Creative Embroidery and Beyond: Tips, Inspiration, Techniques, and Projects from 3 Professional Artists

Embroidery artists Billingham, Timms, and Wensing debut with a stylish guide for beginners. They cover what materials to use (“smooth cotton that has a tight weave” is best), the necessary tools (an embroidery hoop is a must for keeping fabric taut), and how to transfer patterns onto fabric (use a water-soluble pen to trace a design from a printout). The stitch guide presents step-by-step photos demonstrating how to perform simple straight and back stitches, as well as more challenging ones, including the “woven spider web stitch” (“a raised circle of textured stitching”). Each of the authors contributes six patterns, with floral designs featuring prominently. For example, earth-tone flowers sprout from the pocket of a denim jacket in Billingham’s “Denim Pocket Garden,” and Wensing shows how to make rows of white and yellow daisies. Other standout projects include Timms’s graceful monarch butterfly and Wensing’s whimsical “Cup of Planets,” which depicts several tiny planets pouring out of a tilted mug. The pleasant designs and thorough instructions ensure novices have all they need to get started. It’s a charmer. (June)