Cover Image: Beautiful Botanical Embroidery

Beautiful Botanical Embroidery

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Member Reviews

Thank you to the author, Zakka Workshop and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I echo other reviewers that the projects and photography were wonderful in this book. The biggest issue is that an electronic copy of the book would make doing any of these projects difficult. I would definitely need the hard-cover book to do these projects. They are really beautiful!

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Beautiful accessible and well designed projects with clear directions and just enough hand holding to produce nice final projects.

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Beautifully laid out, this book is a treasure trove for embroidery hobbyists. Whilst it is not really for beginners, the tips included are very useful. Whilst some items may seem a bit overwhelming at first, it is well worth sticking it
through and doing additional research on the stitches mentioned in the book.

Recommended for those looking to take their embroidery skills to the next level.

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Thank you to the author, Zakka Workshop and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has gorgeous photos and lots of wonderful ideas for botanically inspired embroidery. I found myself wanting to run to the nearest store to stock up on everything I would need to get started. However, much of the essential information that a beginner like me would need is missing. Some of the stitches are included in a one-page stitch guide right at the end of the book, but there are no clear instructions given, and the end of the book is not where I would logically expect to find that type of information. The other thing that bothered me was that all the photos were one after the other, and then all the instructions were one after the other. Maybe it's just me, but I would prefer to have the instructions together with the picture. All in all, beautiful projects, but you will need to know at least the advanced basics of embroidery.

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I loved the delightful projects in this book and would recommend a hard copy if you want to create any of them. The electronic version is much harder to navigate. This book covers a number of beautiful botanical embroidery designs and projects with some interesting and original ideas. I think it would appeal to crafters of any medium and those interested in plants and nature.

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There is something in this book which will appeal to everyone from complete beginner to the more experienced stitcher.

The projects in the book are beautifully presented and sparked my interest in getting back to my embroidery. The templates and printable patterns are such a brilliant added extra,

I would definitely recommend this book which any stitcher would be guaranteed to enjoy.

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This is great book for anyone who wants to learn to embroider OR take their embroidery skills to the next level!

This book provides detailed instructions and excellent photos to help anyone master simple to complex embroidery stitches. And step-by-step instructions for several beautiful projects!

I'd recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn to embroider.

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The Beautiful Botanical Embroidery has some beautiful patterns from flowers to general flora and the wilderness it represents. The instructions are helful and easy to follow, it is a one stop shop with the templates. Read, print, gather your materials and let the needle work begin.

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A beautiful embroidery book which has been thoughtfully curated. The projects are attractively presented with great attention to detail evident in each piece. The book provides helpful information about colour selection, tools and equipment as well as comprehensive instructions for the completion of each design. There are a variety of projects contained in the book including bags, buttons, aprons and pincushions to name a few. There are many ways the embroideries can be modified and applied in any number of creative ways. I would highly recommend this book for those interested in embroidery from a beginner to the more experienced stitcher.

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This is a lovely embroidery book with some really sweet patterns and projects. Do note that the author says she doesn't do her botanical patterns to be accurate of actual plants but rather to make pleasing color and pattern choices. This is great and she does it well, but if you're looking for realistic botanical embroidery patterns, I recommend Plant Lady Embroidery: 300 Botanical Embroidery Motifs & Designs to Stitch, by Applemints. That said, this book is delightful and offers a nice range of projects using Makabe's designs. It is better suited for those with some embroidery experience, as there's not a lot of tutorial here and the only basic stitch instructions are just a page or two at the end. You can easily turn to a beginner book for more on how to do the basic stitches, though.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

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What a beautiful book. For a very amateur embroiderer it is easy to follow and encourages me to try some of the stitches. I like the layout and the instructions are very straightforward. I might buy this book in hard copy . It was great to get chance to look through this book. I am often disappointed with the content but not on this occasion.

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Love the patterns featured in this book! Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys embroidery!

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Talk about inspiring! The author bases her patterns on minute details found in nature. What fun it would be to be on the receiving end of these intricate and sweet gifts she creates such as basket covers, aprons, buttons, pin cushions and little bags. Not only are they incredibly pretty but they are pieces of art with the use of various stitches, textures and colours. The chapters are separated by colour: pinks, yellows, greens and blues. From cherries and grapes to leaves and stems to personalization, this book contains thirty projects straight from beautiful nature!

