Yuki Sugashima is a floral designer turned handcrafter with experience in knitting, spinning, natural dyeing and embroidery. Creating under the name Y * Handmade, she designs and sells her work at her online shops and at handcraft events in Japan. She shares her creative life on her blog at http://yhandmade.wordpress.com
Take up freestyle hand embroidery and use your new skills to adorn
twenty projects. There are some imaginative choices for items to
decorate in here, ranging from the ubiquitous cushion, egg cozy and
pin cushion, to a hair barrette, decorated coat hanger cover, oven
mitt and sewing machine cover. The book is divided into four
seasonal sections, starting with a few pages showing the featured
embroidered flowers. Then follow the projects, although not all of
the flowers are used -- some only appear at the back as patterns.
Each project has staged photographic instructions that are easy to
follow even for those fairly new to sewing projects, together with
a picture of the finished item in situ, a list of what fabric and
thread you need, plus a list of stitches. The color palette is
shown as a key with actual photographs of stitches worked with the
thread (DMC), a nice touch. Some patterns can be measured out
directly; others appear as patterns in their projects or at the
back, either full sized or requiring sizing. This does not need to
be done on a computer or copier, but dimensions are listed so you
can draw out the patterns yourself.
All the embroidery stitches are shown at the back and have been
chosen to suit the subjects, so range from standard freestyle
stitches, such as long and short, French knots, and chain to more
exotic offerings like granitos stitch, ghiordes knot stitch, and
double drizzle stitch. There are also projects involving beads,
even a bit of ribbon embroidery, and stumpwork to add interest to
the embroiderer and show what a bit of hand stitching can do. At
the back are also all the drawn patterns for the flowers etc., with
indications as to which stitch goes where, plus how to do the
various types of fancier work. Under the heading of "Getting
Started," you can find out about threads, transferring methods,
resizing, and what you need to kit yourself out as a hand
embroiderer. As for the patterns, choose from mimosa, plum blossom,
yew berries, cosmos, safflower, wild strawberries and others, along
with bees, butterflies, snowflakes and other accents (over 45 of
them). This is a lovely book destined for many a keeper shelf that
would be ideal for beginners upward.
*Rachel Hyde - Myshelf.com*
Inspired by nature, Yuki presents over 45 exquisite embroidery
designs and 20 projects in this beautiful book. The designs
reflect the seasons and include something for everyone, from Acorns
to Witch-hazel! Full-size templates are included together with
step-by-step instructions, and detailed stitch techniques will
ensure success for all abilities.
*East Kent Embroiderers Guild*
May 2016 This book provides over 45 beautiful floral designs to
embroider, plus 20 projects to make, giving endless possibilites
for you to mix and match motifs and create designs of your own too.
Split into four chapters following the seaons, the flowers for each
season are shown stitched on to a plain linen background, followed
by a selection of stylish projects, incorporating the motifs, with
full clear step-by-step instructions. Comprehensive tools,
materials and stitch guide can be found at the back. This book will
give you an endless source of inspiration.
*Love to Make*
'The Hand Stitched Flower Garden is a reflection of my passion for
flowers and embroidery, designed to encourage others thinking about
trying embroidery to get started and introduce techniques beyond
the basics to those looking to advance their skills.
The book consists of two parts: a collection of motifs to stitch
and project ideas for using those designs. The motifs section is
arranged by season and features a variety of botanical motifs with
insects here and there, for fun.
These motifs range in difficulty from simple ones using just a few
easy stitches to ones that use materials like ribbons and beads or
dimensional techniques. So there’s a little bit of a variety of
things to provide a taste of different avenues to explore and to
show that knowing one extra method can really expand the
possibilities.
The projects section features items for the home and fashion
accessories, namely, things that can be used in everyday life. I
tend to be a practical person and wanted to offer ideas that would
be useful in some way, so an embroiderer can enjoy using the
finished piece as much as the stitching process.
The projects are generally simple and straightforward to construct
to make it easy to adapt them to different motifs and materials.
