Appliqué Art

l would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to advance and enhance their freehand machine work. -- Lynne Callister * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer * The first section is very comprehensive covering the material  requirements and detailing the choice of fabrics, threads and embellishments.  All of which can be found in your sewing basket or a nearby charity shop. All you really need is a sewing machine, hoop and some basic sewing tools. The rest is down to your imagination with clear guidance on texture, stitching and even dyeing your fabric. [...] The templates are all at the back of the book and there are 6 lovely projects to follow. Each project follows photographs of Abigail’s work illustrating similar subjects and how you can develop ideas further once you have the basics. I am sure you can adapt each project to make cards or beautiful gifts as presents, if you are able to give your masterpiece away. A beautiful book that would make a lovely gift. -- Sandra Grey * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer * This book is well presented with 115 pages of photos and very well detailed instructions on how to make each scene. There are scenes from beautiful gardens, animals, boating to fun beaches. Abigail informs you of all you will need to make these scenes along with instruction on how to do them. Very easy to follow and templates for all scenes are in the book. I think it is a very nice and fun art to try, you could do all sorts of patterns, ideas are plentiful. Abigail invites you to work your magic. The book is of high-quality, with glossy pages allowing plenty of usage, worth every penny. -- Blodwen Axworthy * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer * Appliqué Art by Abigail Mill showcases what can be done with fabric, embellishments, sewing machine and imagination, and Abigail is clearly an expert at this art.  There is a beautiful photograph of an owl creation in the chapter on Colour.  So if it’s your first attempt take Abigail’s advice and “have a play around to find out what effect you like” – it only takes scraps of fabric. On the other hand if you’re good at this craft then Abigail’s book provides plenty of designs and a chapter on Inspiration. There is a plethora of wonderful photographs to aid explanation of the tips and techniques - of which there are many [...] This book has chapters on Colour, Texture, Pattern and Stitching among others and a lot of Abigail’s experience and know-how.  It would make a lovely gift for someone who sews, equally for someone looking to have a go at doing something different using their sewing machine. -- Jules Heff * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer * This is such a beautiful book! There is a very personal tone from Abigail as she explains her love of applique and the use of freehand machine  embroidery. To me, there is a whimsical charm about the projects that Abigail has included, from afternoon tea, cottage gardens and seaside images. The instructions are clear, with a great deal of advice relating to fabric selection and how to construct the applique images.  There are templates for five projects.  My only criticism is that I would like templates to make all of the pictures featured, as they are so beautiful!  Everything about this book is lovely and I can't wait to try one of the  projects. -- Jayne Williams * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer * I received this book to review and was instantly delighted by the cover illustration of a wonderful fabric art picture of the seaside and little boats. The book contains all you need to know to get started from information on materials and equipment, inspiration use of colour and textured fabrics and finishing and framing your work. All the projects are machine stitched using free motion embroidery so a sewing machine is needed. The illustrations are lovely and there are clear step by step instructions to recreate the six different scenes illustrated and traceable templates. I love that this book allows you to put your fabric scraps to great use and make beautiful gifts. -- Jackie Hood * Half Yard Sewing Club Reviewer *