Stitched Memories: Telling a Story Through Cloth and Thread

Description

Our homes are full of treasured items from the past. Hidden away from view but never thrown away, they are our links to the special people and events that tell our story. In this beautiful and inspiring book, Tilly Rose encourages you to seek out your precious stash of pre-loved items and transform them into beautiful and practical textile artworks that celebrate the lives of your loved ones and preserve your memories for generations to come. Tilly shows you how to make 15 gorgeous projects, including cloth journals, lavender hearts, framed collages, wall hangings and miniature quilts. All of the designs have a story to tell and are made using a plethora of vintage fabrics, threads, lace, ribbon, buttons, beads, photographs and other found items. If you don't have a collection of suitable materials at home, you can have fun sourcing them from online marketplaces, thrift/charity stores and flea markets, and try mixing them with modern fabrics and embellishments for a more contemporary look. The projects incorporate a range of exciting techniques, all explained through clear instructions and step-by-step photographs, including layering and collage, hand embroidery, transferring your own designs to cloth, stamping, applique, embellishing, patchwork, free motion embroidery and photo transfer. This book will take you on a truly inspirational journey, encouraging you to be creative, to source and re-use materials of special significance, and to incorporate them into textile artworks that become treasured keepsakes.

Tilly Rose is a creative mixed media textile artist, designer, tutor and avid journaller. She is based in the beautiful Cambridgeshire Fens, UK, an area that influences her designs amid her whole ethos of crafting for our own well-being. She feels deeply connected to Mother Earth and uses her walks within the landscape to inspire her. She combines traditional sewing techniques with a love of layering cloth, adding textures through surface stitching and embellishing to capture the everyday snippets of life, giving her designs a modern twist but always with a beautiful vintage flavour. She holds workshops throughout the UK and online and is a guest presenter on craft TV channels, showcasing her products and needlecraft skills. She has hosted textile tours in India and there are plans to extend this to other countries. Tilly is very active on Facebook can also be found on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. She regularly exhibits at craft shows and exhibitions, as well as attending many online gatherings. Visit her website at www.tilly-rose.co.uk.

Well written and projects are easy to follow. Will recommend this to friends. -- Jean Lunn * Customer review * Beautiful projects and ideas. I try not to buy new fabrics or threads, as I already have enough to last a lifetime. This book shows you how to reuse and recycle, while creating gorgeous pieces. -- Margaret Boswell * Customer review * What can I say. I love this book. It is so easy to use and so inspiring. Many of the materials can be sourced from items from charity shops or from your own home. It enables you to make beautiful keepsakes and embellish to make a more personal product. The illustrations are beautiful and the instructions are straight forward and easy to understand and read. There are step-by-step demos and useful tips so it is difficult to go wrong. If you love doing some hand sewing and upcycling materials then this book is a must for you. Highly recommended. -- Andrea Tinkler * Customer review * This book is amazing. If you love any type of needlecraft or vintage items I think you'll love this book. Tilly Rose explains the techniques used and how to get the vintage look and feel on modern fabrics which is great for new comers or those who want to expand their skills. Then there are the projects which come with clear step by step instructions and colour photos. There are patterns and templates at the back of the book so you can get started straight away until you're inspired to go and free your own imagination. A great book for beginners and seasoned sewists alike. -- Rowena Relf * Customer review * Ideal for somebody who is a novice or the more experienced crafter. The projects are a mixture of hand and machine stitched, with slow stitch, embroidery and applique included. Each project can be easily adapted to suit personal tastes and there are lots of useful hints and tips throughout. The book is mainly vintage inspired but you could easily make all of the projects with more modern fabrics. -- Sue Macnab * Customer review * This is a wonderful book... full of beautifully photographed projects with easy to follow step by step instructions. -- Sarah Jane Jessop * Customer review * This is a lovely book for anyone who loves sewing by hand or machine, who loves vintage fabrics and trims, and who loves to make beautiful things. It is full of lovely ideas for using scraps of fabric, old pieces of lace, bits of ribbon or a few old buttons to achieve gorgeous results. It's also very nicely illustrated, with lots of photographs of techniques as well as finished articles. Much nicer than line drawings. All in all, a very nice book, and one which I highly recommend. -- Pat Darlington * Customer review * For anyone who, like me, loves all things vintage this is the book for you. All sorts of ideas to suit all tastes and easy to do. My collection of vintage linens will be used now instead of lying in boxes. -- Sheila Evans * Customer review * What better than taking a walk down memory lane and creating crafts? Each project is a treasure trove of memories. Vintage cloth, found objects and embroidery combine to create textiles that tell a story. Shabby chic keepsakes that make a house a home. Discover layering, collage and other fabric skills to create meaningful artworks that celebrate your most treasured memories and perhaps even become family heirlooms. This book includes design inspirations, tools, objects, techniques and 15 wonderful projects. The projects include a needle case, cloth book, stitch bobbin, journal, quilt, stamped fabric, wall hanging, hoop art, panel, book cover, book wrap, purse, heart, patchwork and tags. Practical projects that anyone can achieve. A wonderful book for all lovers of vintage and country style. -- Karen Platt * www.karenplatt.co.uk * As a stitcher I have long been inspired by Tilly Rose. Her pretty vintage designs are perfect for every occasion and even if you have never sewn before they are easy to copy and inspire. Oddments of lace and scrap fabric are perfect for the project in this stunning book. Wall hangings, quilts and textile artworks are showcased beautifully and each project comes with easy instructions, ideas and what's more each piece carries with it creativity and imagination. The book cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I love that if like me you enjoy other crafts such as stamping, mixed media and papercraft, these can all be incorporated into your work and give you an individual look to any project. It is a beautiful pretty book and I absolutely love it. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews * We were really excited to receive this book, we have been waiting for its publication and we were not disappointed, the exquisite content really lives up to its title. This beautiful book will inspire anyone to venture into the world of creating your own pieces of textile artworks. With 15 different projects, there is something for everyone. The start of the book is one of the most comprehensive guides we have ever reviewed. It is full of really useful information about how to find inspiration, the tools and techniques you will need and this is followed by the gorgeous projects, again with step-by-step guidance and stunning photography. We love this book so much we are delighted to have chosen it as our Highly Recommended Crafting Book of the Month! * Hot Brands Cool Places * 'Preserve your memories - keep them well'. Tilly presents fifteen unique projects using treasured fabrics and threads, including books, quilts and hangings. Re-cycled and vintage materials, such as old tablecloths, napkins and dressmaking scraps are given a new life, together with oddments of ribbon, lace and other ephemera. This book fits well with the current trend for vintage and will appeal to anyone wanting to incorporate family memorabilia into a future heirloom. Tilly's instructions are clear and detailed, with full-sized templates where required and includes additional hints and tips to ensure success. This is an inspiring book, beautifully presented and suitable for all skill levels. * East Kent Embroiderers' Guild *