Needlelace and Stumpwork

Hi...my name is Kathy...and I'm a book-aholic. Seriously, I have a lot of books...maybe not as many as you; but still...a lot! Most I am lured into buying because of their gorgeous full color front cover. Over the years, I have found many of these types are a real disappointment when I open them up and see they are crammed full of photographs of the artists work...but little content on how to accomplish these techniques yourself. Instead, a small snippet of the idea...for a simple eyeglass case or pin cushion is included...in lieu of instructions on the gorgeous full size coverlet on the books cover. Still...I continue to buy them.

 Now, don't misunderstand me...these books are still enjoyable. They are a great distraction for me; and I love to take them off the shelve and sit and turn the pages admiring the beautiful work. But, as a means of "growth" for me..they just don't do much. Great eye candy...but, frankly, I have enough imagination not to need too much of that these days. I want to learn and to grow in my stitching...not just admire someone elses work. Anyway, I digress...

What I wanted to say was that I have added several new books to the house recently. A couple of them fell into the above stated "eye candy" category. But two really have been a true joy to have. And, I know that they will get much use because they are full of designs or new concepts that I want to know more about.

 The first one was purchased at Keepsake Quilting and is a book of quilting motifs. Nothing new about quilting motifs...and I have a couple of other books of designs for them already. However, this book is just jam packed with designs...501 of them (hence the title: 501 Quilting Motifs, Designs for Hand or Machine Quilting, from the Editors of Quiltmaker Magazine). And the inner book is spiral bound, making it so easy to use! And the subject matter of the quilt designs is varied so really you can find just the right design for any style of quilt. I highly recommend it!

 

The second one has already taken three hours out of my schedule this week...because I just could not put it down without going through it twice! It is not all that "glitzy" as the inside has mostly black and white photos...with some color insert pages in the center. But, lack of color is not a deteriant for me...I like good instruction and patterns over the usual colorful "hey look at me" photo style. And this book really delivers on content! 

 Oh, I forgot to tell you the name of the book! It is Needlelace and Stumpwork, Comtemporary Designs and Techniques for Dimensional Embroidery by Loretta Holzberger; and I got it on Amazon. Most of the books on needlelace that I'd seen before made the art seem so daunting that I thought I'd "never want to do that!". However, as this book cover had beautiful butterflies...my "book addiction" would not allow me to pass it up! What a joyous surprise when it arrived! The instructions seem so simple that I'm really eager to jump in and try one of the projects! And...the instruction doesn't stop at butterfly wings...it has gorgeous fall leaves and several flowers too...oh, and an angel! So, the hard part will be making up my mind as to "what" I want to try creating!

So, if you have seen either of these books...and wondered about buying them...I highly recommend both!