Floral Cross Stitch

Rating:
Summary: Floral Inspiration
Review: This is a beautiful book with over twenty designs, each with a flower central to the project. It is wonderfully illustrated with full color photos of the finished pieces, color drawings, and color charts without symbols. Charts are nice and large, most having fewer than fifteen colors. Designs are charted for Anchor floss.

In the introduction to the book, Melinda writes, "This book … is intended to be inspirational … I only hope that by presenting some of my favorite flowers in particular ways, I can encourage you to use them as a basis for your own designs." She encourages you to look at the designs, and find another way to use them than the way she presented them, and then to experiment, making up designs of your own.

Each project begins with some information about the flower such as what it is associated with, what its other names are, legends surrounding the flowers, where you might find them growing, and what has been written about it in literature. It's almost enough to make you put your needle down and go out in the garden!

Each project has a list of materials needed, special instructions and methods used, and finishing or "making up" techniques, along with a detailed, lifelike drawing of the flower. Projects include: jar lids, notebook covers, jewelry, table cloths, needlecase, linens, greeting cards, frames, pouches/sachets, album cover, cushions, sewing case, framed pieces, towels, and samplers.

Flowers include: anemone, antirrhinum, roses, forget-me-nots, buttercups, daisies, columbine, lupines, geraniums, violets, snapdragons, cyclamen, fuchsia, hollyhocks, lilacs, lily-of-the-valley, marigold, meadow flower, pansy, tulip, primula, sweet pea, and wild flowers.

At the back of the book is a nice chapter on techniques, as well as a short bibliography. Table of contents and index.

I think my favorite design is the Lily-of-the-Valley whitework piece on a blue ground cloth. Very pretty!