We
might not live in a perfect world, but we can at least create
one with this book! The “world” here is a beautiful
seventeen panel sampler to display on your wall, giving you
a “perfect” opportunity to practice and refine
your embroidery skills.
This
is another stunning book by talented embroiderer Di van Niekerk,
which shows not only how wonderful embroidery can look, but
how much fun it can be.
Turn
to the back and you will find the watercolor picture that
needs to be enlarged and then transferred to cloth. Instructions
for doing this are given, or you can buy a pre-printed cloth
from the author’s website if your country has a store
that stocks it. As with pretty much all of this author’s
work, this project would be pretty daunting for a total beginner,
but anybody with some experience will be able to make a decent
job of it. Partly this is because a lot of it is easier than
it looks, but mostly this is due to the excellent instructions
and diagrams.
Before
the project, there is a wealth of useful information about
transferring, tips on what to buy and how to tackle various
aspects of the work, but most of what you need to know can
be found in each of the panel chapters. There are seventeen
of these, each organized by dealing with each item in the
panel separately. This typically consists of a mixture of
about four flowers and creatures, each described briefly with
a list of what you need to buy and the stitches used.
Staged
instructions feature small detailed photographs, and if you
need to refresh your memory or learn a new stitch, turn to
the back for some clear diagrams. The designs are mostly worked
in chameleon threads and hand dyed silk ribbons plus a few
seed beads, giving the work a lovely and lifelike look, rather
like a botanical painting. Included, too, is a chart showing
how you can use the panels in various other crafts and which
ones would be suitable. There is a wide range of choices from
decorating a teddy bear to adorning a wedding dress. The book
finishes with a chapter on finishing the sampler, and then
you just stand back and wait for the admiring remarks. Another
lovely book for the keeper shelf.
If you cannot find a good range of ribbon and embroidery materials
locally try www.searchpress.com for a list of suppliers.
Visit the author’s site at www.dicraft.co.za which includes
a worldwide list of where you can buy her ribbons, kits and
other items.
Chameleon threads and hand dyed ribbon can be bought in the
UK from www.thecommonthread.co.uk/ and www.lornabatemanembroidery.com/
Reviews
of other titles by Di van Niekerk
Dreamscapes
in Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork
Embroidered
Alphabets With Ribbon Embroidery
Cicely
Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies in Ribbon Embroidery and
Stumpwork
Little
Flowers In Silk and Organza Ribbon
Monograms
and Words in Ribbon Embroidery
A
Perfect World in Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork |