Have you ever been browsing Instagram. Pinterest, or Tik Tok, seen an embroidery artists’ work, and wanted to learn how they do it? Books are a great resource for that! With the rise in popularity of embroidery, we've also seen some wonderfully modern, whimsical, and colorful new DIY embroidery book publications. Here's a few I own and some I wish I had on my crafting shelf.
One of the first embroidery books I ever bought was Tiny Stitches by Irem Yazici. I've followed her on Instagram (_.baobap._) for a long time and actually own one of her beautiful galactic pin sets. Her book is just as magical and whimsical as the pieces I own from her. Plus all her projects are tiny and can be finished pretty quickly (by embroidery standards).
Embroidery Now: Contemporary Projects for You and Your Home by Jennifer Cardenas Riggs (also known as Threadhoney on Instagram). When I first started getting back into embroidery, Jennifer was one of the first embroidery artists I found and followed on Instagram. I lover her mystical boho style and that her book is filled with embroidery projects for your wardrobe and home.
Organza Hoop Art: Embroidery Techniques and Projects for Sheer Stitching by Sarah Godfrey is a new book that I've been coveting. I love stitching on unconventional materials and her book is all about embroidering on organza.
Speaking of gorgeous flowers and plants, have you checked out Celeste Johnston's book Freshly Stitched: Modern Embroidery for Absolute Beginners? As a fellow nature stitcher, I lover her whimsical take on plant life. Plus, her book projects start at a beginner level and help you advance your skills. Celeste is super sweet and can also be found on Instagram at lemon_made_shop.
Fellow Seattleite, Lauren Holton of Larkrising also recently published The Modern Embroidery Studio. This beautiful book features 20 beginner friendly patterns. Lauren is also known for her whimsical patterns with detailed instructions, so if you're new to embroidery this is a great place to start.
Pet Portrait Embroidery: Lovingly Stitch Your Dog or Cat; A Modern Guide to Thread Painting by Michelle Staub isn't out yet, but it should be on your pre-order list. Michelle (also known as stitchingsabbatical on Instagram creates amazing photo-realistic pet portraits and now you can too.
Another playful embroidery book for animal lovers is Jessica Long's Animal Embroidery Workbook. Her book is packed with 30 cute critters for you to stitch in colorful and whimsical designs. I love seeing Jessica's colorful posts on her Instagram JessicaLongEmbroidery.
For those of you who love to add embroidery to your wardrobe, have you tried Make + Mend by Jessica Marquez? This book combines embroidery and sashiko-inspired mending techniques to help you repair your clothing. This book is filled with fun projects that are also extremely useful in giving your clothing new life.
And as a bonus:
So, this book isn't technically a DIY pattern book. Instead it's more of a gorgeous inspiration piece. Embroidered Life: The Art of Sarah K. Benning by my friend Sara Barnes is a look into Sarah's studio practice and the inspiration behind her detailed plant filled work.
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