Well, it seems like I’ve let a week slip by since my last post. I really didn’t mean for that to happen, as I knew what I wanted to write about next. But, well, life happens. And things get in the way. I suspect many of you totally get that.
I love me a good used booksale for all the treasures to be found, for books never known about, heard about, ever seen before. That said, it doesn’t mean that I’m against buying a new book every once in awhile. I’m pretty picky when it comes to purchasing new books, but I found a treasure in this one. I saw it at the bookstore at Winterthur, actually, and learned it was a brand new book, having come out in August of 2018.
The full title is: Embroidered Treasures Flowers: Exquisite Needlework of the Embroiderer’ Guild Collection by Dr. Annette Collinge.
The guild collection referred to is the UK Guild, not EGA in the U.S. This is not an instructional book and does not contain any patterns of any kind. Instead, it is pure eye candy and inspiration and, indeed, reference.
I don’t think the table of contents really shows clearly how unique this book is.
Dr. Collinge takes the reader through a huge variety of techniques of needlework through her choice of items from the Guild’s collections. All of the items feature flowers, a perfect theme to tie together such variety of needlework styles. I loved this, just loved this. A couple of traditional samplers, some blackwork, some white work, some various styles of embroidery – all the types that I have come to expect in general books of embroidery/needlework. But also so many that I hadn’t seen, with some wonderful close-up photography. (Yes, some pages I was still aching for more pictures, more close-ups, etc.). Just to give you a taste of what is in these pages:
For a stitcher like me who enjoy seeing and trying out so many different types of needlework and seeing collections with variety in museums and exhibits whenever possible, this book was a wonderful collection.
On the last page, the author indicates that the next book in the series will feature birds. And a quick check just now has me realizing that the birds book is already out.
