For Italian immigrants and their descendants, needlework represents a marker of identity, a cultural touchstone as powerful as pasta and Neapolitan music. Out of the artifacts of their memory and imagination, Italian immigrants and their descendants used embroidering, sewing, knitting, and crocheting to help define who they were and who they have become. This book is an interdisciplinary collection of creative work by authors of Italian origin and academic essays. The creative works from thirty-seven contributors include memoir, poetry, and visual arts while the collection as a whole explores a multitude of experiences about and approaches to needlework and immigration from a transnational perspective, spanning the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century.

At the center of the book, over thirty illustrations represent Italian immigrant women's needlework. The text reveals the many processes by which a simple object, or even the memory of that object, becomes something else through literary, visual, performance, ethnographic, or critical reimagining. While primarily concerned with interpretations of needlework rather than the needlework itself, the editors and contributors to "Embroidered Stories" remain mindful of its history and its associated cultural values, which Italian immigrants brought with them to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Argentina and passed on to their descendants.

This inspiring, practical guide to goldwork and silk shading is packed with both traditional and innovative techniques, six samplers and 24 stunning projects. Learn how to create exquisite works using either goldwork or silk shading, and then learn how to combine the two disciplines for visually stunning results. Learn to select the threads, materials and equipment required; plan out the order of your work; transfer your design to fabric; frame up your fabric; and discover inspiring stitch techniques to achieve the results you want. Using nature as inspiration, develop a glittering range of exquisitely worked flowers, fungi, trees, bats and dragonflies, with each piece accompanied by detailed instructions and essential top tips. The book features original designs throughout, and you will be encouraged to extend your skills to create your own beautiful embroideries, helped by exercises, projects, diagrams, full-size templates and stunning photographs. This book is an invaluable practical starting point for anyone wishing to learn about the art of goldwork and silk shading, and an excellent reference for all those already familiar with these popular techniques.

Priscilla's contemporary mixed media artworks offer a refreshingly different approach to embroidery, taking stitch to an impressive new level within wire sculpture. Working both two- and three-dimensionally, Priscilla combines colour, stitch, shape and texture, layering to transform surfaces into beautiful, whimsical sculptures full of character, curiosity and charm. With her imaginative use of the needle and her love of retro vintage nostalgia, Priscilla has picked up on an enduring trend, exploring excitingly different ideas and pushing the boundaries with her original ways of working. The book explores a playful mixed media approach to creating 3D textile sculpture, using a variety of media to transform plain papers and fabrics through colour, texture and mark-making; including both free-machine embroidery and hand stitch. Paving the way for the reader to tackle the five projects that follow, which build in complexity.

How to Embroider Almost Every Cute Thing includes 550 supercute, sweet, and little embroidery motifs for just about everything you could ever want to depict with needle and thread. From cheeseburgers and chihuahuas to earmuffs and exercise equipment, among the many charming motifs are flowers, food, animals, clothing, vehicles, sports and hobbies, letters, numbers, and decorative designs from Japan's leading embroidery artists. Use the motifs to embellish t-shirts, socks, bags, table linens, and more! What you'll find inside: Finished stitched examples, stitch guides, and templates for all the motifs Essential step-by-step tutorials for key stitches and techniques Bursting with fun little embroidery motifs, this book will give you the itch to stitch!

This lavishly illustrated volume is the most complete study of Greek island embroidery yet published.

Each group of islands developed quite different styles and repertoires of designs using linen, cotton, and silk. Varying populations -- urban foreigners and rural natives, Catholic towns and Orthodox villages, invading navies and armies -- all contributed to a fusion of styles and motifs that led to one of the greatest displays of decorative folk art to be found anywhere in the world.

The styles range from aristocratic and patrician designs from Rhodes, the monochrome geometric work of Naxos, to the exuberant narrative style of Skyros and the Ottoman-influenced work of Epirus.

Lexi's easy template-tracing method makes embroidery into a wearable art, so embroiderers can show off their stitching as a part of their everyday style, rather than just as a static wall display. All readers need to do is choose a pattern from the templates provided, and follow the author's simple, straight forward application instructions to be able to embroider designs directly onto their favourite accessories. Readers will learn to jazz up a basic baseball cap with cheerful stitched daisies, and take a plain tote from service-able to too cute with some bright, fresh fruit embroidered accents. Lexi also shows readers how to create individual pretty patches they can attach to their favourite jeans or blouses, as well as how to embroider feminine floral touches directly onto their jean jackets. This book will have 25 projects and 60 photographs.

