As I’ve recently taken up hand embroidery, I’ve been accumulating a lot of information from various sources which I thought I’d compile in one place. Someone might find it useful!
Books
- The Embroidery Stitch Bible
by Betty Barden. Utterly indispensable with over 200 stitches photographed and illustrated in easy to follow steps. - Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching (Sublime Stitching)
by Jenny Hart. Jenny (one of the goddesses of the new embroidery scene) has put together a book aimed at beginners or fans of her style of “not your gramma’s” embroidery. It includes a basic stitch guide (about 16 stitches, which to be honest will get you by for a long time!) and about 20 suggested projects, including iron-on transfers for most of them. A great place to start for someone who is an enthusiastic beginner who doesn’t want to stitch pictures of ducks in bonnets or crinoline ladies!
Websites with tutorials
- Sublime Stitching. Primarily a store for Jenny’s patterns and selection of great accessories, there is also a blog with some handy embroidery basics tutuorials. The store is based in the USA if you’re tempted to buy. Many of Jenny’s patterns and the products she recommends are available in the UK.
