The Art of Embroidered Cards
By Gilda Baron

      This is one of those “hands on” books that make you want to grab some materials and start working. The lavish photography helps, as do the generously sized photos showing how it is done. You don’t need much in the way of equipment to start either, which is a rare bonus. If you enjoy dressmaking or embroidery and have a few fabric paints about, then you probably have all you need. You don’t even need a sewing machine (and you certainly don’t need an expensive one) as everything can also be done by hand.

      I particularly liked the staged example the author took all the way from the painted background to the final changes; this lifts the lid on the technique in a few simple stages. Not many embroidery stitches are used and diagrams are given for all of these, as well as how to achieve certain effects with machine or hand stitching. Learn how to paint in the rudiments of a scene, and dye your own space-dyed threads. Use up scraps of material for flowers, and put some other items such as masking tape and old postage stamp books to good use. Nothing is thrown away here – I have seldom seen such an environmentally friendly book – including the stained papers that are left behind after the painting process.

     The results are truly stunning and not as hard to achieve as you might think, making it a hobby worth taking up. I enjoy a lot of expensive crafts which rely on the purchase of all kinds of hard-to-find items, but it is a true tonic to find a craft that is actually inexpensive and encourages recycling a number of items, both likely and unlikely. Very highly recommended.

      If you cannot find materials locally, try www.searchpress.com for a list of suppliers.

      My Own Tip: If you use your sewing machine for a lot of this type of freestyle work it may need servicing more regularly.