Embroidery Designs, Projects and Patterns

Embroidered Effects, by Jenny Hart

Sep 4, 2009

A book of embroidery designs, fashion and home projects for modern stitchers.

Embroidered Effects, by Jenny Hart, is a beautiful book filled with embroidery designs, projects and patterns for today's modern stitcher. There are designs for cross stitch samplers, fashion appliqué and home projects that are fun to make. The projects, and free embroidery designs included with the book, can be used to make lovely gifts.

Embroidery: Tools for Sewing

Embroidered Effects includes all the instructions needed to start stitching. Ms. Hart is careful not to overwhelm new sewers with too much detail, but still includes the basics needed to create projects. The following necessary supplies are explained with recommendations given for each:

Fabrics & Grounds

Depending on the project selected, fabric or some other type of background may need to be purchased to stitch upon. For an embroidered pillowcase, tablecloth or tee shirt, a favorite item may already be at hand. But when stitching a sampler, the appropriate textile must first be selected. Start by reading the fabric chapter to be sure to make a suitable selection.

Pattern Making

First, find or create a favorite design. Then transfer the design to the item to be adorned by these methods explained in Embroidered Effects:

Sewing Designs: Learn Stitching Methods

Clear illustrations throughout the book offer simple instructions for a variety of stitching methods. Learn cross stitch, chain stitches, blanket stitch and many others. Also provided are stitch combinations, which incorporate more than one technique to offer a design that can be used without following a pattern. The end result is displayed in the illustrations. These mini stitch recipes could be used to embroider the hem of a skirt, pockets of jeans or pillowcase edgings, for example. Purchase a few plain tea towels, select an embroidery design and be prepared with a welcome gift idea for any holiday.

Extra Effects: Sequins, Beads, Luminescent Thread

Tips are included for attaching sequins, beads and glow-in-the-dark thread as embellishments for finished projects. Add sparkle to a holiday outfit, or create a bit of glow to a finished project with special-effect threads.

Home Projects: Interior Decorating with Embroidered Pillows & Tablecloths

There are many home project patterns included in the book. Try making a Mahjong tablecloth, embroidered pillow case or shower curtain to bring handmade décor to a home.

Embroidered Fashion

There are many fun projects for embroidering fashion, such as a kimono robe with a lovely design trailing the back, or a tattoo heart for the sleeve of a tee shirt. Embellish a wrap skirt, or make a playful little girl's pillowcase dress.

Summary

Embroidered Effects does a fine job of presenting old-fashioned stitchery in a modern, inspirational way. It is a pleasure to hold; hardback, spiral bound and well-illustrated. There are heat-transfer patterns provided in the back of the book, interspersed with blank sheets for trial runs. The book itself would make a lovely gift, but an aspiring needle worker will have the most fun trying her hand at a homemade gift using the patterns and ideas included.

The copyright of the article Embroidery Designs, Projects and Patterns in Craft Books is owned by Trevy Thomas. Permission to republish Embroidery Designs, Projects and Patterns in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.