Gardens in Embroidery

Plants and gardens are a fascinating source of inspiration for embroiderers at all levels, offering a wealth of color, texture and form. Val Holmes, herself a keen gardener, draws on her own experience of working from nature and her highly successful courses on the subject to offer this attractive and practical course in embroidery design based on garden subjects. The first chapter introduces artist's materials and how to use them, together with a range of equipment, from pencils to cameras, that can be used to gather information for embroidery projects, followed by a general introduction on how to approach a garden and look for suitable subject matter. The author explains the techniques needed to record information and extract from it subjects suitable foe embroidery, which include drawing using tone, form, color and mark, and a chapter on how to create and use worksheets. Advice on translating drawings and photos into hand and machine embroidery is reinforced by an examination of finished examples illustrating a variety of topics, such as the knot and water garden. With an emphasis throughout on encouraging creativity and allowing free reign to the imagination, here is an attractive guide that will be invaluable to all modern embroiderers, whether novice or expert.