For transparency: I was given a copy of this book on exchange for a review. The review, however, is 100% genuine with my own thoughts and feelings.
The review:
‘The Embroidery Stitch Companion‘ is a new embroidery book written by Coline Bavois and published by SearchPress.
I’m going to be brutally honest in saying that I have read a lot of embroidery books and I am super hard to impress in this area because there are a lot on the market. This book, however, massively exceeded my expectations and I was utterly impressed from start to finish!
It is a smaller size book which makes it the perfect accompaniment to take with you whether that be on holiday, the work commute, the sofa, by the bed, or anywhere else you’d like to stitch! Whilst it is small in stature, it definitely is not lacking!
You can see from the (beautifully set out) contents page, just how much this book covers!
In part 1, the embroidery essentials are covered including fabrics (and how different fabrics will react to stitches differently), threads (stranded, tapestry, wool, metallic, silk), needles, scissors, embroidery hoops, marking tools, transfer papers and more. It has top tips, illustrations, written text, and easily accessible information.
Part 2 then guides you through basic techniques such as preparing the fabric, transferring your designs, securing your fabric in the hoop, best practice for using your thread, threading your needle, securing your thread (with different options including knots, waste knots, filling methods), and finishing off your embroidery. Each subsection is clearly presented with a heading, subheading, written text and images (where needed).
You can see, from this example, how each subsection is presented. I love how accessible it is and easy to follow. It makes the whole book so enjoyable and informative to use.
Once the embroidery essentials and basic techniques are covered, you are then at the stage of stitching! Within the stitch guide, Coline presents 18 embroidery stitches that are useful to know. Each stitch is presented with a heading, a diagram for how to stitch it along with written steps, information about how it can be used, and a sensational photograph showing a multitude of ways that that single stitch can be used.
You can see, in this laced running stitch example, just how inspiring the image is in showing how a single embroidery stitch can look so different depending on how you use it! It is truly wondrous reading through the book and seeing stitches that you think you know so well being used in such beautiful and creative ways.
The final section of the book is ‘further ideas’ which covers using appliqué, embroidering stretchy fabrics, embroidering with beads and sequins, as well as further points for creative inspiration.
At an RRP of £9.99, this book truly is sensational and packs a lot of information, creativity, inspiration and stitch knowledge in!