Modern Crewel Embroidery for Beginners

I love embroidery and generally use my skills to embroider country scenes in a freehand sort of way. When I saw the cover of this book I was mesmerised by the beauty of the work and said out loud that is not possible by a beginner. Of course I had to open the book and check out how this would be achievable.

Tatiana Popova is a Ukrainian embroiderer and she has managed to capture the true beauty of her embroidery in the 120+ pages of this soft backed book. She has broken the book into sections including Tools and Materials, Getting Started, Glossary, Techniques and Projects, Going Further, Templates and Stitch Index.

The first 26 pages of the book is where Tatiana sets out the fundamentals of her embroidery knowledge. From the tools required, to adjusting the hoops, choosing your fabric, choosing your needle and reading the embroidery instructions where everything is explained in clear words and close up photographs. I learnt so much from this guidance and so many questions were answered including how you separate your strands of cotton without ending up with a tangled mess and the difference between stabbing and sewing techniques.

Then come the beautiful projects that can be created with Tatiana’s expert guidance. Each of them is clearly illustrated with instructions and each has a techniques section explaining the stitches required with descriptive words, diagrams and photographs. Every stage is broken down into steps which gives you the confidence that you could achieve these works of art.

This book is inspirational to anyone who wants to embroider beautiful pieces of art. Tatiana says in the introduction that you may not want to work each design of this book but all I can say in reply is why wouldn’t you. From the beautiful Gum Tree Leaves, the Snowdrop Swirl and the Fuschia from the cover, I will certainly be giving them my all.

* Laura from Half Yard Sewing Club *

As the title says, great for beginners to crewel embroidery, but also for those looking to develop their skills. A very comprehensive guide to threads, including a shade converter over brands, needles, stitches, materials and more. All well illustrated with step by step photographs. Then there are the projects. Additional techniques relevant to the projects are included, again with step by step photographs. The projects themselves are beautiful but also very flexible. Use a single flower from one of the designs to add to a bag, cushion cover or pocket of a jacket or shirt. Just looking at the designs inspires you to start, and the detailed illustrations gives confidence to try.

* Barbara from Half Yard Sewing Club *

If you are a beginner to crewel embroidery then this is the book for you. It is well illustrated and guides the reader through eight projects learning over forty stitches. The contents page has a small photograph of the project and all the stitches you will learn in that particular project. All of the projects are floral. The book then goes on to an introduction, tools and materials section, information which is very detailed on thread, getting started and a glossary. The templates are full size. The projects and the techniques required are very well illustrated and are comprehensively photographed with step by step instructions along with tips. The book has been designed to progress in order of the projects. The first 3 projects have a lot less stitching and time required than the next five projects. There is a very useful stitch index on the last page of the book. All in all this is a great book and will be a brilliant reference guide that can be used over and over again.

* Lorraine from Half Yard Sewing Cl