appendix. And though some projects have a very British feel (such as buntings to top a cake), many will appeal to U.S. tastes. A stitch in time might provoke some smiles. Other appendixes include embroidery materials, embroidery stitch guide, template information, and craft suppliers (primarily in the UK).

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