Understated and gorgeous, The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden is a book of delicate decorative stitching motifs inspired by nature, coupled with a collection of twenty projects to create by mixing and matching the designs.
Organized by season, the book offers a gallery of embroidery patterns reflecting the beauty and variety of the garden - from tulips, sunflowers, asters, and violets, to little bumblebees, ladybugs, and dragonflies - all made using surface stitches, dimensional stitches, and bead embroidery.
Each season begins with two spreads showcasing stunning embroidery motifs in a visual catalog which lets the reader select a desired design. Spring includes classic symbols of the season, such as magnolia blossoms, daffodils, tulips, and lavender. Here, too, are garden creatures like butterflies and ladybugs. In Summer, come the sunflowers, cosmos, and other bright blooms, as well as summer fruits. Fall's bounty features colorful leaves along with acorns, chestnuts, dragonflies, and asters. And when Winter arrives, the poinsettias, camellias, and evergreens are vibrant against the snowy backdrop, which sparkles with light thanks to the addition of beads and sequins.
Following the motif selector pages, the author guides the reader through season-specific projects. Whether it's a hanger cover, a cell phone case, coasters, or jewelry, each project can be created exactly as shown, or can easily be customized by substituting different designs from the gallery. Again arranged by season, the projects include detailed directions, photographs of the steps, and actual-size templates where appropriate.
All the essential information about tools, techniques, and stitches, as well as the templates, can be found at the back of the book.
YUKI SUGASHIMA is a floral designer turned handcrafter. Creating under the name Y*Handmade, she designs and sells her work at her online shops and at handcraft events in Japan. At the age of seven, Yuki moved from Japan to the U.S., where she lived for twenty years. Upon returning to Japan, she pursued her love of crafts, including embroidery, beadwork, knitting, spinning, natural dyeing, and sewing. She is a contributor to The Needlecraft Style Directory, published by Barron's Educational, and shares her creative life on her blog at http-//yhandmade.wordpress.com.
CONTENTS
Welcome to Yuki's World 6
A Year in Stitches: Spring 8
Violet sewing machine cover 12
Butterfly pincushion 16
Spring snowflake scissors case 20
Daffodil hanger cover 21
Red clover cushion cover 28
A Year in Stitches: Summer 32
Dayflower drawstring bag 36
Strawberry key chain 40
Cosmos compact mirror 44
Ranunculus phone cover 48
Fern leaf shirt 52
A Year in Stitches: Fall 54
Bittersweet oven mitt 58
Rudbeckia apron 62
Aster napkin ring 66
Acorn egg cozy 70
Fall leaves coaster set 74
A Year in Stitches: Winter 78
Strawberry brooch 82
Barrette with yew sprig 86
Flowering-kale necklace 90
Camellia scarf 94
Plum branch pouch 98
Tools 102
Materials 104
Getting started 106
Techniques 109
Stitch directory 112
Templates 120
Index 127
Credits 128
"Yuki Sugashima is an embroiderer from Japan, who writes a beautiful blog Y*Handmade (previously The Barefoot Shepherdess). I've been reading Yuki's blog for a long time, since it was Barefoot Shepherdess. Her photos are always gorgeous! And her embroidery is always, delicate, clean, neat, and simple – and it's easy on the eyes. She has a lovely style. . . . The Big News is Yuki's new embroidery book, The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden. It's been recently published and. . .it is proving very popular." – Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread
"Try to keep that jaw from hitting the floor. The patterns in The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden are absolutely stunningly gorgeous. Yuki Sugashima brings a beautiful collection of projects to the table in her book. . . . I still just can't get past the incredible detail in these stitches. The flowers look impossible to stitch. The detail is amazing. Even more impressive, Yuki Sugashima makes the stitches look so easy! Once you page through all of the stunning projects in the book, you arrive at the tools, materials, and techniques portion. Here you will find basic tutorials for all of the stitches you need to make these flowers." – AllFreePaperCrafts.com
". . . filled with ideas for creating beautiful and practical handcrafted gifts. . . . so excited about this book." – CraftGossip.com
"The first thing that caught my attention (other than the gorgeous photos) was that the embroidery designs and projects are organized by season, so you can stitch something all year long! I especially like how the book not only includes surface stitches, but also dimensional stitches, and beading. . . . The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden is for any stitcher who loves floral inspired embroidery. There are designs and projects for all levels of experience – with motifs than can be stitched with a few easy stitches for the beginner to dimensional stitching for someone who wants to take their stitching to the next level!" – Feeling Stitchy
"Japanese blogger Yuki from Y*Handmade shares her original designs for hand embroidery and practical projects featuring those motifs. The combination results in lovely handmade items you can use or gift. Her style is quiet and uncomplicated. . . . It's projects like these that build your skill and boost your confidence." – Handmade by Deb
"The first thing that caught my attention (other than the gorgeous photos) was that the embroidery designs and projects are organized by season, so you can stitch something all year long! I especially like how the book not only includes surface stitches, but also dimensional stitches, and beading. . . . The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden is for any stitcher who loves floral inspired embroidery. There are designs and projects for all levels of experience - with motifs than can be stitched with a few easy stitches for the beginner to dimensional stitching for someone who wants to take their stitching to the next level!" - Feeling Stitchy ". . . filled with ideas for creating beautiful and practical handcrafted gifts. . . . so excited about this book." - CraftGossip.com "Try to keep that jaw from hitting the floor. The patterns in The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden are absolutely stunningly gorgeous. Yuki Sugashima brings a beautiful collection of projects to the table in her book. . . . I still just can t get past the incredible detail in these stitches. The flowers look impossible to stitch. The detail is amazing. Even more impressive, Yuki Sugashima makes the stitches look so easy! Once you page through all of the stunning projects in the book, you arrive at the tools, materials, and techniques portion. Here you will find basic tutorials for all of the stitches you need to make these flowers." -AllFreePaperCrafts.com "Yuki Sugashima is an embroiderer from Japan, who writes a beautiful blog Y*Handmade (previously The Barefoot Shepherdess). I've been reading Yuki's blog for a long time, since it was Barefoot Shepherdess. Her photos are always gorgeous! And her embroidery is always, delicate, clean, neat, and simple - and it's easy on the eyes. She has a lovely style. . . . The Big News is Yuki's new embroidery book, The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden. It's been recently published and. . .it is proving very popular." - Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread