needlenthread.com
February 2014
Stumpwork Flowers by Sachiko Morimoto will charm you with its simplicity. Ill admit it, I was attracted to the book by its cover. I know, I know! Never judge a book by its cover! But Im human, and I tend to. If an embroidery book has an ugly cover, I cant help thinking that something is amiss within it. The cover being the first impression a person has of a book, of course some discernment on the part of the buyer is going to take place when confronted with it. Morimotos cover, right off the bat, grabbed me. It spoke to me. It said, Hello, Intrigued Person. I am a book full of elegant simplicity and clarity, and you will like me. And I responded. I said, You are correct, Beautiful Book. I already like you. I am willing to love you, if all that is promised on your outside is fulfilled on your inside.
Stumpwork Flowers is the perfect book for evoking all the sweetness and freshness of spring.
Its a lovely book! Its simple and elegant. Its instructive. And it makes stumpwork that sometimes-complicated-looking, three dimensional embroidery manageable. If youre a beginner who aspires to learning stumpwork, or if youre an expert who wants a simple, fresh approach, methinks you will love this book!
You can see Mary Corbet's review in full on her blog http://www.needlenthread.com/2014/02/stumpwork-flowers-book-review.html
Merseyside Embroiderer's Guild (megonline.co.uk)
November 2014
This book offers a modern perspective on the floral motifs that have been a stumpwork mainstay for centuries. It features 19 floral motifs and 8 projects, the simplistic design of which showcase the artistry involved in the craft.
The well-developed introductory section provides readers with step-by-step photos and illustrations of all the techniques used in the book, making the book suitable for embroiderers of all abilities. This book will encourage readers to take up stumpwork and the fresh, contempory designs will draw readers in, while the easy-to-follow instructions and small projects will show readers just how accessible this craft really is.
NEW STITCHES
Dec 13
This absolutely wonderful book features a bouquet of exquisite stumpwork wildflowers for you to recreate at home. It is an inspirational tome that will have your fingers itching to create the delicate sprigs in stitches. Each flower is explained step by step with the base stitches, order of working, diagrams and tracing diagrams. The sections on the three-dimensional aspects of stumpwork such as detached buttonhole, working wired petals and padding are presented with exemplary clarity. There are comprehensive stitch guides too plus who page photographs of each of the 19 flowers which show the detail of the stitches and technique. The flowers include clover, flax, viola, dill, camomile and wild strawberry.
Karen Platt Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk/crafts
Sept 13
This is a contemporary take on traditional stumpwork, that is very appealing. There are 19 beautiful floral designs. Eight projects show how to use the designs on household goods such as pillows, napkins, book covers and more. Part One shows the gallery of stumpwork flowers including clover, olive, nasturtium, viola and unusual choices such as pokeweed. Each flower is shown as single plates, which could actually be framed. Each plate has a reference to the page where you will find the instructions. In Part Two, youll find the materials needed as well as tips and techniques to produce the flowers. Plus the instructions for each flower. These are given in black and white and I do not find them easy to follow. The close-ups are minute. There is a small photo of each flower, materials you need and then several very small drawings. The written instructions are easy to follow. The projects are treated in the same way. I do like this book and the designs, I just think the presentation could have been better. Clearer and larger diagrams and alphabetical order of the flowers would have been appreciated.
