Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching (Sublime Stitching) by Jenny Hart. Chronicle Books; Spi edition (September 9, 2009).

This is not just a book with groovy embroidery designs and lots of transfers to help you re-create the groovy designs, it is in fact an extremely comprehensive book on embroidery for beginners.

Jenny really goes into such incredible detail with her explanations of techniques and tools and materials, it is obvious she loves her craft and has thought deeply about how to explain it those who may be not quite sure how to get started. Along with chapters on the basics (fabrics to use, threads to use, tools to use) there is a fantastic stitch dictionary with excellent clear illustrations and instructions – showing where the needle goes in and comes out, where you are supposed to hold the thread and which direction you should be heading. Often a second technique for doing the one stitch is described – I love that Jenny is not precious about how you get it done and she allows for different styles of stitching in her instructions.

There is a whole section on the different patterns/designs – with transfers in the back to help you get just the right look – the designs are shown stitched onto outfits, aprons, shirts or as framed pieces, pillows, tablecloths, even shower curtains, but alas no doilies.

With Jenny’s usual fun and slightly subversive designs you will find tattoo embroidery for you sleeve shirt, colourful day of the dead skulls for your summer skirt, cute little bluebirds for the fronts of your jeans, adorable framed child’s art, embroidered text and more.

For more of a taster – check out these free online tutes from the book

Mahjong embroidery tablecloth
Floss blending tutorial

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our July artist is Laura Amiss with her machine embroidered Little legs.

Laura Amiss: www.lauraamiss.com, lives in The Netherlands, Amsterdam (although she is English).
Main craft of choice: Free hand machine embroidery, using the sewing machine is like drawing for me.
Craft hero: Freddie Robins, amazing knitter and artist based in the UK
Fave web site: I love all the design blogs, I suppose my favorite is Poppytalk
Fave crafty materials supplier: I don’t really use a supplier, I recycle a lot of my kids clothes! Plus I live near an amazing fabric market in Amsterdam.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?:
I studied Textiles at Goldsmiths in London, but I have always drawn, painted and made my own clothes. Fabric and stitch is now the medium in which I draw and create images. I love the narrative quality of textiles and the contrast between technique and subject.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I’d say that this develops every time I make something at the moment, it was pretty recent that I got into layering my images and fabric together. But I feel that there is much more to explore within the style I currently use, it’s only going to get better! I often think about ideas much faster than I can make them, especially with two small children aged 3 and 18 months. I’d like to develop different lines of work and contrast the medium of digital art with textiles.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
Sorry to sound corny but I get such a buzz when it all comes together from idea, to drawing to finished piece. I love the physicality of making with my hands and the process of piecing colors and compositions together. Not to mention the joy when other people like what I make!

All images courtesy Laura Amiss – in order they are: 1. My umbrella, 2. She wore a yellow dress, 3. Shoes Shoes Shoes, 4. Lacey legs.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

A while ago Kirsty from Kootoyoo put a call out on her blog for participants in a redwork quilt project. I signed up and went about designing and finishing my square. At the time I didn’t give a lot of thought to the other participants, if I’m honest. But then I saw the finished piece and the website that Kirsty had put together and I was blown away. It’s a stunning collaboration and I wish I could have been there in person to see it. Congrats to Kirsty and the other participants. Link to The Quilt Project.

From The Quilt Project blog:

An online community friendship quilt made up of 66 squares.

A modern twist on traditional redwork – participants were asked to “work a square in red”.

After hours of handwork by each of the participants the squares were posted to Melbourne where they were photographed & assembled into a temporary quilt.

Displayed for one night the quilt squares will now be returned to their creators or swapped.

The Quilt Project is a permanent record for everyone to enjoy.

Andrea shares this set of super sweet embroidery patterns for the festive season. Link to patterns.

totally save your books from folded over corners – love this neat and super cool idea – with tute from kootoyoo

London’s 2009 Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery: The prize, now in its 9th year attracts students of embroidery, design, arts, surface textiles, costume, fibres, interiors, fashion and textiles throughout the world. This year, for the first time, the Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery also ran an open category for embroiderers from all backgrounds.

The aim of this prize is to promote the use of hand embroidered surface embellishment within fashion, costume and soft furnishing. All in the hope that contemporary design and other fresh approaches will be inspired to embrace hand embroidery, to acknowledge and value its quality and expertise. See the entries and the winners here.

Image: The Swarovski Prize Winner – Claire Goodwin from Nottingham Trent University

How sweet is this! Those gals and Melly & Me are a machine, constantly putting out new ideas. Link to freebie.

Cassi from The Crafty Crow has created an embroidery stitch book for you to download and print out. Link to book.

Great gift idea. Link to tutorial.

Lovely apple obsession from Nicole continues – get her templates and tutorial for making this adorable handsewn felt apple picture.