The Kew Book of Nature Samplers: 10 embroidery projects with reusable iron-on transfers by Trish Burr
Published by Search Press
First thoughts? I felt out of my depth, the front cover shows a sample of perfectly placed, shaded stitches, forming a few nature posed motifs. I am an embroiderer, however I enjoy creating my ‘version’ of events. This seemed in binary opposition to my own practice….how could I aspire to this neat world? Yet I looked within, and now deem this to be more than a traditional fixed title, let me explain.
I am a fully fledged plant lover. Each day I love being in my own garden more or visiting others. So the fact that once again this author has taken Kew Gardens under her wing and used her own observations of their contents to fill this book, has immediate appeal. If you, like myself enjoy this spring summer time of year when the flower shows are flowing and the scenery around us is reaching its prime, you may enjoy fulfilling this though stitch means too.
I loved the natural dyeing tips early on in this book, giving our samplers a personal edge. The book itself is a hardback, which sits in basically a double cover, where the also hardback cover inside hosts a flat at each side, filled with templates etc for us to use.
Yes this book has the ‘prescribed project’ feel, yet we can break the old via other means, they are just a little more subtle than the ones I am used to.
As first and foremost a watercolorist at heart, I really warmed to this title, after I had begun to understand its layout. To me, Burrs way of shading, or toning and bringing life to each animal and flower, is reminiscent of how an illustrator or botanical fine artist works, its simply in another medium. I quickly learn why I am being reminded of the botanical illustration here…..thats the very thing that Burr herself has been inspired by. This is truly a showcase of ‘from paint to stitch’ or maybe rightly should be described as of course, thread painting, silk shading…we know the terms.
Really, what better subject matter than the natural world could we have?
With continually high standards of photographs, illustrating all pages in both projects and full page layouts.