I felt that Mary was there, pulling at my sleeve, willing me to appreciate the artistry, wanting me to understand the dazzle of the material world that shaped her. At her execution Mary, Queen of Scots wore red. Widely known as the colour of strength and passion, it was in fact worn by Mary as the Catholic symbol of martyrdom. In sixteenth-century Europe women's voices were suppressed and silenced. Even for a queen like Mary, her prime duty was to bear sons. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary exploited them to emphasise her female agency. From her lavishly embroidered gowns as the prospective wife of the French Dauphin to the fashion dolls she used to encourage a Marian style at the Scottish court and the subversive messages she embroidered in captivity for her supporters, Mary used textiles to advance her political agenda, affirm her royal lineage and tell her own story. In this eloquent cultural biography, Clare Hunter exquisitely blends history, politics and memoir to tell the story of a queen in her own voice.

The Royal School of Needlework teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard, developing techniques in new and innovative ways. This series of Essential Stitch Guides provides expert tuition on a variety of techniques. In this guide to blackwork, Graduate Apprentice and tutor, Becky Hogg, shows how to develop many different patterns from the basic blackwork stitches, using detailed instructions and beautiful examples of traditional and contemporary embroideries. There is a fascinating look at the history of blackwork, a guide to the materials needed, and then a detailed look at the stitches used. These are then developed into a huge variety of beautiful patterns, and finally there is a guide to varying the look of these patterns through the use of different shading techniques. There are inspiring embroideries throughout the book, both historical pieces and contemporary works by the author and other RSN apprentices.

Begin your sashiko embroidery with ease using these traditional Japanese design stencils. Includes three 5" x 9" durable plastic stencils and instruction booklet.

Starting with just four of these stitches, this guide clearly demonstrates, with detailed step-by-step photographs, how to work up a complete project. Instructions follow on showing how to stretch and mount your first embroidery. Using further projects she helps you build up skills, introducing new stitches in each section. Line drawings accompany each design and are used as a guide for the stitches. The designs and colors used are traditional - reminiscent of the embroidery worked by embroiderers during the Tudor period, wonderful floral pictures worked in wool and soft colors. The book is a comprehensive introduction to this lovely technique and at the same time it offers embroiderers practical help with presentation and finishing.

Embroidery: A Maker's Guide contains 15 beautiful step-by-step projects for crafters at all levels. Each one takes its cue from a different historical tradition - from English goldwork to Indian beetle-wing embellishment, from Japanese kogin to Irish whitework. Projects include a bargello purse; blackwork moth and dragonfly motifs on napkins; a William Morris artichoke motif on a small cushion; Chinese-inspired motifs for adorning a denim jacket; Mountmellick whitework on a decorative necklace-collar; Indian shisha mirrorwork on a clutch bag; and machine-embroidered lilies on lingerie. Designed by teachers and practitioners at the leading edge of today's craft revival, the projects are both functional and fashionable, and include tips on how to take next steps towards developing your own designs. This modern maker's guide will inspire all readers with the confidence to express their creativity through the age-old craft of decorative stitching.

Sustainability meets DIY in this instructive guide to garment embroidery from designer and fiber artist Alexandra StratkotterCombining comprehensive instruction with photography and illustrations, The Embroidered Closet guides novice and experienced stitchers through the process of adorning and upcycling garments. Now more than ever, we are all pitching in to help the planet: This book offers a fun and satisfying avenue to do just that by refreshing the wardrobe you have and making your clothes seem new again. The Embroidered Closet presents the inexpensive craft of embroidery and uses it to show readers just how fun embellishing your own clothing can be. Expect to learn not just about tools, techniques, stitches, and project designs, but also how to pick fabrics that work best for you and your wardrobe, how to source and thrift your clothing, and how to mend and prevent wear and tear. Stratkotter will inspire you to expand your options and test out your own embroidered creations. Whether you're interested in personalizing your clothing, upgrading wardrobe staples, or seeking to enhance your skill set, Stratkotter's stylish and classic designs offer something for everyone.

