Pen to Thread

April 15, 2016

Illustrator and fabric designer Watson brings her whimsical, hand-drawn designs to embroiderers in this collection of small and medium motifs. A "getting started" chapter introduces the fundamentals of embroidery, including a useful comparison of the same stitches in a number of fibers, and an overview of transfer methods. A basic stitch guide, with illustrations of stitch formation, common applications for each stitch, and close-up photos of the stitches in use on one of the motifs, follows. The heart of the book is the motifs themselves--more than 750 line drawings that can be traced directly on the surface to be embroidered or printed from the enclosed CD. There's a cute, wonky aesthetic to Watson's sketches--these aren't Jacobean themes or realistic florals--and they have a youthful, informal feel. The designs are organized by theme (e.g., craft room, by the sea, animals), which provides an easy way to mix and match. Color palettes and stitches to employ aren't specified, leaving much up to the stitcher. VERDICT Fans of Aimee Ray's "Doodle Stitching" series are a natural audience for Watson's fun, funky embroidery motifs.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.