The designs in this beautiful book are lovely, the explanations and patterns are straightforward and easy to understand and follow. It really inspired me to begin some floral embroidery. Tegan Sturmer is very clear about what exact materials to purchase, something that isn’t always true of many books. I loved how each design retaliated back to a quote from Shakespeare. I look forward to many hours of enjoyable stitching using this lovely book. Thank you to Netgalley for this arc of this book.

This is such a beautiful and satisfying book! I’ve been wanting to try embroidery for a while and this book is just my taste! I definitely recommend it for anyone that likes floral embroidery and wants to give it a go 😊

Such a great selection of projects to complete. With handy hints and tips along the way, so brilliant for beginners. Especially great for these self isolation times.

Clear, simple instructions with relatively good diagrams. I've learned three new stitches and I feel my embroidery won't look like trash

When a new embroidery book is published there is a buzz of excitement that goes through the collective hearts and spirits of all embroiderers everywhere. One cannot help it. Its such a minimalised hobby now that any and every book released is a thrill and the idea that another book might open the world of embroidery to more people is thrilling

Sturmer has written a book for a novice to this pick-up and learn some basics and introduce them to the wonders of embroidery: the embroidery skill level required is basic at best. It takes the age-old techniques and recreates them into a modern-day hobby for the busy person who requires a quick result to keep the enthusiasm high.

There is nothing more timeless than a garden full of blooming flowers and embroidery is a method in which to capture their beauty and keep them with you all year long. Sturmer has created ten patterns for a student to follow, complete with outlines to trace onto the material and start working from. They are created to be displayed in the hoop but could easily be transferred to other household items such as pillow slips or cloth napkins.
There are wonderful little quotes from Shakespeare throughout the book to show the inspiration for each design. Sturmer gives a detailed outline of all the materials a person will require to fulfil the goal of creating artwork of ones own, including DMC thread numbers to ensure the correct colour if one wishes to copy the design to the letter.

Instructions are given step by step, with helpful insights for the novice so that then guesswork is taken out of the equation, such as explaining that linen doesn’t have a right or wrong side on the material. Because most of the embroideries are created using a whole thread of thread (she doesn’t explain how to strip the thread – that is breaking it into six separate threads to get a softer finish on the finished embroidery) the results build up incredibly quickly. Scattered throughout the book there are pictures of the embroideries as they build up, step by step.

Sturmer gives a dedicated chapter as to how to finish the embroidery so that it can be displayed as she suggests, but it wouldn’t be difficult to take these artworks to a professional framer and have them framed to make a greater display. Hey, you are going to put in several hours of work into these pieces, they are worthy of the extra effort! Scattered throughout the book are photographs of Sturmer herself at work which are artsy and delightful.

Given at the start of the book, a step by step of basic and intricate stitches are given along with outlines of patterns so as to have a go before committing to a larger piece of work. The stitches required in even the most intricate of patterns is still very basic compared to some of the stitches that one wants to master as the addiction…. Oh, errr, I mean, the devotion to embroidery deepens in the stitcher.

A delightful book for the beginner. Just lovely.

This is a great book for people who need to brush up on their Floral Embroidery skills or for beginnings who wants to take on a new craft and skill. I would definitely recommend this book.

I agree with the Author when she described the designs as 'simple' and not complicated. This would be a good book for someone as an introductory to embroidery. The designs, descriptions and pattern details were explained very well and seemed easy to follow. I would suggest possibly a variety of different designs besides leaves and flowers. But overall, I would say it would be an excellent book for beginners to try simple, straightforward patterns.

jb
https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/

This is a good embroidery book for those who are beginners, especially those who are learning how to do florals!

Excellent book full of beautiful projects that use a variety of stitches and techniques. The projects are aimed a range of levels and there are some that beginners can start off with. They are small enough to be able to complete in a reasonable amount of time but have been very well thought through and designed. In these troubling times it is the perfect way to connect to nature indirectly. It is an absorbing and meditative hobby that is good for the soul. The instructions are very clear for each project as are the details of how to do a particular stitch. The book is very well laid out and very enjoyable to browse through.

Wonderful book about floral embroidery. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The photos are beautiful. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves to embroider.

This book is delightful! I am very new to the world of embroidery, and I found this incredibly approachable and easy to understand. Teagan breaks down the basics in a fun, approachable way. I learn best with a hands-on teacher, and I somehow felt like I had that through this book. The patterns are easily adaptable. The photos are absolutely gorgeous. I had a lot of fun working my way through it all. Highly recommend!

I can do embroidery! I really can!

Reading through these tutorials, from basic and simple to gorgeous, lush and complex, I know I can do these! I cannot speak as to how an advanced embroiderer will feel about this book, but as a beginner, this is the book I was hoping to find. I will be following this artist-author for more.

Nevermind hard to follow video tutorials where you cannot see up close *exactly* how a stitch is done. The photography, the focus, the layout, the clarity of this book is *exactly* what is needed, from the very beginning, to the very end. Incredibly clear teaching here! There are stitch close ups, direction of stitch from one needle placement to the next exceedingly clear, patterns of stitching from basic leaves to incredible raised roses. There are patterns to follow for complete designs. I have many art books on many other mediums, am an artist in other mediums, and have read poor instruction books in art, had to go looking for more clear text. I have been looking for an embroidery instruction book, to adapt for clothing embellishment. This book is what one hopes: it is fantastic and clear instruction tutoring through projects from very basic beginner to lush complexity.