A new, larger format edition of the Royal School of Needlework's classic reference work on beadwork embroidery. Shelley Cox presents an expert guide to all aspects of bead embroidery, including information on counted thread beadwork, bead embroidery, beaded surface embroidery, and fringing. Here you will find stitches and technique for every sort of needlework that involves beads. Decorative effects are explored too, making this a fantastic source book and an invaluable reference for beadwork. The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard and is well respected all over the world. It not only upholds the traditions of English embroidery that go back many hundreds of years, but is constantly taking embroidery forwards in new and innovative ways. This series of Essential Stitch Guides has been produced in close collaboration with the RSN with the aim of providing a set of definitive works on traditional embroidery techniques. All of the authors were chosen by the RSN and all are graduate apprentices of the Royal School.

Finally, there's a headwear solution for fashionable felines - and a practical use for accumulated shed hair. Cats in Hats contains step-by-step instructions for constructing stylish hats out of excess fur, so your cat will soon be the belle of the furball as they transform into a magical unicorn, ferocious lion or even a birthday cake! Welcome to Cats In Hats and admire the overwhelming cuteness of popular Instagrammers Rojiman and Umatan's cats in their tiny cat-hair hats. Is your cat a diva? Maybe it's time to make her a crown! Or perhaps he's a bit of a prankster - put on a joker hat! There's one for every occasion, from birthdays to graduation. Don't miss the Animal hats, from Elephant to Koala. Celebrate every annual festival with a Halloween Witch hat, Easter Bunny hat, and more. And amaze your cat with a character hat. From Princess Leia to Sherlock Holmes, whatever your cat's personality, we have a hat for them. With 300 hand-drawn step-by-step instructions for constructing 25 adorable hats, and colour photos of the authors' own cats in their handmade headgear, Cats in Hats is a fun gift for any cat-lover or crafter. And with great tips from Rojiman and Umatan, you'll be designing your own custom cat-hair creations in no time.

This beautiful book is a rich source of embroidery techniques, stitches and projects, covering eight key subjects in detail: crewelwork, bead embroidery, stumpwork, canvaswork, goldwork, whitework, blackwork and silk shading. Containing all the trusted, bestselling content from the RSN Essential Stitch Guide series, plus a new section on mounting your finished work, this fantastic book is a must-have for all embroiderers. Fully redesigned and integrated, the original eight titles have been given a new lease of life in this larger format.

The Royal School of Needlework teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard, developing techniques in new and innovative ways. Written by RSN apprentice and tutor Rachel Doyle, this book contains an extensive guide to canvaswork techniques, and includes complete information on the major stitches while offering stunning new design ideas. Here you will find diagonal stitches, horizontal and vertical stitches, raised, textured and filling stitches. Decorative effects are explored too, making this a fantastic source book and an invaluable reference for canvaswork stitches.

Embellish your world with the whimsical, creative art of Boho Embroidery. These bright, clean designs, in an Anthropologie-esque style, are ideal for beginners to advanced stitchers. This book begins with a tutorial for learning 10 different embroidery stitches, detailed instruction on colour work, and 10 fun projects like buttons and hair clips, then goes on to advanced pattern work for vintage clothing and linens, and finally, learning how to make your own hoop and accessories.

'After seeing mediocre needlework books and knits and whatnot aimed at children come and go over the years, I'm really happy to see this particular book. It's a terrific information, reference, instructional, and project book. I like it a lot! I like it so much I've purchased copies of it to use for summer birthdays and bundled it basic supplies.' Mary Corbet, Needlenthread.com Transform your plain stuff into awesome stuff with just a bit of fabric and thread! Glam up boring bookmarks, tote bags, and even your jeans! Bored during a road trip or on a rainy day? Grab your favorite colour thread and get stitching! Learn and choose from different stitches to make each project exactly what you want. Make presents that your friends and family will love. Put your own stamp on pillows and picture frames. Stitch up some cuteness! There are 23 great gifts to give to your friends and family for their birthdays and holidays and the 15 easy projects and 17 stitches show you how to personalise all your stuff. Unplug from tech devices and make something handmade!

An exquisite collection of toy sewing patterns to make stuffed animals to treasure! These stunning animal dolls are easy to sew and then embellish with simple hand embroidery stitches to beautiful effect. The dolls and their cute outfits all use small amounts of fabric, so are great for using up scraps. With step-by step instructions and full guidance on the embroidery stitches and full-size pattern pieces to trace from the page, this super-accessible book will help you make future heirlooms that will stay in the family for generations.

Create unique projects with all types of embellishments - like lace, linens and hankies, trims and ribbons, buttons, and treasured pieces - with ideas, techniques, and a 100+ stitch library to inspire.