The 27 contributors, who are among the UK's leading embroiderers and teachers, provide insights which aim to enable aspiring embroiderers to widen their skills and increase their creativity. Each contributor has developed a new piece of work specially for the book, using as inspiration an historical embroidery from the Embroiderers' Guild Collection. The new embroideries and the historical pieces are described in detail and shown in colour photographs which emphasize the rich variety of design and the range of avenues for today's embroiderer to explore. Each embroiderer also explains her working methods, the development of ideas and motifs from the original, and the choice of techniques and stitches. Practical information, with working and step-by-step diagrams, covers fabrics and threads, using design motifs, choosing and working techniques and stitches - as well as using a computer as a design tool.