Embroidery has a long history. With it's humble roots, it's great for beginners with inexpensive supplies and simple techniques.
Gardening is also a pastime with a long history, and there's no denying the recent resurgence and popularity of houseplants.
If you're looking to take your greenery obsession to the next level, why not combine it with a relaxing and artistic endeavour?
Enter Plant Lady Embroidery. This collection of botanical embroidery motifs and designs is the perfect guide to grow your love of greenery.
Each section of the book is designed and embroidered by a different artist, providing a host of different styles and interpretations. While not every style will appeal, the book offers plenty of creative inspiration.
A comprehensive tools and material section provides those who have never picked up a needle and thread before plenty of guidance, so too does the 'getting started' and the stitch guide sections.
This is basic stuff, but important groundwork to creating beautiful embroidery. If you've never stitched before, these sections show you how to transfer designs, how to make knots, even how to thread a needle. Clear, precise photographs and instructions walk the reader through the process step by step.
The stitch guide shows how strands of floss impact each design, while once again laying out the process simply and effectively. There's a nice repertoire of stitches included in the guide, providing guidance for beginners or a nice recap for those who want to expand their skills.
A project guide offers some handy ideas for those looking to move their endeavours out of the hoop.
A handy thread colour conversion chart of the Olympus and DMC brands is also provided for those who are sticklers for instructions - although of course your colour choices are only limited by your imagination.
While most of the designs are of single specimens, there's a few scenes included. Of course, you can combine each specimen to create your own vista once you get your confidence up.
The front of the book shows each motif in full colour, while the back section has both a stitch guide and a template. While the latter two could have quite easily been combined, the designers separate them. For beginners the guidance for each design is simple to understand, and the designers of the book ensure the key to interpreting the instructions is clear on every page.
With 300 botanical embroidery motifs and designs to stitch, Plant Lady Embroidery is a great guide for anyone wanting to replicate their green thumb with a needle and thread.
Reviewed by: Rebekah Lyell
Allen and Unwin, RRP $32.99