When you first start to embroider, you need a good resource from where you can learn and the books can be a real help in this regard. Although Youtube videos and online articles can be excellent resources they aren’t as good as books. Books increase your knowledge and help you learn from scratch. Even if you are an experienced embroiderer, the books enhance your capabilities for creating perfect objects. Every embroiderer needs some sort of a reference and or a design to build a new idea and books are the perfect way to build the new idea.
There are so many books written each year that it is hard to find a perfect match. In this post, we have handpicked 8 of the best embroidery books that have been regarded as the best for any level of embroidery. So here’s my list of the best Embroidery Books. They’re all worth reading and are perfect in their own way.
Embroidery Now
This is one of the best books for newbies who want to learn hand embroidery. It walks you through each and every step while explaining the fundamentals and essentials of embroidering. All the creations are absolutely fabulous; they will enlighten your mind with new techniques of embroidering on different materials via projects like wall hanging and lampshade embroidery. The templates are a great practice as there are nine different stitch techniques that will be taught with pro tips along with more than 25 individual projects to get you started in the embroidery world. The whole book is like a work of art because everything looks so perfect– the photos, the instructions, the pages construction, and the illustrations– that you’ll fall in love with this piece.
Hoop Dreams: Modern Hand Embroidery
If you are an absolute beginner, I recommend this book for you. You’ll love its simplicity; everything is explained with clarity. I personally loved this book, it increases curiosity as it is written in such a way that you tend to think about what will happen next. Moreover, the vibrant designs and eye-catching instructions will help you a long way. The great thing is that it shows you how to embroider tons of complex and simple projects for commercial, industrial, and home use. As an added bonus, there are 10 carbon transfer papers included that will help you transfer the design to the fabric.
The Embroidery Stitch Bible
If you have any queries or you have any confusion regarding embroidering, this book will answer everything. This is a big book of 256 pages as it explains everything related to embroidering from basic stitching to complex stitching. It contains fully illustrated stitch explanations along with diagrams. Every stitch explanation is written in a concise manner with alternative names and precise directions. There are over 200 embroidery stitches–line stitches, laid work, cross stitches, back stitches, and many more– that are explained with easy-to-follow diagrams. You will also find instructions for the type of needle, fabric, threads, and patterns regarding a particular stitch.
The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion
This masterpiece is the work of Yvette Stanton that is particularly designed for left-handed stitchers. With over 170 left-handed stitches explained step by step, this book is a great piece of writing for those who want to learn new techniques. Here, you’ll also find different comparisons between right-handed and left-handed techniques with helpful diagrams and photos. Moreover, the explanations are relevant and can also be applied with modern-day techniques. The succinct illustrations of different stitches are very clear. Plus, you’ll find loads of unusual stitches here in this book like a nun, parma, and spiral trellis stitch.
Embroidery by DK
This is a small and concise book for learning embroidering from scratch. There are just over150 pages that will teach how to sew clothes, do needlepoint work and learn different stitch techniques. This is an excellent book that will walk you through step by step how to transfer your pattern to your fabrics. I adore the way this book is written; it has rekindled my passion for working with different types of needles and threads. Here, you’ll find over 200 stitches– Easy to Advanced stitches– with easy-to-follow steps, and labeled suggestions. You’ll find pieces of advice for fabric, and thread types as well. What I really like about this book is that everything here is numbered with a well-informed index. There are numbers associated with stitches so that it’s easy for you to find the required stitches.
The Anchor Book of Free-Style Embroidery Stitches
This is a simple yet reliable book for learning basic hand stitching. Everything is written with clear instructions. It contains fundamental knowledge of hand embroidering to get you started in the embroidery field. There are 48 different types of stitches– Bullion, Chained Feather, Couching, and many more– with each illustrated with diagrams and photos. Plus there are also trace-off patterns so that you can learn new designs. I really like how small it is; I can easily carry around it with myself without anyone noticing. It has a big picture related to the topic on one page and its relevant information on the other page.
Colour Confidence in Embroidery
One of the most recommended books for needlework and threads is this Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr. In this book, you’ll learn about how to choose different color schemes for particular embroidery designs. Moreover, there is concise and understandable terminology with tons of practice projects that will help you embroider with utmost confidence.
Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches
If you are a fan of long books then this is the one for you. This 298-page book has got everything covered. However, this has been around for many years with its first publication in 1934. With this book, you’ll learn about ancient embroidering techniques that are still relevant for modern-day designs. It has tons of valuable information for all levels of embroidering.
Conclusion
So that’s it from me for today! These are the most popular embroidery books for most embroiderers. What do you think? Is there any book that astonished you? Or anything you want me to add to this list? Do comment to let me know your thoughts.
