I like the idea of an idle-minutes, informal band piece. Done for the sheer fun of it. I do most of my pieces ad-hoc – not choosing the next band or area fill until I am ready to start it, rather than laying out the entire piece ahead of time, or doing a full stitch-by-stich advance plan. Like you though, I do set out some structure guidelines. I’ll mark the center line with basting, along with the left and right edges. I might also on a big rectangle, mark a couple of other uniform division points for later use, like quarters or thirds, so that my starts and stops tend to align. Creative Stitches Inc specializes in quality customizable garments staff uniforms and promotional branding. While we are best known for embroidered apparel, Creative Stitches Inc is a full-service apparel decorating production shop with more than 20 years of experience, and professional services to support your business. Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery: Visual Guide to 120 Essential Stitches for Stunning Designs is my latest book. In this part of the book, Sharon talks about “finding the play points” in the process of stitching – those moments when “a creative decision turns a mundane stitch into a lively and interesting surface.” We then move into tools and materials. Unlike more “formal” types of embroidery, the tools and materials here are very simple: fabric, needles, a hoop, some transfer pens or pencils… and lots and lots and lots and lots of thread in different colors, types, and weights.

If you were to break the book down into basic stitches, there are probably about thirty overall that could be considered different stitches from each other. These stitches are explored in depth, with all kinds of variations so that you have a good idea about what you can do with the stitch and where else you can take it. With my strong interest in horticulture and a love of art I wanted to find a way to combine the two. I started by collecting leaves and grasses from gardens, which I used to make embroidered greeting cards. It’s a book that will give you confidence in exploratory embroidery. It will show you how to manipulate embroidery stitches for myriad results, in ways that can be applied in all kinds of creative pursuits. It will make you comfortable with the stitch, and show you how you can take it beyond basics, to a completely different level of interest and execution. Search Press supports the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC), and the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA). A childhood spent around the paddy fields, forests and mountains of Japan, coupled with an early career in horticulture, art and garden design, have given Kazuhito a deep appreciation for natural beauty.Using the latest DTG printing technology and eco-friendly inks, we’re able to reproduce digital images that maintain their vibrancy and look amazing on both white- and dark-colored garments I took a course at Hokkaido Agricultural and Horticultural College at Sapporo, and gained work experience at a large commercial garden in Japan. My interest in English gardens led to a 12-month training programme at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden, Wisley, UK, followed by another 12-month training programme at Longwood Gardens Pennsylvania, USA. Although I always use the term ‘sewn’, I don’t actually use a needle. Because I make the hole in advance, it’s simply a matter of cutting the end of the grass at an angle and threading the grass through the paper. Where twigs are included, I drill a very fine hole through the twig, threading it with a fine linen twine and tying through the paper. Sometimes I strip the bark off the twigs. Unfortunately, a strand of grass wouldn’t be strong enough for the tying, so I have to use the linen twine. I sometimes use pure white Koyori Japanese paper string/book binding threads. The flexibility and rigidity of these fibres give an even greater sense of three dimensionality. For the crazy quilter, this is the type of book that will give you a plethora of ideas for seam treatments and the like. Think of it as a source book for embellishment ideas. A section of the book explores how you can create your own variations and patterns with the stitches. I break the stitches down to their component parts. Then, I draw attention to points in the process of construction where a stitch may be changed and adapted. I call these ‘play points’. This of course is with the aim of create interesting effects and patterns in your embroidery. So although the book has directions for 120 stitch there are numerous improvisations to be explored. I hope people find this both useful and inspirational.

If links are allowed, a photo showing the meshy ground is here: https://kbsalazar.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/134695565_10157706386831892_7015614444621310627_o.jpgNot to leave out the right-handed stitchers, Yvette has also written the Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion. Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery explores several basic embroidery stitches in all kinds of variations. Creative Stitches in a Contemporary Embroidery is the natural outcome of Sharon’s explorations in stitch. It’s a book for embroiderers who love embroidery stitches of all kinds, from simple to elaborate, and who find fascination in the creative ways they can be employed. The term ‘embroidery’ covers lots of different styles, including freestyle embroidery (also known as ‘surface embroidery’), counted embroidery (such as cross stitch) and whitework, which is a more advanced technique. It’s a good, solid book on stitch interpretation – both inspiring and instructive, when it comes to making one comfortable and confident playing with stitches.

And that’s just it, isn’t it? That’s what makes exploring a stitch fun– that moment when you digress from the ordinary and turn the stitch into something to play with. It’s here that you’ll learn how to move fearlessly from the basics of the stitch into more inventive territory. Kazuhito Takadoi: All of my inspiration comes from the natural world. I was born just outside the city of Nagoya, Japan and my childhood was spent playing amongst the open fields and ponds around our house. I would sometimes visit the next village of Arimatsu, famous for shibori tie-dye fabric. It was hung up to dry outdoors right across the village and I was fascinated by the huge variety of patterns that could be created from what is essentially plain white cloth and dye. Sharon heads an initiative every year called TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) in which she presents a stitch every Tuesday, highlighting variations, and encourages the participants to explore the stitch thoroughly, experimenting with combinations, variations, threads, colors, embellishments – all the aspects that can bring a different look and life to the stitch.Hand embroidery opens up a whole new world of craft possibilities for your sewing projects. It’s wonderfully accessible, and with just a few simple stitches you can create patterns, textures, lettering and so much more. So to summerise Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery includes 120 stitches, that are illustrated with step-by-step photos for both left and right hand embroiderers. It is a modern twist on surface embroidery stitches that is aimed at both the beginner or a seasoned embroiderer. The book is profusely illustrated with loads of samples to inspire and give you fresh ideas. I illustrate how tiny tweaks to each stitch can produce adaptions and variations. I hope this book with take you on a creative journey that leads your needlework to unexpected joyful places. You don’t need to know lots of embroidery stitches to get started. Although there is a huge variety of different stitches, most embroidery designs use a small number of basic ones. It’s not about how many stitches you know, it’s about what you do with them!