Modern Embroidery: A Book of Stitches to Unleash Creativity (Needlework Guide, Craft Gift, Embroider Flowers)

I often feel like a big klutz who can't make anything with my hands. The expert guidance and lovely how-to photos in this beautiful book helped me overcome my fear and self doubt and finally try. Turns out. I can do do it! You can do thanks for this wonderful book. Makes a great gift. too!

I was so excited to hear that Rachel was writing a book so placed a pre order … and it does not disappoint. I follow Rachel on Instagram and always wanted to learn her techniques which she very generously shares with us. Great for beginners or experts!I can’t wait to get started on the lavender fields!

This book is everything I wanted in an embroidery book and more!Rachael does an amazing job of teaching how do the stitches, and she encourages users to either incorporate her color scheme or use their own color preferences, which I appreciated. The projects are stunning! I have never seen embroidery that looks like impressionist paintings before and the florals, dolls and calligraphy are exactly what I was hoping for.I also really love the templates at the back and appreciate that they aren't exactly as called for in the projects, so I can use them at different sizes. For example, I wanted to use the flowers from the pin cushion project on my jean jacket, but they would have been too small if the template was as tiny as the 4-inches called for in the text. This way, I used the template at the size it is in the book and voila. Perfect!

I hate to write negative reviews, especially about books, but this one needs a lot of reworking. Seriously, I own dozens and dozens of craft books and I don’t think I’ve come across one that is so poorly laid out as this book. I’ve flipped through this book several times and noted these items:1. Starting at the front of the book the materials list are very sparse and there are not any images showing the different materials. This is not important to me as I’m not a beginner, but may be important to others.2. No instructions on how to transfer a pattern - I don’t need this as I’ve been hand embroidering for about 15 years, but thought I would mention for beginners.3. Disappointing and confusing directions for the stitches. I bought this book to learn how to start embroidering with more 3D type stitches like bullion knot, cast on stitch and the like instead of the typical satin or backstitch. But when reading the directions for the bullion knot I can tell already I won’t be able to follow this as it does not say if you are coming from back or front of fabric. You can’t tell from photos either.3. The layout is unusual. Craft books usually have a photo showing a completed project to introduce a project on the left page, and then the right page will contain materials needed and such. This boom is not set up like that. A photo showing the completed project (if included, see next item), is at the end of the project. And even then it is not a full page size photo.4. Not all of the projects have a photo showing the finished item.5. Photo quality is not great.6. Many of the projects will have in the neighborhood of 30 photos, but because there are so many they are all small and not as useful as they would be otherwise.7. The photo layout is weird. There will be an entire page with like a dozen or so small, numbered photos. You would expect the numbers to to refer to a direction number but they don’t. They refer to a list of what I can only really call photo captions. The directions themselves do not refer back to the photos at all.8. Only around 3 projects have color diagrams,, the rest do not.9. None of the projects have a diagram illustrating what stitches are used where with how many strands. So you are forced to read through the directions.10. The templates are far from ideal. First, some are so tiny they are untraceable. The author prints the templates onto fabric or what appears to be a tear away or water soluble stabilizer for many (if not all) of the projects. I have not seen any instructions in this book yet teaching you how to print onto fabric, and no link is provided to download the patterns so I’m unsure how to even have a file to print. The author even mentions using a printer in one pattern due to the detailed nature - seems like a big moss not to include a link. At least one template is missing (more on that later). And other templates need resizing - at least one is too big, others too small. No directions are provided on how to resize.Okay now the projects:1. Lavender field project - this one appears to be in order with a full size image of completed project, color diagram, and full size template.2. Mountainscape with floral field - this one starts out of the blue after the first pattern at the bottom of the page. Seriously bad editing. As mentioned earlier many of the photos are so tiny, but there is at least a photo of the completed project (although pretty small considering), color diagram, and full size template.3. Girl with ribbon project. There is a partial color diagram, but not full. There is a full photo of the completed embroidery. What is weird with this project is that there is mention of a blue option in two different parts and what colors to use to do the hair scarf and shirt, but there is literally not a single picture of a blue option.4. Girl hiding behind flowers project- Author printed directly on fabric because so intricate. Not a realistic option for a lot of people, especially given lack of file to download and print. Would have to scan the book i suppose. Partial color diagram provided, but no real good photo of the completed embroidery.5. Portrait - The directions are just not sufficient if you want to create the project exactly as pictured. For the hat it literally says to use the nine different listed color “randomly.” No color diagram for this. Template appears full sized and easy to trace.6. Drawstring bag- the template appears to need some pretty significant resizing. The project mentions using a 10”x7” piece of fabric to embroider on but the template is about a 4.5” square. No directions are given on how much to enlarge.7. Pincushion - this one is confusing because it calls for a 4” hoop and in the example the project clearly fits well in the hoop being used, but the template is sized to almost 6”. No color diagrams or really good photo of finished item.8. Denim jacket - you will need to resize the templates any of the floral designs. If you want to put a phrase or the little bees as the example shows you will have to come up with this on your own.9. Mid century living room - in part of the design there is pampas grass which appears to be turkey work, but the book does not cover turkey work. The author says each stitch is “looped.” What does that mean? You can’t tell from the photos how to achieve this look. You would probably have to look up how to do turkey work to create this.10. Peacock chair - not a single photo of the completed embroidery. The chair says to use a woven basket stitch, and the basic basket stitch is decsirbed in the book, but you can tell there are additional stitches used to tack down the thread. Appears to actually be what would probably be called a lattice or trellis stitch.11. Nesting doll- this appears to be the most problematic project in the book. First, the first photo is of a doll with arms and legs. So you would expect to be able to make this doll. But it will be difficult. First the author mentions two doll templates- one that is rounded and one that is not with markings for arms and legs. There is no pattern that is less rounded with markings for arms and legs. There also are not templates for arms and legs. Then on top of this the template appears quite smaller than the example. The author says you can resize if you want to make a doll. ??? So puzzling- the project is a doll. No directions are given on how to resize. On top of this the included template does not include a pattern for how to complete the hair as shown. To make this you have to adapt the bee pattern. The page order for the directions of the different variations. Appears to be in the wrong order as well making it confusing to follow along.12. Bee doll - template looks small compared to example, author directs you to resize as you want. You have to use the tiny wildflower pattern to fill in the bee.13. Lettering - again quite small templates. There is a photographed finished project of a hanging with the alphabet but there aren’t directions on how to actually make the project such as size of fabric, colors used, how to resize templates, etc.Overall this book could be pretty decent, but as it stands right now it needs a lot of work in terms of editing. I tend to hoard craft books so I might keep it, but I really don’t think I’ll use it so it might have to go back.April 2023 Update - after seeing all the positive reviews I decided to change from 2 stars to 4 stars in acknowledgment that perhaps I am being overly critical and don’t want to put that out in the world. I appreciate how much time and effort goes into making a book - I just think whoever edited / published (whatever) the book did a disservice to the author by allowing such an inconsistent layout, etc. Anyhow - decided to keep even though I have not used as it’s hard for me to return any book, haha!