Tools and supplies are detailed, as are instructions on tracing and general preparation as well as fabrics. As an experienced fellow embroiderer, I have umpteen skeins of thread, probably about 250 colours, and various linens. This book has sparked my imagination in creating something new and for that I am incredibly grateful.

The only drawbacks about this book in my mind are the layout (would love to see the pattern information next to the photograph) and the lack of precise stitch directions which would be so helpful for beginners. Other than that, this is pure delight. I am currently embroidering Victorian bookmarks and there are plenty of cheery motifs here to use for the next one. So difficult to decide which to use first! Probably the single bouquet. So trite but the options are endless...one can swap fabric and thread colours for others.

My sincere thank you to Zakka Workshop and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book which has inspired me to plan pretty projects for the upcoming long Canadian winter. Embroidering makes me happy. I will definitely buy this book!

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---Embroidery at its best---

I received an ARC from the publisher, and here are my thoughts:

If Mary Poppins were to review this book, she might say it's "Practically Perfect".

I loved everything about this book. First of all, I found the embroidery design and the projects to be very attractive and inspiring. If you like the bag on the cover of the book, then you are likely to enjoy the rest of the designs as well.

One thing I appreciated is the organisation of the book, which follows the standard practice of most Japanese craft books. It begins by showing you the projects right away. Then the next section shows you the tools and materials you will need, followed by the instructions. I found the instructions to be very clear and with numerous photographs to help you along. The author shares many tips and techniques about embroidery that help you master the craft. For example, where to put your fingers and how to finish on the backside of your work so that it is neat and tidy.

As personal tastes vary, I suggest you look at the book preview and if you enjoy the designs, then you will love this carefully written and designed book that has amazingly beautiful designs inspired by plants.

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An excellent book that shows a wide range of stitches. There are some excellent examples of how to sew these beautiful patterns. I quite fancy having a go of several! Can’t wait to get started!

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Lovely pictures of the embroidery and good easy to follow instructions. It's been a while since I've done embroidery, but love all needlework, and it's made me want to get my sewing box out and start a new project. The perfect way to spend a winter's night!
Great ideas and it's helpful as well
Thank you netgalley

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This book is beautiful.. It shows what can be done with modern embroidery, and what can be done is very pretty. It is not a book for absolute beginners - while it does give some background explanations, it doesn't give a full breakdown. But that's fine, there are plenty of resources for newbs like me.
I loved seeing what can be made with thread, but the layout of the book confused me a little - I prefer my patterns with the pictures, not separated. I also think if I was going to stitch from this book a paper copy would be better than an e-copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a lookey at this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I really love the patterns in this embroidery book. They are not overly complicated, and look completely doable for all but the most novice embroiderer, but also are clever and very pretty. The instructions are clear and concise and focus on using color effectively to fit the needs of the project. I want to make the forest scene and the cover piece- though I think all of these would be well suited to crewel work as well.

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Gorgeous projects, mostly floral, are shown in full color photographs separated into sections based on color. The first part of the book shows all the finished projects, then the back has templates, stiches used in each part of the design, and color guides. There are some pages that show how to do the stitches, but this could be expanded on - a beginner might need more guidance than what is shown. Overall, a nice book of floral embroidery projects.

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This book has lots of lovely ideas for botanic inspired embroidery but has some information that a beginner needs missing. It has lovely clear explanations with photographs on things like how to hoop your work, how to start your embroidery and hide your threads but some of the stitches are glossed over with only a one page stitch guide right at the end of the book, covering all the required stitches. It's shame it doesn't have the same clear instructions for these stitches, and the end of the book was not where I expected to find them.
I also always struggle with books that have all the photos of the projects up front and then all the directions at the back, I'd much rather have them together.

The book has some lovely projects but the book is poorly organised, and I think it's better for someone who already knows the basics of embroidery. With a more logical layout this book could be excellent.


Thank you to NetGalley and Zakka Workshop for the ARC in return for an honest review

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