Book review- Stumpwork Flowers

Today we are bringing you a book review of Stumpwork Flowers by Sachiko Morimoto.  I have a bit of an obsession with stumpwork books so I couldn't resist adding this to my collection. The book is beautiful, each flower is shown simply stitched on a white background. There are some simple projects (sachets, book covers, napkins) included but mostly the embroideries are shown as finished pieces in their own right.

Stumpwork nasturtium

Stumpwork coriander

The book layout will be familiar to fans of Japanese embroidery books (I know there's a lot of you out there!) There are beautiful photographs of the stumpwork flowers at the start of the book followed by stitch tutorials and then detailed instructions for each project at the back. As these embroideries are meant to be quite small the templates are at 100% which is great if like me you want to get stitching straight away and can't be bothered enlarging patterns.

 I like this layout although it can be a bit inconvenient flicking between the large photo of the project, the stitch tutorials and the project instructions. It does make the book more attractive though as all the stitchy eye candy is collected together at the front of the book. This is definitely one of those books I will leaf through time and time again as it is just so pretty.

Needleweaving petals

The stitch tutorials are easy to follow with photographs of each step. They would be suitable for someone new to stumpwork. I think these smallish embroideries would make a perfect introduction for anyone wanting to try stumpwork. Stumpwork stitches can be quite tricky so having photos instead of diagrams is a huge bonus. I even learnt a stitch that is new to me- the Buttonhole Stitch thread ring:

I love how the little buttonhole ring flowers stand up, I love to learn new things! I plan to stitch a few of the flowers from this book- I am looking forward to brushing up my needlelace skills.

If you want to learn more about stumpwork or if you just like looking a pictures of beautiful stitching (and why wouldn't you?) then this is the book for you!


What are you stitching? Please share in the &Stitches Flickr group. We'd love to see it!