A Handbook of Lettering for Stitchers
This classic book is now free and really worth the download if you are interested in using any sort of lettering on a hand embroidery project. You can download the pdf file here
A Handbook of Lettering for Stitchers was published in 1973 and it looks like it. The black and white illustrations will not impress modern readers who are used to lush photography in full colour but this book contains 100 pages of really useful patterns and design tips for stitchers who love lettering.
People who are interested in hand embroidered samplers will also delight in the genuine retro feel of the patterns.
The book contains many illustrated pages that display a huge variety of designs that you can use in embroidery. The strength of this book is that in her examples Elsie Svennas has applied various stitches to every letter of the alphabet.
The book starts with a brief history of using decorative monogram before embarking on a detailed discussion on stitches that are suitable to use for lettering in embroidery.
One of the reasons I avidly read old embroidery books is they often illustrate different ways of using a stitch. For instance in the illustration above, look at how the detached chain stitch is opened up to create the flower. The detached chain almost but not quite becomes a fly stitch.
This type of approach to hand embroidery is still very contemporary and I delight in discovering instances like this. Here is another instance I would like to share. Readers who are enjoying the TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) stitchers challenge will be aware that recently one of the challenge stitches was Satin Stitch. Take a look at how the Satin stitch is slanted on the letter O and how back stitch and satin stitch is combined in the letter T.
This page from the book demonstrates more creative uses of basic stitches. On the curve illustrates in the top right hand corner of this page and on the letter O take a look at how the open chain stitch is tied together like sheaf stitch. On the same page see how regular chain stitch is whipped on both sides to produce a very different line on the letter b and M.
An aspect of the book that I really like is that throughout there are many options to adapt what is on the page to what you need. Here is advice on how to adapt the illustrations for thick or thin lettering to use on your project.
There are also design tips woven through the text.
As I read through the book I thought that people who do zentangles would probably enjoy inserting patterns into the letter forms.
If you like this Handbook of Lettering for Stitchers you will probably also enjoy Elsie Svennas other classic embroidery book titled Handbook of Stitches: 200 Embroidery Stitches, Old and New
Please note: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon which means if you purchase these products I get a small commission which offsets the costs of running this site. There is not extra cost to you, I simply get a small percentage of any sale made as result of a reader following the link.
Thank you very much Sharon for this. I have 2 books of Elsie Svennås and adore them (one in an unknown language- maybe dutch- but pics were enough) I was gifted the first one: Märkbok- it’s cross stitch alphabets and borders and very useful. I did a global search to find any more of her books and found a great whitework one but didn’t spot this one at all.
Yes I think her books are little gems too.
I shared the link to the lettering book with friends and one of them mentioned that the date of publication isn’t old enough for the book to be free of copyright. We really don’t want to copy something that shouldn’t be shared for this reason. I wonder if you could check this out?
Thank you
Joyce it is good to be aware of copyright issues. The reason I linked to the organisation that hosts the publication is so people can see that it is legitimate – I take copyright seriously and would not have linked to it if it was not legit.
What a happy coincidence! I have been researching cross stitch lettering of late, this book is just what I need!
Thank you Sharon for the information; this will be very useful.
Thank you so much for sharing this sharon!
Thank you!
Thanks Sharon for sharing the link. There was a lot of work put into the book and some interesting varieties of lettering. I’ve saved the PDF and should find it very useful.
Thanks everyone for your comments about this book I will definitely keep hunting out material like this as people seem to appreciate me sharing my finds that I squirrel away on my hard drive.
What a great resource, thank you for the info Sharon
HI Sharon,
Thanks for sharing the information about this treasure.
Chitra
Sharon – thank you for pointing us in the direction of this amazing book!
Thank you Sharon, it’s a beautiful book.
Thank you for the link to the book. I’ve already looked through it and it’s full of inspiration.
I got a used copy for $43. That was the cheapest I saw on Amazon.
Jackie Lott- well shopped! I think it is probably worth that price as it holds lots of really useful information and inspiration.
What a great resource! Thank you, Sharon! It was well worth the long wait to download it.
Thank you so much Sharon for your generosity in sharing this wonderful book. I am in the process of stitching a birthday present for an old and dear friend of 30 years using, would you believe, her Initials. I am now going to use some of the extra embellishments to finish it off.
Thank you Sharon. This is really helpful and inspirational for me.
I just found a copy of the Handbook of Stitches on Abe Books for $2.95 plus postage. Thanks for the recommendation, I may have accidentally bought it 😉
WELL SHOPPED Sarah! Sounds like you got a bargain
Thank you Sharon, this is a wonderful book
Thanks everyone for letting me know that you will enjoy the book
Thanks for this, Sharon B! This will be handy for stitching clever and inspirational sayings that we see so much of on social media. Multiple fonts = contemporary look.
Thank you for bringing this download to our attention. It’s now safely downloaded to my computer. I’m impressed with the multitude of designs and information in the book. I believe it will help me feel more confident in lettering with embroidery stitches.
This looks brilliant! Thanks for the heads up Sharon!
Thank you, Sharon!