Last week’s post marked a dangerous turning point in my machine embroidery confidence where I realised that doing multi-part construction wasn’t so bad after all and, while getting things aligned with dielines wasn’t fun, it was feasible.
I think we could all use a little escapism, so how about a quick tour of just some of the craft shop gems in Munich? Today’s treats involve the spectacular Roly Poly, Quilt & Textilkunst, ORAG Haus and a classic German craft staple, Wolle Rödel.
As an embroiderer, it’s often difficult to find shops that stock more exciting thread than just the standard DMC/Anchor floss ranges. It can even be difficult to find places that stock embroidery-suitable fabrics that are more exciting than 14 count Aida in white. This is why it’s always so exciting to find a place like The London Bead Co., which while formally being a shop for all things small and shiny, has one of the most beautiful thread collections I’ve ever seen. I think only Old World Designs comes close!
Looking for the best books for learning something new? Or for a gift for the crafter in your life? Here you can find summaries of some of the craft books I’ve reviewed over the years across lots of different techniques. Click on the pictures or titles to see the full, in-depth reviews.
One of my very regularly consulted reference books that I wouldn’t be without. Spiral-bound for maximum convenience with easy-to-follow stitch guides for both counted and surface embroidery. Excellent stitch directory and particularly useful when designing embroidery pieces.
Ribbonwork Embroidery: Techniques and Projects
Lovely book that spans an excellent introduction to ribbonwork embroidery, a stitch guide and some very creative and modern project ideas. Impressive number of photographs throughout with detailed instructions. Suitable for stitchers of all levels.
The Big Book of Fibery Rainbows
If you like colour and fluff, this is the book for you! Contains lots of different ideas and strategies for fibre preparation and how to use colour effectively in your finished yarns. Some ideas for different techniques for spinning up your fluffy creations. Great photographs and a lot of fun to get you inspired.
Uwagake and Shitagake-Chidori Kagari Temari (手まり上掛け千鳥かがりと下掛け千鳥かがり)
A must-have for all kiku (chrysanthemum) design fans. Stunning photographs of 20 different designs, sure to prove inspirational to stitchers of all levels. No in-depth instructions for reproducing designs which might be off-putting for beginners but still helpful to learn about temari construction and design. Dual-language (Japanese and English).
Temari Jiwari and Color Magic 手まり地割りと色のマジック
Captivating book with gorgeous photographs and designs. Focuses on use of colour and different divisions. Impossible to resist for the price, with fantastically clear photographs to replicate some to the featured designs for confident stitchers. Whether you’re interested in making temari or not, a beautiful book. Dual-language (Japanese and English).
A nice, spiral-bound book that is part stitch reference part project manual. Great for beginners with general introduction to crochet and a really nice ‘pattern selector’ with an overview of how different stitches look. Projects aren’t quite my cup of tea and perhaps the lace crocheters will feel a little neglected but an excellent introduction for newcomers and a solid stitch reference for the more advanced. UK crochet terms.
The Internet is a very dangerous place. You head online looking for a couple of embroidery hoops and next thing you know you’ve somehow found yourself with a new tape measure, some needles and… well… a whole new embroidery kit.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase the book through these links, I receive a small commission that contributes to the running costs of the blog. However, any recommendations and opinions in this review are my own. For more information, please click here.
Phew. Sorry for the extended absence. Normally when I know I’m going to hit a busy period I try and get organised and make sure I have a few things prepared in advance but with everything that has been going on I’m afraid my organisational skills haven’t been extending more than five minutes into the future.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase the book through these links, I receive a small commission that contributes to the running costs of the blog. However, any recommendations and opinions in this review are my own. For more information, please click here.
My visit to Dongdaemun Fabric Market in Seoul last year left me with the impression that this was one of the best fabric markets in the world. Having the chance to revisit it this year, I’m pleased to report that it is just as fabulous as ever with plenty to see and do.
Sorry again for the slightly sporadic posting… It’s not that there haven’t been lots of things to say, I’ve still been finding a bit of time to squeeze into a few projects, but finding enough of a pause to sit down and write something sufficiently composed that it wouldn’t sound like fevered gibberish or a laundry list of swear words has been slightly more difficult.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase the book through these links, I receive a small commission to help keep running the blog. However, any recommendations and opinions in this review are my own. For more information, please click here.
Sometimes finishing all the stitching is only part of completing a piece of embroidery… Having finished quite a few pieces now that I’ve ultimately ended up framing, the process of mounting it up has become a lot less intimidating. This is great but it also means that it has become a bit routine just putting pieces on square mount board to stick in a frame.
When I visited Britex Fabrics last year, I mentioned in the post that it had moved location shortly after my visit. It hasn’t moved far, and is located now just around the corner at 117 Post Street in Union Square. I’m pleased to say that the move hasn’t impacted their stock much and there is even now a new little resident sheep on the second floor.
astitchornine 