Book Reviews

I try to stitch each night but often I'm too tired (or too wound up) from work to attempt anything that needs concentration. On those evenings if I don't have tent stitching to do I try to read, and luckily for me, there are always books on needlepoint or other types of needlework I've not read. Recently I acquired or borrowed three new books that I've been browsing when I really am not going to be able to stitch. I've done pocket reviews here, to help you decide if these are books you want to read yourself. After all, not everyone is going to be interested in the topics I've been reading about. But before my first mini-review, let me remind you to check your local library for books on needlework. I've had hours and hours of great fun with books I've checked out here in Virginia and in Massachusetts. And if you have books you want to get rid of, I urge you to think about donating them to your local library. They never have enough money to buy everything but your books might fill a hole in their collection nicely and give access at no charge to something in your collection long after you've forgotten you ever owned that book.

Bargello Revisited, by Janet M. Perry

I'm not really a fan of bargello. I know it is supposed to be popular now, but my tastes don't run to abstract op art and many of the patterns really need a good amount of space to develop. It's just not my thing. Still, when a friend offered to loan me her copy of "Bargello Revisited," I was curious enough to take her up on that offer.

"Bargello Revisited" is a project book. It has charts for 33 different patterns, some simple shapes to use as templates which you can fill in with the pattern of your choice, and brief chapters at the beginning of the book which introduce bargello stitching, talk about suitable threads and choosing colors, and give you tips on avoiding problems, particularly problems with vertical bargello stitches not covering your canvas well.

There are color photos of each project in finished form, but the charts of the patterns used in the projects are in black, white and gray. And that is the main problem I saw with this book-I had a very hard time seeing the differences between the black and the dark grey lines in the charts. I am chart-challenged anyway and I think if I'd not read many other books on bargello, I would have had trouble following things I could not see well, particularly since the author doesn't mention the very basic tip that one should start a bargello pattern in the middle of the design and either work one long row from one side to the other, or start in the middle and work out to one side and then work to the other, to set up the pattern. These two points alone make this a book I wouldn't recommend to a beginner, although if you are mad about bargello you'll want to at least look at this book, especially if you can't find any of the splendid bargello books that came out in the early 1970s.

Here is Janet's website. If you browse her blog you will see some bargello pieces, many of which are projects in her bargello book.

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/

The simple patterns in "Bargello Revisited" might work well for someone who wants to teach another to do bargello and is looking for a variety of basic patterns in simple colors for their student to choose from. But if you want to teach yourself bargello, I'd recommend that you hunt used bookstores for the Gloria Katzenberg's "Needlepoint and Pattern: Themes and Variations." It is an exceptionally clear book with excellent diagrams and tips on using the patterns in needlepoint projects. If you want eye-popping designs in dazzling color schemes, try to find Dorothy Kaestner's "Four Way Bargello" (there is an original and a revised edition). She also wrote "Bargello Antics" which I have not seen except that it was for sale on eBay. The cover of that book illustrates this article to give you an idea of the patterns in the Katzenberg books. They aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea but the world of needlework is huge, and the choices of type of designs you can stitch endless.

OOOOOH: The Essentials of Ribbon Needlepoint with River Silks, by Paul F. Krynicki

Speaking of varied choices, my next book is from the River Silks ribbon manufacturers. It was written to promote their ribbon which I've seen and used and which is particularly well suited for needlepoint. There are a great many books on silk ribbon embroidery (called SRE by those who love the art) but this book is different in that it is geared toward folks who want to use silk ribbon on needlepoint canvas. All the other SRE books I've seen are for embroiderers working on fabric grounds. I can't say that this is a reason to buy this book instead of any others about SRE, but you might disagree. The strength of this book is the illustrations. I defy anyone to look at all the lovely colored photos and not want to try a little SRE on one of their canvases! And my copy of the book came with a card of River Silks ribbon and a large piece of canvas to try some stitches on which is a very nice touch.

Each chapter in the book talks about a different type of stitch done in ribbon. SRE has specialty stitches you won't have seen before which are done a certain way due to the properties of silk ribbon. Some of the directions are very explicit, some are not. If you need step-by-step hand-holding to learn, you won't always get it from this book. Sometimes I had to study the illustrations to understand how to get the effect described. If you have trouble doing this, you may find this book frustrating at times.

If you just want an idea how to do SRE, you'd save money by Googling the topic and reading many of the free instructions on the Internet. If you just want to see pretty pictures of SRE, visit River Silks' website which is full of images on every page.

http://www.riversilks.com/

But be warned, SRE is addictive and the River Silks ribbons lovely (although the dye lots seem to vary a lot so buy what you need at one time). I'm probably never going to stitch an entire NP canvas in SRE--which would be Too Much for my tastes--but I love adding finishing touches with silk ribbon in my pieces. I can't say this book is a Must Buy for people interested in silk ribbon stitching but it is inspiring and promotes a great product and it is the only SRE book geared specifically toward us needlepointers.

All That Glitters: Projects Featuring the Techniques of Goldwork and Stumpwork, by Alison Cole

Alison Cole is an Australian embroidery teacher who is well known for her goldwork which uses stumpwork techniques to create 3-D images of great beauty. This is her first book and it's a winner! The illustrations alone, both the large shots of the ten projects she profiles in this book and the closeups, are gorgeous. But this isn't just a pretty face--the book's first chapter talks about metallic threads, the various frames you'll use, the types of padding necessary, etc. in great detail. The second chapter goes over the basic stitches and techniques used in goldwork and stumpwork. Neither chapter is long but they both seem very comprehensive to me. Be warned, though--I know only the basics about goldwork and stumpwork. If you are very experienced, you may not need this book unless you fall in love with the projects profiled like I did.

The vast majority of the projects are traditional florals although she includes an abstract and two nature scenes. There is an underwater piece with a seahorse and snail that's a knockout and she does a dragonfly on a tall weed that has to be seen to be believed. To me the most interesting project was her Or Nue pieces. She took four flowers mentioned by Shakespeare and stitched them in the Or Nue manner, making sure she made circles and waves in the gold she couched as well as using the couching thread to sketch the flowers in on the gold lines. I have never seen Or Nue done this way and I was entranced.

I am not sure this book is going to appeal to everyone, particularly folks who don't like flowers or nature patterns, or folks who already know a great deal about goldwork and/or stumpwork. Also, some projects look quite hard for a beginner although the instructions were excellent. But I was charmed and thrilled to own this book and I can't wait for Alison Cole's second book "The Midas Touch" to come out. Here's her website so you can explore more of her work and decide for yourself if this is a book you can't live without.

http://www.alisoncoleembroidery.com.au/

I hope these book reviews will help you decide whether you want any of these books. After all, you could be spending that money on a painted canvas instead! LOL

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow