Organic Embroidery

This is one of the most beautiful of all the machine embroidery books i have read. (And I have more art/fine craft books that wall to wall to ceiling bookshelves have invaded every room in our home. The formal dining room is now a library. Honestly, how many times a year do you use the dining room when the kitchen table/breakfast nook is nearby? My studio is so full of books, there’s hardly have room to store supplies!)Her work is simple, but when finished it’s nearly photo realistic of gorgeous pieces of foliage and underwater wonders. As a fellow SCUBA diver but horrific photographer, I am so grateful she is able to transform those intricate corals and all the other wonders for us to enjoy topside. Her work is truly exquisite.And for those of you that want a technique learning book, she gives step by step instructions in how to do these yourself! Quite frankly, I was willing to keep this book in the “Visual Candy” section alone, so it’s like getting 2 books in one! I cannot wait until she gets old enough that people start doing Artist’s Retrospectives. I can imagine them to be some of the finest.This is an absolutely must buy for anyone who does hand guided machine embroidery or quilting. And many doing electronic machine embroidery would enjoy this is as well as hand embroiders who have been curious what could be done with that old machine of mom’s or grandma stored somewhere. To tell the truth, one of my favorite sewing machines ever was an old, all metal Kenmore with less than 5 stitches and weighed 30 pounds! Not a piece plastic anywhere, even the housing was metal. And there are many that sew avidly as a hobby or professionally that will admit to having an old all metal machine for heavy lifting.My only disappointment was it was not hand embroidered as that’s what I’m focused on this month :) She machine embroiders with such exactness, there are not the telltale loose ‘coloring outside the line’ that is generally associated with machine embroidery that it appears from a few feet away as a very tight satin stitching. It may be a simple process, but it is going to take a lot of work to gain her singular precision. This book is a treasure.

This is a terrific reference for the author's unique technique for making openwork fabrics using a conventional sewing machine and water-soluble embroidery stabilizer. The results are striking, and the steps are extraordinarily detailed - everything from gathering inspiration to cleaning your sewing machine once you're done! I wish every craft reference was done like this.

I had bought this looking for instructions on how to use a free arm sewing machine. It is not that. There are some tips and tricks, but mostly it is photographs of finished projects and their inspiration, and how to find your own inspirations in nature. It is a gorgeous book, and worth getting for the multitude of ideas.

Bought this to look through during a road trip. Looking to learn. Have probably missed many great views outside the car while my eyes are soaking up this book.First half of the book describes in lovely detailed pages the author’s process for studying nature in order to create her stitched art.Last half of the look includes detailed stitching techniques to use in the process she follows.This book itself is a piece of art in my opinion.Relaxing to read through but also very informative and inspirational at the same time.

While I have done extensive free motion embroidery (and FM quilting) and creating lace and such in the past, this takes it to another level. The author is a dedicated naturalist, spending much time researching the natural environments and colors for each large (!!) piece she creates. Truly a beautiful book, and while it does have instructions on how to create these impressive structural forms, I certainly would create smaller versions than she has. They are quite beautiful, and I enjoy the book, will look at it for inspiration occasionally, but it is a bit more time involved than I am willing to currently spend on an individual structure or sculpture. I would however, truly enjoy seeing her work in person, to truly appreciate the size and intricacies of the pieces. If you want inspiration for creating one of a kind pieces of free motion thread art, that are remarkably detailed, this is an excellent resource, and I am sure she has dedicated a very large amount of time to these sculptures which she obviously loves.

The embroidery depicted is unusual and spectacular, the suggestions for design ideas and instructions and tips for doing your own are excellent. And it is a "how to," with very clear instructions as to how to proceed doing your own designs without giving boring patterns to replicate.

Great book, full of instructions. Photos are really good for seeing the details.

This is a beautiful and informative book! Meredith Woolnough shares her artist creativity in rich detailed photographs and clear, easily understood instructions! As you read through the book, you become aware of how thoroughly she has explored using thread and a sewing machine to create beautiful pieces! Tons of good tips and advice! This has become one of my favorite books on sewing machine embroidery!