They are intended as blank canvases on which an embroiderer can
stitch her favorite motif.' - Yuki Sugishima
For the full article visit:
http://www.needlenthread.com/2015/11/yuki-sugashima-on-the-hand-stitched-flower-garden.html
*Mary Corbett's Needle'n'Thread*
I love stitching and I love flowers, so this book combines two of
the loves of my life. I know many stitching friends, who like me,
will appreciate this book. There are 45 embroidery designs
accompanied by 20 projects to make. You can mix and match flower
motifs to make your own designs. This book will provide an endless
source of inspiration. Apart from the introduction and tools and
resources, the book is split into four chapters – following the
four seasons of the year. The embroidered flowers are shown in
colour, 3 to a page. They include beautiful flowers like tulip,
lavender, magnolia and mimosa, but also ladybirds and butterflies.
The projects are practical yet beautiful. I love the sewing machine
cover, the butterfly pincushion, the oven mitt, all the projects
are handsome. Step-by-step instructions are given for the projects.
An elegant book of embroidered projects that will appeal to a wide
range of stitchers. Highly recommended.
*Karen Platt- yarnsandfabrics.co.uk*
The cover of this book just gives you a small glimpse in to the
beautiful and amazing designs held within this book. There are 45
beautiful floral designs to embroider and 20 projects ideas as
well. The projects surprised me the most in this book. Not only are
you getting the beautiful designs you also get full instructions,
including pictures, to make the different projects. I love the fact
that there are step-by-step instructions and the pictures are so
clear that you will easily understand how to make everything. The
book is split into to season's of the year. Each season provides
you with the pattern for the beautiful floral designs and the
projects to use them on. At the back of the book everything is
covered from the tools, materials and techniques used. You are then
also provided with a stitch directory. I cannot express enough how
professional and sophisticated the designs in this book are. The
book gives you the opportunity to create amazing and beautiful
items. You can use the designs on the projects in the book or you
can use them to embellish your own projects. This book is worth
every penny and more besides.
*Crochet Addict UK*
Introduction
Author, Yuki Sugashima remembers the time she rediscovered her old
box of threads and that being the trigger of the interest in
embroidery craft. Her previous experience as a floral designer
meant she was soon creating floral motifs in thread. Range of
information
All the information required to make the items is condensed down to
4 pages each, or so, including photographic imagery, diagrams and
the method to undertake the making. Each project has a brief
introduction, a colour palette, 'you will need' information,
diagrammatic instruction and photography. There is a tools,
materials and technique guide, plus actual size templates at the
back end of the book 9/10
Quality of information
The purpose of the short introductions are to share a few tips and
to link the themes. There is opportunity to learn/use surface and
dimensional stitching and bead embroidery, and though not hugely
comprehensive the information does fully support the aim to do the
best job at recreating Sugashima's embroidered range of items
9/10
Layout
Size and format is similar to a lifestyle/fashion magazine (not
glossy). Paperback book is 23 cm Long x 18 cm Wide. Instructions
are in fonts that are quite small and fine. One full paged image is
included for each project and a lovely double paged feature spread
appears in each section which showcases flora and fauna embroidery
8/10
Photography/Illustration
Eye catching, full colour photography, images are of high quality
8/10
Features
Contains 128 pages. Pages numbers are labeled on each of the double
paged features I mentioned in Layout to direct you over to
stitching information 8/10
Conclusion
I haven't put needle to fabric using this book as a guide as yet so
am unable to feedback specifically about the accuracy and
effectiveness of the projects. This is a nicely presented book
however, with some inspirational designs to embroider. The project
ideas are quite traditional i.e. egg cosy, oven gloves and apron,
but items such as these, when completed, could get stained easily
during food preparation so the time and energy in adding hand
embroidery motifs could be regarded as bittersweet if they happen
to get spoiled, and if shrinkage occurs, or if dyes from the
threads were to bleed out in a warm wash. Personally, I admire the
skill and the work involved and I think the outcomes are very
pleasing, but delicate embroidery is better applied, I feel, to
items such as covers, pouches and fashion accessories. Therefore, I
may set up one of the projects as a workshop theme when my craft
group next meets, or make an item or two and giveaway as keepsake
gifts to the same sewing friends. First, however, I need to get to
grips with embroidery techniques and the contents of this book may
well send me on the right road.
*Debra Hall -Notcompulsory.blogspot.co.uk*
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