Moreover it is clear that after finishing the ten projects detailed in this book, one can run with the knowledge and create their own designs, or know exactly how to flesh out a publicly available design.

The designs are all finished as hoop artwork. It would be wonderful if there had been a bit more text about adaptation for clothing or handbag for example. It does mention to "try stitching to ...an item of clothing..." but does not mention any caveats or added things to watch for when doing that. For example, will it pull up an area of clothing? Is there extra care in washing to keep it from curling? Does thread choice matter there? Do we do anything to protect the backside in that instance? But that does not make this book any less essential. After several projects, that information can be gained elsewhere.

I am pouring through the small list of items needed and getting to work. This book is like having a teacher hold your hand the entire journey to creating an embroidery. Highly recommended for beginners.

Thank you to NetGalley and White Owl publishing for the beautiful advanced reader copy. I will have to buy a print edition!

A gorgeous collection of designs with great tips and clear, concise instructions for each step. I loved the use of colour and the theme of the Shakespeare quotes linked in each piece.

I love this gorgeous embroidery book. The author's introduction and dedication to her craft at the inspiration of her grandmothers is so heartening. It gives the reader inspiration that we can learn from our elders, and take their advice into our own lives as we grow. I appreciate the simple guide to needed supplies, and basic stitches provided by the author. I've never done proper embroidery, and found her directions very easy to follow. I appreciate that she also provides exact floss colors to use for each pattern, as well as the patterns themselves. I think that the gorgeous photos of the embroidery projects make the craft even more enticing to learn. The only thing I would have loved to see was a photo or two of the author with her grandmothers either in the introduction or at the end of the book. I can't wait to try out these embroidery patterns using this book!

Floral Embroidery is a lovely book to look at and be inspired by and wonderful for the beginner and intermediate embroider to gain inspiration and see what can be done with needle and thread. The designs are lovely and seem relatively simple to work, with a little practice on basic stitches and technique. I particularly like the author's finishing suggestions. The photography is beautiful throughout and will make the reader want to take up this rewarding craft.

Sturmer's embroidery work is dense but organic and never overworked. I've followed her instagram for over a year admiring her ability to translate bouquets into designs that would have overwhelmed me. I'm thrilled by her book! She takes you step by step into each design, breaking it down so it all feels very doable. The stitches used are limited but Sturmer showcases the many possibilities of combination through the ten designs which range from simple (almost as a warm up), through the seasons to much more complex compositions. I do have embroidery experience so I started with the gem tone bouquet and I have two others on the to do list.

Beautiful collection of informative and instructive floral embroidery. I would recommend this for beginners who want to start dipping their toes into embroidery with these beautiful creations!

Short, beautiful, well illustrated instruction to follow and make the projects without any issues. I enjoyed the tips and tricks mentioned along with the beautiful designs given. This is a good project book for someone who wants to further their embroidery skills and create small projects.

This book is beautiful! As an embroidery newbie I was very pleased to receive an e-ARC of this book. The photography, detailed instructions and Shakespeare quotes are excellent and I clearly understood everything I have tried so far. I have ordered some equipment to continue practicing and will soon give a project a go!

There are 10 projects with increasing difficulty as you go through the book. There are very detailed and clear instructions for each project and help with how to finish your projects too. There are outlines in the back of the book that you can trace onto your fabric for each project. I’m nowhere near designing my own projects but I hope this book will help me progress towards that and then I can create flowery designs around quotes.

This book would be excellent as a gift for an embroidery newbie or someone who has done the odd project but not experienced in florals. A great gift for others or for yourself. A lovely book!

There is nothing more inviting when you open a book and are thanked for deciding to purchase a book. I was enthralled by the beautiful embroidery patterns on the cover of this book and knew that I had to try my hand at creating these items. The book starts with a message from the author, with a beautiful story on being creative and keeping creativity alive in our lives. This book not only gives us beautiful patterns to learn from but gives us hope that no matter what level of creator we are, as long as we keep creativity in our lives, and keep practicing, you can do anything. “We Must Create” is going to be my new motto!

The instructions in this book are easy to follow, especially as a beginner to the world of embroidery. The author walks us through what materials to purchase, what works best for certain projects, and encourages you to be creative on what you want to stitch. I had done embroidery as a child and have been wanting to pick it back up but have felt intimidated by the different stitches that I have seen. This book walks you through how to do each stitch and what the outcomes are for each, as well as ways in which you can create your own designs with these techniques. This book helps you by teaching you the steps to each stitch, then by working through the patterns from easy to more difficult, you become more familiar witch each one and more confident. One aspect of this book I appreciate compared to others is that it gives you details on finishing your hoop for displays. This is something that is not always talked or taught, and it is essential for you to be able to show off your creativity!

The only suggestion I have for this book is that I wish it had more pictures involved when first learning the stiches. The photographs in this book are beautiful and very well done, and more would be a nice way to show the steps required for each stitch, such as step-by-step to help beginners see the process. Each embroidery design becomes more difficult and involved, each one more beautiful and fun to stitch than the last, including the references to Shakespeare!