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Review: Stitching Idyllic: Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers

Review: Stitching Idyllic: Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers

book cover screen shotAnn Bernard has written a second instruction book on using Creative Surface Stitchery to stitch garden flowers titled Stitching Idyllic: Hand Stitch Recognisable Summer Flowers. Stitching Idyllic: Spring Flowers is Ann Bernard’s first book. With the Summer Flowers they form a pair but you do not need both. Although they are sisters each book is complete of itself and can stand alone.

Ann Bernard has aimed this book towards novice stitchers. I am sure that new hands to embroidery will taste success if they follow Ann Bernard’s detailed instructions for stitching flowers. Experienced hands will also learn from Ann’s approach mainly in how she approaches adapting photos of flowers to create her designs. In both books you are taught how to design your own garden in a free-style manner using Creative Surface Stitchery.

At the beginning of the book, the section on ‘Preparation’ covers the essentials such as selecting the material for your background, or printing your fabric using a home ink jet printer, backing the fabric, using a frame or hoop, striping your thread and other information needed to set up.

Instructions on how to do the stitches are hand drawn. Most are basic stitches and are well described. The stitches that are creatively employed throughout the book are Straight, Split, Seeding, Stem, Detached Chain, Fly, Feather, French Knots, Cretan, Herringbone, Woven Spider Wheel, Bullion Knots, Raised Chain Band, and Distorted Straight stitch.

page spread screen shotThe rest of Stitching Idyllic: Hand Stitch Recognisable Summer Flowers you’ll find instructions on how to hand embroider garden flowers, with the back ground story about the garden that was the inspiration, detailed instructions on stitches, threads, and colours used alongside a description of process and why particular creative decisions were made.

As an embroiderer who delights in varieties of stitch and creative adaptions I think Ann Bernard’s use of stitches to represent flowers is wonderful. Ann’s adaption of stitches also teaches a very important aspect of embroidery which is that embroidery as an expressive creative art.

With this book Ann Bernard introduces her silk flower conversion technique which uses silk flowers to create small floral motifs that are then used in her gardens.The section is illustrated with examples of the technique in use by herself and her students. The technique is easy and I can see it being highly adaptable for crazy quilters and I can see many stitchers enjoying this section.

The last section of the book cover mounting and presenting your embroidery.

Stitching Idyllic: Hand Stitch Recognisable Summer Flowers is well written 148 page ebook. Instructions are clear and Ann is very precise. The stitches used are simple, the materials recommended are easily accessible and opportunity to be creative is encouraged. As an ebook it is very convenient to have on an iPad or tablet.

I am not affiliated in any way with this product not do I gain financially by recommending it. You can buy the book via Ann Bernard’s web site here.

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