Inspiration - Stitches by Jan Beaney

One of the most interesting and inspirational books on embroidery stitches I have discovered thus far is Stitches: New Approaches by Jan Beaney.



This was published 20 years ago and almost all the pictures are in black and white, but don't let that put you off! If you are interested in learning hand stitches AND how to use them in many different expressive ways this book is a must have. After a useful introduction the book gives starting points for choosing fabrics, threads, needles etc, followed by an in depth exploration of two stitches - Cretan stitch and raised stem stitch bands, taking the reader through many options and ways to explore ANY stitch. Many other stitches are covered after that, much more briefly, but the reader is trusted to begin her own explorations and experiments using the examples/exercises given earlier in the book.

I have seen reviews of this book which express disappointment at the images being black and white, however, I cannot agree. These images work wonderfully well in showing the different textures created in stitch, which is the point of the book - it is up to the reader to be imaginative and interpret the stitches in her individual colour schemes. Get yourself a copy and enjoy!