Whitework with Colour

When I received the book, I felt like I was back in my hometown of Milan where I grew up, doing some embroidery with my mother and auntie. It was normal for them, and a bit strange for me as a teenager. Only later in life did I start appreciating what I had: they were stitching my dowry with love. As per the Sicilian tradition, a girl receives a certain amount of gifts from her family for when she gets married. This is usually linen, towels and other embroidery items hand stitched with care and love. This book and its delicate colours (white mainly) and spots of colourful stranded cottons is a joy for the eyes and very inspirational. The simplicity and the elegance of the style is a celebration of more traditional neutral monochrome with the addition of colour. Trish believes colour is the key to any successful piece of embroidery. The flexibility of whitework with colour has opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities. Ready to explore yours!? From the editor: The flexibility of whitework with colour has opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities. There are no limits to the subjects one can stitch, and readers will find nestled among the pages a wide variety of projects which will entice them to stitch. There are seventeen projects in the book, ranging from complete beginner to more advanced. No special skills are required but a little practice will go a long way in helping stitchers to master the technique. Trish believes colour is the key to any successful piece of embroidery so has used quite unusual colour combinations and stitched some of the projects in more than one colourway to show how different the same design can look when stitched in other shades. https://madeonholidayblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/on-my-craft-table-week-5/ Made on Holiday It is impossible to praise this book too much, for any superlatives do not do it justice. It is supreme, beyond compare and in a league of its own. I have often admired Trish Burr's books, but this is a book that dreams are made of. In this book Trish is inspired by elegant French whitework, but she has added a twist of colour. The moment I saw it I was in rhapsody. Then I opened the book and discovered that the 17 projects are every bit as good as the front cover. No special skills are required to make the projects, but being a practised embroiderer will help along the way. Raised and padded satin stitch, dot stitch and eyelets are some of the embroidery techniques used. Trish herself is a self-taught embroiderer. Each fantastic project lists the materials with a detailed stitch diagram, step-by-step instructions that are easy-to-follow and good photographs. The book also provides everything you need to know about transferring designs, stitches and preparation. The only problem you will have is deciding which of the incredible projects to begin first. They included floral and animal subjects, landscapes, a car, a heart and a tribal lady. The projects begin with a simple flower in monochrome. I love the owls, summer in a teacup, the hummingbird and the lion. I like them all. This hardback book is a real keeper, an absolute masterpiece. YarnsandFabrics.co.uk