Create Narrative Embroideries from Inspiration to the Final Stitch
May 5th 2021
Like many of you, I learned hand embroidery stitches from my mother. My first attempts at following the blue transfer lines on a tea towel weren’t perfect, but the act of stitching hooked me for life! Fast forward many years, and I’m now writing books about hand embroidery. Thanks, Mom!
My latest book, Playful Free-form Embroidery, is all about narrative embroidery- telling stories through stitchery. Whether designing your own artwork or making one of the stitched vignettes in the book, hand embroidery vividly brings those stories to life.
Another tip from my mother, Penelope- it is OK NOT to follow the lines. This free-form approach to embroidery gives you a few guidelines on what to stitch but frees you to cultivate your imagination. Accuracy is not essential. Enjoyment is. Thus, the goal of Playful Free-Form Embroidery is stress-free stitchery.
I’ll also show you how to take your story, saying, or phrase and convert it into a pattern to make an original embroidery. You’ll learn 2 easy methods of transferring the fabric and embroidered pattern shapes to a background fabric.
In Playful Free-Form Embroidery, we cover the types of fabrics, threads, needles, and tools to create your embroideries and diagrams to make 14 basic embroidery stitches. A gallery of artwork shows even more embroidery designs as inspiration. 
Hand embroidery is a wonderful art form! Using fabric, thread, and the needle in your hand, you can express yourself through color, pattern, and texture. Please check out my new book, Playful Free-Form Embroidery, and create your story through stitchery!
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