More Embroidery Fun

August 15th, 2011

I went a little crazy at the bookstore in the International District a few weeks ago. I was with Ryan and Ulysses so the time to peruse was limited and I made lightening-like decisions, which usually winds up being more expensive than the molasses variety. But hey! I love these. They are so fun and inspiring to look through. The first set with the scientific flower drawings are beautiful. After I got it home, I read through what was in English and found that these were originally drawn and printed by a Japanese artist in the 1940s. I love how classic crafting is. What was really inspiring to me in this book is the base fabric choices. I love that some have little contrast or have lines or even a pattern to them. A few even have little patches sewn on before embroidering. I almost always think of embroidering being done on a clean canvas, of sorts, so this will be something new. I actually have one of these made already and I am debating between framing these for Christmas gifts this year or starting in on an epic quilt. What do you think?

There are so many fun kid-inspired designs in this one. I have my eye on that little lion. I am not quite sure how they made the twisty effect that the outline is in–one of the downsides of these being in a language I do not understand! I plan on making Uly a little pillow for his bed. And a little shirt with those dinosaurs. So cute! The movement in them is perfect for a little shirt. Plus, these look fairly simple to string together. So many of the designs in this book looked perfect for little boys–so hard to find!–I had to get this one.

This is the book I should have probably gone without, but I just loved the more complex animals in here. And the tree. I am not entirely sure what I will do with these–they seem more like something you would want to hang on the wall, I think. Have you seen any good embroidery projects lately?

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