Colour Confidence in Embroidery

Description

Based on her own experience with long and short stitch shading, gained through trial and error over the years, the author provides a greater awareness of how colour affects our embroidery, and what brings it to life. Each aspect is clearly illustrated by example and includes tools for selecting colours, choosing shades that enhance our embroidery, why some shades blend better than others, and the importance of contrast with light and shadow. There are projects to represent each colour group including stunning roses, camellias, fruit and the much sought-after bee-eater birds, but the highlights of the book for any stitcher have to be the chapters on colour combinations and complementary colours. These include more than 200 stitched examples with DMC thread keys, plus schemes to help choose colours for your own projects. Colour Confidence in Embroidery is the first of its kind on this subject and a valuable resource for any embroiderer. Although based on long and short stitch shading the principles could be applied to any surface or counted thread embroidery.

Trish Burr is a self-taught embroiderer who hungrily consumes all aspects of this fine craft. Through research and practice she has developed this individual technique of surface embroidery. Further details about Trish Burr and her books can be found on her website: http://www.trishburr.co.za/

Stitching is a very practical craft and it can be done in a simplistic way. Sometimes a piece of work relies on the choice of stitches used to work it and sometimes the texture of the threads plays an important role. But the use of colour affects the piece more than anything else. To achieve a painterly shaded effect, long and short stitch is usually the stitch of choice, but elements such as the type of thread and the direction of the stitches contribute to the look of the finished embroidery. The rougher fibres of wool yarns such as crewel wool absorb more light so that little imperfections don't show, while smooth surfaces such as silk reflect the light and are less forgiving. In many ways, this book is as much about art as it is about stitching. The colour exercises are very effective and demonstrate the subtleties that shading can bring, adding light or shadows and sometimes making the highlights shine. Beautifully illustrated with clear photos, there are 12 projects, each of which focuses on a particular colour range, plus a glorious Sacred Kingfisher that uses all of the techniques - and is a challenge for more advanced stitchers... or perhaps for stitchers who have worked their way through the exercises and other projects in the book. This book really puts the 'art' into embroidery and teaches you all you need to know about 'painting' with a needle and thread.-Stitch