The Art of Embroidered Flowers: Amazon.co.uk: Gilda Baron: Books

Review

Stitch:One of our bestsellers - if you don't already have this book, get it now! Gilda shows how to create original designs full of colour and texture. Sections on developing designs from your own photographs, source material from gardens and landscapes, colouring backgrounds and threads, and the use of both hand and machine stitching are clearly demonstrated. The simple techniques are combined and built up to create effective three-dimensional landscape and flower embroideries.Journal for Weavers Spinners & Dyers:This is a book to inspire dyers to get down to embroidery. While Gilda has a particular style - very much her own - she has set down ideas and instructions in a clear uncluttered manner so that you can adapt them to your own ideas. Whilst I was somewhat surprised, botanically speaking, that the same shaped piece of cloth - a circle - could become a poppy, buttercup, hollyhock or more or less any other flower, it was interesting to discover just what could be done with that shape and four basic hand embroidery stitches. Gilda does not expect readers to have a very posh sewining machine either and outlines how to get useful designs without a zig-zag stitch. She dyes both her background cloth, fabric for flowers and the yarns for embroidery, mainly using silk dyes in small quantities. However a group could of course use any suitable dyes and larger quantities. The book is a good starter and, I felt, very helpful and inspiring.Heather Dean, Rampton SpinnersSewing World:This inspiring book will have even the most reticent artist reaching for the fabric paints and embroidery threads. Gilda Baron's wonderful floral landscapes are bursting with colour and texture using a combination of fabric paints and dyes, with hand and machine embroidery. Gilda's techniques are generally very simple but she combines them in a very effective way, building up layers of colour and stitch into a rich landscape. Projects containing step-by-step instructions show how to create backgrounds using silk dyes, add detail with fabric pens, use machine embroidery to create grasses and background flowers, and magically bring the picture to life with textured foreground flowers consisting of French knots and fabric circles. The colours are carefully blended and Gilda shows how to dye threads and use shading to add depth. Mounting and finishing instructions are also included to display the embroideries as framed pictures or as cards. These beautiful flowers look so realistic they almost seem to grow out of the picture!Waterstones Newsletter:This book is awesome. It is both inspirational and aspirational at the same time as being a very practical guide. The book includes helpful information with regard to dyeing threads and fabric that can be utilised even if freestyle embroidery isn't your thing. However, the concise instructions alongside clear step-by-step photos will lure you into trying it, even if you've never thought about doing so before! It's easy enough for a beginner to follow (but in no way condescending or simplistic), but also provides wonderful starting off points for the more experienced embroiderer. A beautiful book that demonstrates exactly what a craft/needlecraft book can and should be!

Product Description

Gilda Baron combines her love of nature and skills as a textile artist and embroiderer in this inspirational and innovative step-by-step guide. Using painted and dyed backgrounds, and hand and machine embroidery, she presents a wonderful variety of three dimensional landscape and flower embroideries. A number of techniques are employed when applying colour to the fabric including batik, salt discharge and brushing dye into a wet surface. Beautiful pictures are then stitched and built up over the background in easy stages. The feeling of perspective is enhanced by the clever use of scale and colour, and all the techniques are explained clearly and demonstrated in a series of stunning projects. This original book is packed with practical advice and information. Anyone interested in pattern, texture and colour will discover a wealth of inspiration when they work through the projects. Gilda's highly individual designs will encourage beginners and more experienced embroiderers to create their own embroidered flower designs. - Flowers are a popular subject - One of the Needlecraft series - Step-by-step guide

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Beautiful and do-able 10 May 2008

By W. Dowden

Format:Paperback

This book is a joy to look at and unlike many other similar books, the pieces appear relatively simple to do and are well explained. The combination of painted/printed backgrounds and smiple stitches and appliqued flowers, produces some stunning results and gives you the confidence to have a go! Recommended.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Fantastic book with great ideas ideal new hobby 8 July 2009

By G. Davies

What a fantastic book! I wanted to try something different and this is it. The book shows you clearly in easy step by step photos how to create great and unique pictures. Starting from using fabric paints and dyes to create backgrounds to drawing stems for foreground plants then either machine or hand stitching to create flowers and landscapes. I havent been able to stop creating since I bought this book. Highly reccomended especially for a beginner.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

simple to amazing 3 Dec 2010

By K. Platt TOP 50 REVIEWER

Gilda has developed a unique style of embroidery on simple painted backgrounds. This technique is one that can be used in a basic form for beginners and yet be transformed into the amazing work that is Gilda's very best such as Sunset Over the Banks shown in the conclusion of the book. This book teaches the technique clearly. The technique uses dyed fabric and threads as well as machine and hand embroidery. This versatile technique can be used for embroidered 'paintings' and also for cards. This book is an inspiration. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's book review website.